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Monday, July 15, 2013

Bikes, Berries, Basil & More


BIKES

We finally took the bikes out yesterday for a 100 miles trek around the back roads of the coastal range.  We left the house about noon and headed West on Hwy 20.  At Blodgett we turned north onto Hwy 180 - the Summit Highway.  All kinds of twists and turns and 20 mph corners.  It is a favorite with the locals. This roads loops us back around to Highway 20 at Eddyville.  A right turn takes us west towards the coast.

We made a stop at Chitwood for a picture of the covered bridge.  It is one we've never stopped at before and I needed it for the E2E rally and Troubadour needed it for his covered bridge page.






Back on the bikes and we turned north at Toledo onto Hwy 229 - the Siletz Highway.  Another beautiful road full of sweepers and tighter turns north of Siletz.  Before we popped out on Highway 101 we stopped at Strome County Park and boat launch for a picnic lunch of leftover broccoli salad and a Strawberry Lemonade Starbucks Refresher.  












We had the map out and were trying to figure out whether to go to Highway 101 and loop north or return the way we came.  We opted to turn around and head back the way we came but with a change. We'd head east on Hwy 410 in Siletz and ride towards Logsden.  This loop took us back to Hwy 180 at Nashville.  I'd never taken this road before, probably because of the 2 miles of gravel.  I didn't mind the actual gravel because it was well packed, but I wasn't a fan of the steep downhill grade with switchbacks.  Deep breath, loose on the bars, first gear and steady as she goes. It was well worth it because of the beautiful curving road. 

From there it was back to Highway 20 and home.  We got home at 4:00 pm to 92˚F (33.3˚C) temperatures in Corvallis.  Sure could feel it warming up as we rode out of the hills and back into the valley.

It was nice to just get out for a putter on the bikes, in no hurry, and with no place to be.

BERRIES

On Saturday we opted to drive to coffee and go berry picking after.  Our window of opportunity for raspberries was closing quickly and we knew the variety of blueberries we wanted we at their peak too.

So to Anderson Blues north of Corvallis for blueberries we went.  We picked 23.5 lbs of Spartans and ate a fair amount as we were picking too.  Good thing they don't charge for those.

We went home for lunch and to get the berries out of the heat then headed out to Childers Raspberry Farm east of Albany.

We picked 12.7 lbs of Cascade variety raspberries.  Nice and big.  They didn't seem as big as last year though.  The raspberries need to be processed for the freezer right away so I didn't get any pictures but I did get a few of the blueberries.

Both farms are family owned and friendly.  If you are in the area in the summer, I highly recommend them for fresh berries, both u-pick and they pick.





A blueberry sitting on a quarter.

Most of the blueberries have been washed and put in the freezer as well.  We did keep out a bowl of the larger ones for munching.

BASIL

Every once in a while I pick up the camera and try to take a good picture of Basil.  Some times I luck out, some times not. Lately he has been mid-yawn or sleeping outside.








AND MORE

A week or so ago we headed to the coast in the car on a Friday intending to meet some friends and fly kites.  We got away late due to a Team Oregon obligation of hubby's and our friends had already headed home by the time we got there.  We went south into Florence and had a picnic lunch and then headed inland at a relaxed pace on Highway 126 to Hwy 36; a favorite motorcycle route.

We saw a single blue heron resting in the river.


We stopped at a Alderwood Wayside while scoping out future camping spots.  There was no one around.  Just nice and quiet by the river.

We followed a little foot bridge over the Long Tom River but it didn't lead anywhere, just a short path through the woods that ended in overgrown brush.  I still managed to take a few pictures.








And finally more blooms from the garden.  Under where the sequoia was a few sunflowers have grown, buried by a bird I am sure.  A few weeds have also popped up in the yard, but I thought they looked like little daisies and took a picture.  The Tahitian sunset Rose is also blooming.










- Au Revoir

" In winter I get up at night, and dress by yellow candle-light.  In summer quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day." - Robert Louis Stevenson
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54 comments:

  1. Wow, those are some huge blueberries! I remember picking wild blueberries when I was a kid. We never found anything near that size.

    Cute pics of Basil! I like the yawning pictures.

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    1. The quality of blueberries at Anderson's is so good we don't pick them anywhere else.

      With Basil one can never tell if it is simply a yawn, or feed me my mouth is open sign.

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    2. +1 on the Blueberries. I have never seen them that big and juicy. Mmmmmm....blueberries....

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    3. Flyboy - You were too far south when you came to the USA to get fresh blueberries. Oregon has the perfect climate for them.

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  2. awh, basil, adorable. lucky boy you get to lay out and get some sun...
    those blueberries are almost as big as that sunflower! ;)
    we've got some roads like that here. a little un-nerving at 1st for sure. bravo! sounds like a great weekend!

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    1. It was a good weekend fixed with different activities. The road was a little intimidating. Would be easier going the other direction, or riding the XT.

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  3. THis really is an eclectic post! Nice photos of bikes, Brad, bridges, berries, Basil and blooms. The stream looks very relaxing.

    See you folks next week...

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    1. As it turns out I had more to write about than I thought. And that is a lot of B words in one comment Richard.

      Looking forward to seeing you next week, but we still need to figure out which day and where we're taking you to dinner.

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  4. The blueberries are gorgeous. Summit to Logsden is our bicycle route from Corvallis to the coast. I've always thought it would make a great motorcycle ride, but I'm still to nervouse about that gravel patch. Kudos to you for riding it, especially with the switchbacks on the downward portion!

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    1. The road sure is beautiful but much easier with a throttle I think instead of pedal power. Of course it is easier on a bicycle to stop and take pictures of the pastures and cows.

      As we were going down that gravel I was thinking, here I am dual sporting the Gladius once again.

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  5. Oh and love the Basil pics too! :)

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    1. He is pretty cute. I can't get him to look at the camera so I may as well get a candid shot instead.

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  6. I love blueberries! There is an abundance of these in the Black Forest area as well.

    +1 what RichardM said. Very eclectic summer time post.

    We had to think of you recently: there was a Gladius with your colour scheme parked next to an orange Triumph Tiger... I should have snapped a picture.

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    1. I am glad you have fresh berries in the Black Forest too. We're on antioxidant overload, but that is a good thing.

      Cool that you found our doppleganger bikes.

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  7. Blueberries??? More like plums!!! What is in the ground there?

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    1. I'd send you some but they wouldn't be in good shape by the time they arrived. The Willamette Valley is an old river bottom and we are mostly clay. Me thinks they use soil amendment and fertilize them.

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  8. Love the pavement/shadow photo, and boy do I love blueberries!

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    1. Thanks Steve. I snuck up on him since he had his eyes closed. His shoulder was giving him grief so he was using the hot pavement as a heating pad.

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  9. Blueberries - yumm... my favourite - have a plant in the back garden but the birds get most of the fruit. Envy you your gorgeous weather, we actually have frost on the roof this morning! Spring not far away though....

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    1. I think it is official - everyone loves blueberries. Come visit in July and I'll take you to eat your fill.

      Brrr. Frost sounds cold. We've been in the 90's during the day and 50 first thing in the morning. Quite a temperature swing.

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  10. Looks like a nice ride and a nice day. I really like the covered bridge photos you have shared with us.

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    1. Thank you, it was nice to get out for a ride. It had been a few weeks since I'd ridden anywhere except Saturday coffee and back.

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  11. Wow...great pics and it sounds like a wonderful ride report. I've not done much in the last month or two regarding the E2E rally, so I need to get on the ball. Now I'm hungry for blueberries.

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    1. Thank you. I think this was only the 5th picture I'd taken for the rally so I've really been slacking. Not too many giant roadside attractions in these parts. We have the covered bridges and old cemeteries though.

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  12. Love that bridge. Reminds me of the film with Clint Eastwood and a TV movie before it.....

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    1. I bet you are thinking Bridges of Madison County. One of the other bloggers was just in Madison County and took a picture of one of them. We sure do have a lot of covered bridges in the US.

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  13. Those are blueberries? At first glance I thought the one on the quarter was a doorknob! Even the domestic ones we get here don't come close to that size - and the wild ones, no way.

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    1. Yes yes, really tasty blueberries. I had to go back and look at that picture and it does kind of look like a cabinet knob. I think the spartans are one of the larger varieties.

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  14. Nice catch up post ... blueberries, bridges, shadows ... but oh, to be a cat! Nothing to do but yawn and sleep in the garden.

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    1. Basil really does have it so easy. Poor thing is shedding like crazy in this heat though.

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  15. I'm curious about the berry variety and/or fertilizer!

    If I had that body of water near me today in our 94 degrees I think I would have gone in face first.

    Nice photos. Basil is a sweetie!

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    1. The blueberries were a spartan variety. Typically we'd get Blue Crop or Chandlers but the Spartans were the sweeter ones this year. Here is a link to info on the Spartans: http://www.gardenguides.com/98518-information-spartan-blueberry-plant.html

      94˚ and working outside. Ick blah. At least I know you'll stay hydrated and drink lots of liquids. I'm hiding in the house under the ceiling fan in the living room until it cools down. Basil is outside hiding under the shrubbery somehwere where it is cooler.

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    2. Tragically, the two overhead fans in my house had to be removed because one of my cats is terrified of overhead fans and would not go in those rooms. At all. Ever. And cried endlessly. So down they came and finally I got to put the litter box where it belongs.

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    3. Awww poor kitty. I guess we are lucky Basil doesn't pay any attention to the fan. Glad you were able to place the litter box where needed though. Ours is in the garage and he has a kitty door to get to it if he needs it. he prefers the shrub and flower beds though.

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  16. Wow those are one blueberries! I bet they would be wicked in pie! Basil certainly has big kitty teeth! Your pics as usual are lovely!

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    1. Mmm blueberry pie.

      His teeth are big - better to bike you in the arm when you touch his belly wrong.

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  17. Does Basil get overheated in Summer?

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    1. I think he hides out when it gets too warm. Usually he is belly up all splayed out when he gets warm. Either under the shrubbery or on the sofa under the fan. Sometimes he'll lay on the cold bathroom floor tiles to cool off.

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  18. Another fan of the blue fruit here; my very favorite.

    I know they're doing eggs in Death Valley....hope Brad wasn't curious about??.....

    Great summery Post, the very best of the season just oozing from all parts.

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    1. I don't think he was truing to fry anything on the hot asphalt, just warming certain parts.

      Best of the season.... and here I thought we'd had a boring summer so far.

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  19. Were it summer year round it would be perfect. The colors, the dappled sunlight, the variety, is what I miss. But it's too damned short. I got my blueberries in North Carolina and my sister in law complained too much rain diluted their flavor. It's always something when it comes to growing stuff.

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    1. You get some pretty hot and humid weather down there. Not sure I'd like that much humidity.

      We had a pretty dry spring this year maybe that is why our blueberries are so good. At least they are good for us too. Good thing since we've been eating a lot of them.

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  20. Good to see you back! Glad you got out and about, too. And your pictures are lovely. You and I would do well together on photo discovery trips... you like shooting the same stuff as me. :-)

    Basil wasn't being very cooperative. Belle hates having her picture taken and usually blinks, squints, or turns her head. So K and Meg get most of the camera action around here. I'm going to have to pick your brain soon on hot spots to see in OR.

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    1. Yeah I just haven't had the blogging urge lately. Must be because I haven't been out on the bike much.

      I think we would have a lot of fun out wandering and taking pictures.

      Send me a fb message and let me know what area you're thinking and what time of year and I'll think of some hot spots that might pique your interest.

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  21. So jealous of your beautiful roads so near by. And those blueberries!!! Wow!

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    1. Yeah, I guess we are pretty lucky with location. An hour to the ocean to the west or an hour to the mountains to the east.

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  22. Ah good to see someone is out getting a ride in. Its winter here and I haven't got my new tyres yet so there's been no riding to speak of.
    Those blueberrys would make a lovely cheese cake.

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    1. Cheesecake? Now you're talking my language!!

      Maybe you haven't bought a new tyre because you are holding out for an updated bike.....hmmm

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  23. Excellent being able to get out on a gorgeous day to hit some unknown roads. The blueberries are spectcular. I did double takes to make sure they really were that large!! And Basil is such a cutie!

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    1. Thanks Lori. The unknown road was beautiful, the downhill gravel not so much. Blueberries make up for it too. And Basil snuggles.

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  24. Trobairitz:

    spotty wifi again today. I am so far behind. This is myt 6th attempt at making a comment and about to give up. It is on and off but mainly off

    I love raspberries and blueberries. I also love your shadow photo

    You are getting great weather. You wouldn't want what we have here. We had to stay put because of flash flood warnings and torrential rains all day long with lots of pooling water on the roads.

    My tent leaks in the corners

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. You're behind because you are out there riding and living life Bob. I have been a keyboard jockey lately and haven't ridden much. We should be out on the bikes tomorrow though.

      Wish we could send you some sunshine. One of the reasons we moved to Oregon was because we didn't like the hot hot summers in Penticton.

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