tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64176877871432747622024-02-19T00:40:04.972-08:00MelangeA melange is a mix of unlike things. A "Wiener melange" is apparently a mix of coffee and cream, although having lived near Diedrich's when it was a small family enterprise and Martin Diedrich was happy to chat about coffee, to me it means a blend of dark and light roasts. Here it will be a mix of things I do and think about: computer science, bicycling, cooking, and maybe some occasional politics.Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-82889526280814199942016-07-17T15:19:00.000-07:002016-07-17T15:19:18.292-07:00Lights for long night rides<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ride a lot in the dark. Sometimes <a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2015/03/how-to-ride-all-night.html" target="_blank">all night</a>. A good light system makes a lot of difference. Here are a few notes on equipping a bicycle with a good light system for extended riding at night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you ride only occasionally at night, and typically less than an hour, there are a lot of excellent battery light systems available. If your night riding is mostly dusk and twilight, a small "be seen" light may be enough. My topic here is "see the road" lights for darker conditions. That said, good "see the road" lights are getting affordable enough that they make a lot of sense for commuting in low light conditions as well. Unless your budget is very limited and you very seldom need to ride at dusk, a fully functional headlight is a good investment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Needs</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of what follows is applicable to short rides, but mostly I want to address the problem of extended rides (from a couple of hours to all night) at normal speeds and in full darkness. For this, important attributes of a light system include:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adequate run-time. This eliminates a lot of the lights designed for commuters, many of which can run only an hour or two at high, a few hours on low, and require a blinking mode for run times in the range of 10 hours or so. Blinking mode is not suitable for riding at normal speed, and it can be dangerous because an oncoming driver, blinded by the blink, may actually steer toward you. Say no to blinking. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adequate output. This is trickier to judge than it should be, because of i<a href="http://gemini-lights.com/explore/lux-and-lumens" target="_blank">nconsistent and sometimes inappropriate ways of measuring light output</a>. Fortunately, LED lights have improved so markedly over the last several years that it is not that hard to find lights with adequate output. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beam shape. Cheap headlights throw light in a cone. The best lights shape the beam so that light is used in the most effective way on the road, while also keeping it below eye level of oncoming vehicles and pedestrians. A well-shaped beam is more important than raw light output. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Front and Back</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course you need a tail light as well as a head light, and I'll have more to say about that below. But the head light is most critical, for a few reasons. First, perfectly adequate battery tail lights, with run times of at least ten or twelve hours on a set of batteries, are easy to find at your local bike shop, while quality head lights are more difficult to find. It's quite common to use a decent, moderately priced battery tail light in combination with a much more expensive lighting system for the front. Second, while automobile-bicycle crashes from behind do happen, they are not as dominant as many imagine. A lot of crashes are from oncoming cars turning or from cars turning at an intersection without noticing a cyclist (because the driver is watching for cars, not cyclists), and a good headlight makes a very dramatic difference in making a bicycle visible from ahead. So, let's consider head lights first, and then consider tail light alternatives. </span></div>
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Batteries or dynamo?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first decision you need to make is whether to power your headlight with a hub dynamo or with batteries. If you ride at night only occasionally, a battery powered light is economical, and adds weight to your bicycle only when it is attached; you can leave it at home when you know you won't be riding in the dark. But if you plan an all-night ride, or a ride that goes several hours into darkness, then finding battery powered lights with adequate run time can be a challenge. One simple solution is just to use more than one. I have seen randonneurs mount two or even four battery powered headlights to their handlebar, and simply turn on the second (or third, or fourth) when the first fades. You could also use a single headlight mount and have multiple headlights to attach to it. Again, this seems like a pretty reasonable approach if you ride only occasionally in the dark. </span></div>
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Dynamo wheels </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a strong preference for lights powered by a hub dynamo, even for commuting. For one thing, I never have to worry about whether I remembered to charge the batteries before a ride. I never have to worry about run time, because the lights run as long as I ride, whether that's an hour or twelve hours. A multi-day and multi-night ride is not a problem. (Well, at least it's not a lighting problem.) And I can use the headlight also during the day to make myself more visible to drivers. </span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several years ago, there were really only two choices for hub dynamos. The German company Schmidt made the Mercedes of dynamos, and the SON (Schmidt's Own Nabendynamo) was the overwhelming choice for riders who wanted low drag on timed events. Shimano made inexpensive, durable dynamo hubs with considerably more drag and weight, suitable for commuting. Sanyo also made a really terrible dynamo hub, suitable for approximately nothing. </span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But times have changed! Schmidt still makes really excellent dynamo hubs, and they are still the best you can get if your budget allows it, but you can do very well with less expensive hubs. Modern Shimano dynamo hubs are very good, and would be a reasonable budget choice even for an event bike (but be careful to get the 3 watt versions and not the 1.5 watt version). And there is a new player on the block: Shutter Precision is making high quality dynamo hubs at about half the cost of Schmidt dynohubs. The Shutter Precision hubs are too new for a judgment of long-term durability, but they appear to be the equal of Schmidt in efficiency, and increasingly I see them on event bikes. I use Schmidt on my event bike and Shimano on my commuter, and I'm very happy with both. I haven't used a Shutter Precision hub yet, but it might well be my choice if I were putting together a randonneuse on a budget. </span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might be able to find a pre-built wheel with a suitable hub dynamo. If you build your own wheels, you could order a hub and build with a dynamo hub just like any other hub. But for most of us, provisioning a dynamo hub means having a wheel built at your local bicycle shop. That's a good way of ensuring a quality wheel with an appropriate combination of hub, spokes, and rim in any case. I've had dynamo wheels built at three different shops in Eugene (as well as one by a custom bicycle builder) and in every case I've been happy with them. Quality wheels appropriate to your bicycle and style of riding is one more reason to cultivate a good relationship with your local bicycle shop. </span></div>
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Dynamo headlights </span></h3>
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shaping the beam </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best dynamo headlights use mirrors to shape the beam. A well-shaped beam spreads the light in a rectangle or keystone shape on the road ahead, applying more light toward the far end so that it appears uniformly bright. It throws a minimum of light upward, so that it is possible to pass an oncoming pedestrian on a bike path with a very strong beam and yet not blind the pedestrian. (Really, I see their chests lit up and their faces in darkness.) Because they focus the light on where it is most needed, they are effectively much brighter than a light with a higher wattage and/or lumens rating. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At present, all the LED lights I know with really excellent mirror-shaped beams are built in Germany by Busch and Müller. Schmidt also makes an excellent light, the Edelux 2, but that's thanks to using Busch and Müller bulb and mirrors. In time we may see equally good lights from other makers, but for now, if you invest in dynamo lighting, you really should get a B&M headlight or the Edelux. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the high end, the B&M Luxos U offers USB charging, a cache battery to ensure a long steady stand-light, a gorgeous and very wide beam for an exceptional view of the road even at speed, and the size and style of a black grapefruit. Really, it's big and ugly. But I love mine. Caveat if you are thinking of charging your Garmin directly from the Luxos' USB outlet: It may cut out occasionally when you are slow, as when climbing a steep hill with the headlight on, and the Garmin's firmware will shut off if you can't push the "no goddammit don't do that" button on the screen within 15 seconds. They call that a feature. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Edelux 2 has a very similar beam to the Luxos U (remember, they're using B&M mirrors), is gorgeous in its machined metal case, and is much smaller. It's an excellent choice if you either don't need the USB charging or choose to provide it with a different current converter (of which several are now available). (Aside: All dynohubs provide alternating current (AC), and USB requires direct current (DC), hence the need for conversion.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bot the Luxos and Edelux are pricey, and although lighter than the Luxos, even the Edelux might be more weight than some people would want on their bikes. B&M makes several other headlights with different prices and features. Among them, the <a href="http://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-scheinwerfer/lumotec-iq2-eyc.html" target="_blank">Eyc</a> is very small and light, relatively inexpensive at about $75, and throws a very good beam (although not as good as the Luxos). Peter White Cycles in New Hampshire maintains <a href="http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/b&m-hl.php" target="_blank">a good comparison of B&M lights</a>; if you buy from your local bike shop (which you should), it is likely that they will order from Peter or from Compass Cycles in Seattle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One reason to obtain your light from a local bike shop is that mounting is often a bit tricky. Ideally a headlight should be mounted at the fork crown or on a front rack. Mounting on the handlebars, or lower on the fork, will compromise the beam shape and direction. If you're handy, and lucky, mounting may go very smoothly, but my experience so far has been that the mounting hardware provided with the light is often not quite what you need. Three of my personal bikes have dynamo lights, and each of them has a substitute or custom-fabricated mount, because the stock mount didn't work. You might be good at trouble-shooting problems like that and finding the right replacement piece from your vast collection of bicycle parts, but I'm not, and I'm glad to have had competent mechanics take care of it for me. </span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tail Light</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Battery-powered tail lights are very good, and might be all you need. But if you run a dynamo-powered headlight, at least consider running a dynamo-powered tail light along with it. One advantage of running a dynamo-powered tail light is that, as with the headlight, you never have to think about whether your battery is low, because it's just not. Also, although battery powered tail lights are very good and can be as bright as you need, some dynamo tail lights are even better, and they are not nearly as costly as a good head light. I am currently using a Pixeo on my randonneuse, but if I were outfitting a bike with dynamo lighting today, I would choose the <a href="http://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-ruecklicht/secula.html" target="_blank">Secula Plus </a>from B&M. It is small but very bright, and the combination of light and reflectors makes it very visible from a distance. It can be mounted on a fender or seat-stay. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main disadvantage of a wired tail light is the wire. It runs from the head-light to the tail light. It's not terrible, but it's one more wire/cable/thingy running along your frame. If some of your cables are internally routed, the electrical wire might be the one thing you can't route inside the frame. For a tail light mounted on the seat-stay (on the left, to be most visible to drivers), consider running the cable along the down tube and chain stay. For a tail light mounted on a rear rack, along the top tube and then the rack is pretty much the only reasonable approach. If you are having a custom bike built, you may want to run electrical cables internally even if your brake and derailleur cables are external. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comments, questions, clarifications? Please leave a comment. </span></div>
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-1931015988373079022015-10-04T21:01:00.000-07:002015-11-15T20:46:09.805-08:00Coffeeneuring in Eugene, 2015 editionMary has suggested a 'theme within a theme' for coffeeneuring this year. Mine will be 'social coffeeneuring.' <br />
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Most of my riding is solitary. Even on organized brevets, I ride mostly alone. I rode mostly alone among 5000 other riders from Paris to Brest and back, with a few hours of socializing now and again. I'm fine with that. I enjoy solitude. But this year I'm going to try a little harder at sharing coffeeneuring with others. We'll see how it goes.<br />
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<h4>
Coffeeneuring 1, October 4, Sunday</h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_hnP8McwdGkTKTNZ-h_ZKy957uINJpPkGlGN8FlXDAy4LBJl5kx8Go1apvjjXgDc0a7dyIk_POeHjoMYlLhG2BwLs0l5hXtv7TNficDh3kx5HDzuA8wRehW1X2x-HeCAGepoGqxgq3nK/s1600/12113425_10206997421432121_7472563253398149596_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_hnP8McwdGkTKTNZ-h_ZKy957uINJpPkGlGN8FlXDAy4LBJl5kx8Go1apvjjXgDc0a7dyIk_POeHjoMYlLhG2BwLs0l5hXtv7TNficDh3kx5HDzuA8wRehW1X2x-HeCAGepoGqxgq3nK/s320/12113425_10206997421432121_7472563253398149596_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Heron beside the path</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had not made advance arrangements to meet anyone, but thought I'd kick off the season anyway, alone. (Yeah, so much for trying harder to be social.) I decided to try a coffee place I had not visited before, partly because Jolene (whom I hope to coffeeneur with later this month) had stated that as one of her conditions for coffeeneuring. Google told me there was a new micro-roastery in town, Coffee Plant and 11th, and moreover it was close to home and not far from the Fern Ridge path. Great! <br />
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<br />
When I arrived at Coffee Plant, I saw that there was a big anti-EMX sign in their lot. (For non-Eugeneans, EMX is a bus rapid transit system, and it's broadly popular among Eugeneans but intensely unpopular among some business owners along a planned route.) Before ordering, I asked whether the Coffee Plant was behind the sign. "Oh yeah." OK then, thanks, I'll find coffee somewhere else. I was polite, no arguing with their position, but I just wasn't willing to let any part of my coffee money go toward that cause. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSCblUeRcDlm6K_PCjv0ugTjIQrACZlmht4eVpH62vBcJFahtFPu-Q9QZE7-_qI4IMQrtkUtHtqCFKNFwPJoepwuoG51YDSW4CLTJKXL8MhTgGRtI0PYyjQ2rJ-ateKWMfPWHAeyZ7Y6b/s1600/12034171_10206997421392120_1999424435634337264_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSCblUeRcDlm6K_PCjv0ugTjIQrACZlmht4eVpH62vBcJFahtFPu-Q9QZE7-_qI4IMQrtkUtHtqCFKNFwPJoepwuoG51YDSW4CLTJKXL8MhTgGRtI0PYyjQ2rJ-ateKWMfPWHAeyZ7Y6b/s320/12034171_10206997421392120_1999424435634337264_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Blue Heron</td></tr>
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So much for my plan. I took the path to another patch of 11th where I thought I remembered a coffee shop I had not visited, but I didn't find it, so I headed downtown and then toward campus where I knew there were plenty of coffee shops. As I neared campus on 13th and saw Blue Heron bicycle shop, I remembered that Sue works weekends. <br />
<br />
Sue taught me how to disassemble and reassemble my bike for travel. She's an excellent mechanic and a wonderful, warm person who established a bicycle shop next to campus because she enjoys working with students. Inspiration: I can make this a social coffeeneuring outing after all, easy peasy, by bringing Sue a coffee, which I obtained from Espresso Roma just down the street. Each time a customer entered, I perused the bicycle parts and tools and accessories while she took care of the customer. In between, we drank and talked about randonneuring and about the advent of electric bicycles. The coffee was so-so. The company was great.<br />
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Beverage: regular coffee from Espresso Roma, to go, with a chocolate biscotto.<br />
Round trip: ~10 rambling miles.<br />
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<h4>
Coffeeneuring 2, October 10, Saturday</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxLkhseNjLhttmCS7Iy8XTdkvh63JWnBBp4GR9GVJcIDucqyMtHHEFpTQD5xP9lDjBFPlrwJs9kuBFotHuvYML9iXEQrGAW1oMJQOpqCcrZpd0X_e5PlwgVCQRv8P6ZmtkaeqaoJNB58v/s1600/coffeeneuring-2+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxLkhseNjLhttmCS7Iy8XTdkvh63JWnBBp4GR9GVJcIDucqyMtHHEFpTQD5xP9lDjBFPlrwJs9kuBFotHuvYML9iXEQrGAW1oMJQOpqCcrZpd0X_e5PlwgVCQRv8P6ZmtkaeqaoJNB58v/s320/coffeeneuring-2+-+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another blue heron ... might be a motif</td></tr>
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When I began riding recreationally a dozen years ago, I rode often with Greater Eugene Area Riders (Gears). I learned a lot from the group, and rode with them frequently for years. Eventually my interest turned to distance riding, and more and more I do my training rides solo, but it's nice to occasionally join the Gears group.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6R9LxQshec1uYgx1_JkBBR5d9yZ1S_5lSDuoyb3B9qp5wXE5DU9gof4q8TkNM3guUvEiaLg5_CnUxvGIE0m8QlsZuz9eeUXL2d-4b1grSgZrsvZqKR78762lypVz6WUj80Bc8-C9hAXU/s1600/coffeeneuring-2+-+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6R9LxQshec1uYgx1_JkBBR5d9yZ1S_5lSDuoyb3B9qp5wXE5DU9gof4q8TkNM3guUvEiaLg5_CnUxvGIE0m8QlsZuz9eeUXL2d-4b1grSgZrsvZqKR78762lypVz6WUj80Bc8-C9hAXU/s320/coffeeneuring-2+-+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike bridge from the park to downtown</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofAVncTsyKKCZVcZuZqvZaO3gOIFob1xI4Yf_OE2XxRBwkYlwFJfwv2OCeQVw4qtn7qs6tiNZS5Xo4VGE_eL0g2OFByQG-psyMrvUCRc03W-0a7U_uWJvpe51W4cHAwnc8IvmjTi1L6Yo/s1600/coffeeneuring-2+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofAVncTsyKKCZVcZuZqvZaO3gOIFob1xI4Yf_OE2XxRBwkYlwFJfwv2OCeQVw4qtn7qs6tiNZS5Xo4VGE_eL0g2OFByQG-psyMrvUCRc03W-0a7U_uWJvpe51W4cHAwnc8IvmjTi1L6Yo/s320/coffeeneuring-2+-+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hideaway Bakery booth at the market</td></tr>
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<br />
My plan was to get coffee with Virginia after the Gears club Saturday ride. Problem: Virginia is fast. I have no idea how far behind her I reached the finish, but far enough that she was gone. Nonetheless I will declare my "more social" goal accomplished in riding with old and new Gears friends. <br />
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There is a nice farmers' market in Eugene on Saturday, and Hideaway Bakery brings their wonderful breads and pastries and also makes pour-over coffee. I had a potato donut, which was delicious, and a nice strong cup of coffee. On the way home, I happened upon Lesli walking Chaz, so again more social component to my coffeeneuring, even if the coffee itself was drunk alone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMAqp4tyYTMKr4_Ves7tjJppk0-qI9tLsc2bkqsg0Y_su5QH1Dg0rNKsIKA3EQUXicKVyHDxLpZ4d6rTlhicS6ZCAaiW0eNpUu27hA9gPYnhuNM44wviChREKB2mlLfRhxOMwEhOUtAHY/s1600/coffeeneuring-2+-+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMAqp4tyYTMKr4_Ves7tjJppk0-qI9tLsc2bkqsg0Y_su5QH1Dg0rNKsIKA3EQUXicKVyHDxLpZ4d6rTlhicS6ZCAaiW0eNpUu27hA9gPYnhuNM44wviChREKB2mlLfRhxOMwEhOUtAHY/s640/coffeeneuring-2+-+4.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hideaway making coffee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Distance: ~40 miles<br />
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Beverage: coffee<br />
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<h4>
Coffeeneuring 3: October 17, Saturday: Disaster Relief Trials</h4>
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Once again I failed to arrange a meet-up in advance, but I thought I might still have a chance to be a bit social in my coffeeneuring, or at least be around people, by being a spectator at the <a href="https://eugenedrt.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Disaster Relief Trial</a>s. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzQqNNYwS8ru4j69VCMhf8zSflFrkhBJia1hUcr1oGP55_R-q3wg3M3aTllpzMydUdP0HScufLIM_21b8gfM_m-NXHxpKQews38hg6wAzvhe3YfTVkJshYXVGcsw9e2aUpMqJXRNTc4P6/s1600/DRT2015+-+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzQqNNYwS8ru4j69VCMhf8zSflFrkhBJia1hUcr1oGP55_R-q3wg3M3aTllpzMydUdP0HScufLIM_21b8gfM_m-NXHxpKQews38hg6wAzvhe3YfTVkJshYXVGcsw9e2aUpMqJXRNTc4P6/s200/DRT2015+-+9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The start/end point, with periodic check-ins for contestants, was at Alton Baker Park. Among the features of the park is the center of Eugene's scale model solar system. Sol, Mercury, Venus, and Earth are in the park. Some of the outer planets are several miles away.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmA-OhG3h_hi3bED2nMolOD2BbXS9bIEWufhws-uaZGAvEyK_D6K3p4NJdgOX3HPXSY4EQwrtcZ4UFB5zqVs3f95jYJJ620-7c5aJN8B8_z2cAXOMy85AgHPoFZ7229EAdU1QSJDKjmoGm/s1600/DRT2015-1+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmA-OhG3h_hi3bED2nMolOD2BbXS9bIEWufhws-uaZGAvEyK_D6K3p4NJdgOX3HPXSY4EQwrtcZ4UFB5zqVs3f95jYJJ620-7c5aJN8B8_z2cAXOMy85AgHPoFZ7229EAdU1QSJDKjmoGm/s200/DRT2015-1+-+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earth and its remarkably large moon</td></tr>
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I met and saw a few familiar people at the trials, and saw a lot of interesting cargo-oriented bikes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4C5GjDYYnVXHXLzCvtb7DhKSl98ELk8xbRcZs0Kl_Us4-yjCjzKJ0tjVxH7ZdqpeIuI3Mg6tZuEvbxJAtauv-oUvfZlRR4YE4ONcdz8yqSuyidJqvIWZA_G06n9AiX3dkY3bZmWjCksXB/s1600/DRT2015+-+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4C5GjDYYnVXHXLzCvtb7DhKSl98ELk8xbRcZs0Kl_Us4-yjCjzKJ0tjVxH7ZdqpeIuI3Mg6tZuEvbxJAtauv-oUvfZlRR4YE4ONcdz8yqSuyidJqvIWZA_G06n9AiX3dkY3bZmWjCksXB/s320/DRT2015+-+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrN62NahFM19O1XPKr2RfbLddVEYkXPuxY0JWa1WpcsJmIfxqrODcXEFOc2KjzUnb13W7kq40kKtXWbwTF4aSc2HrJ9o7UphAmC5uGJj79Ws8tlh5R2wjTAfg3ZroMDDk3uOoilhbGvlU/s1600/DRT2015+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrN62NahFM19O1XPKr2RfbLddVEYkXPuxY0JWa1WpcsJmIfxqrODcXEFOc2KjzUnb13W7kq40kKtXWbwTF4aSc2HrJ9o7UphAmC5uGJj79Ws8tlh5R2wjTAfg3ZroMDDk3uOoilhbGvlU/s320/DRT2015+-+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jQ_KfEgJpeiLF0seJeNHoTo2wAOJIn-oVltBP6iY8lK3jamrvqCf9oOn5A1MnBi_lFw-x9vkrjHtHr7fmkCEbJU6KM5Zwi4OVLB33JOCPFNjuMpc5nLQfpQ9zXXAWb52UJZam_grZ1z0/s1600/DRT2015+-+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jQ_KfEgJpeiLF0seJeNHoTo2wAOJIn-oVltBP6iY8lK3jamrvqCf9oOn5A1MnBi_lFw-x9vkrjHtHr7fmkCEbJU6KM5Zwi4OVLB33JOCPFNjuMpc5nLQfpQ9zXXAWb52UJZam_grZ1z0/s320/DRT2015+-+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Responder class' contestant checking in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9rHwU-DUabMntUBabsBGfSYvpZckSHS6PR3qjT2kFCRuJp32DX5zlne9un16MgfFgMaXTDRwrVTcuUxu3OBwo36Ugu7_xNlrQ1kt_omOUY-jHhe4V8D8-Ypgt52hshiflUKtrdbV6v72/s1600/DRT2015-2+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9rHwU-DUabMntUBabsBGfSYvpZckSHS6PR3qjT2kFCRuJp32DX5zlne9un16MgfFgMaXTDRwrVTcuUxu3OBwo36Ugu7_xNlrQ1kt_omOUY-jHhe4V8D8-Ypgt52hshiflUKtrdbV6v72/s200/DRT2015-2+-+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not an approved coffeeneuring beverage</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCITj0GlOoko2oxP-vH0xZF5cKgYVskO5fnpZegPD5LIlGqsqiSn_NPJHwDHy6sYsc9ET8wuMZ7PwX1D72BzpUiGXl3ynSmNPK4gVlvbXddd5jjK6clw1bdqmp689flqU0DOqka9fOIuIi/s1600/DRT2015+-+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCITj0GlOoko2oxP-vH0xZF5cKgYVskO5fnpZegPD5LIlGqsqiSn_NPJHwDHy6sYsc9ET8wuMZ7PwX1D72BzpUiGXl3ynSmNPK4gVlvbXddd5jjK6clw1bdqmp689flqU0DOqka9fOIuIi/s200/DRT2015+-+4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approved and portable beverage</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSM__tOV-FRJN8FCr59vS1uJmKL01_YInHBNpRS86PScONRp4hOU1ckdCRqX7XEJv8FgLsAA29lpPxm04qmcLBjemR4UX3yjg-m0WAk2BnWZVZobLyq4bhlxKOJmrjuxtKWWkuDxK6dPxO/s1600/DRT2015+-+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSM__tOV-FRJN8FCr59vS1uJmKL01_YInHBNpRS86PScONRp4hOU1ckdCRqX7XEJv8FgLsAA29lpPxm04qmcLBjemR4UX3yjg-m0WAk2BnWZVZobLyq4bhlxKOJmrjuxtKWWkuDxK6dPxO/s320/DRT2015+-+6.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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I had a tip that the canal near Autzen Stadium would be a good place to see some of the action. It was. Contestants were crossing the canal by rope, with their bicycles in tow. ROTC students were helping them fasten rope harnesses and attach and detach their bicycles on either side. They offered to help me get harnessed up. I explained that I was not a contestant today, just a spectator. Sure, the officer said, but did I want to go across or not? I did. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicpl3tAxqaBkZ72kAXk3nd7CSyS7YrDkV0bCNhUZvO_xuvgMt2QJbz0Sgw-bMcQe8XCXKUOujxpr6XAqLL-WFHoLnK5JGvCni4766Iv40lV8tKBh4D2hVU_i5MgTDT-Qz02Irnfc9lXKY/s1600/DRT2015+-+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicpl3tAxqaBkZ72kAXk3nd7CSyS7YrDkV0bCNhUZvO_xuvgMt2QJbz0Sgw-bMcQe8XCXKUOujxpr6XAqLL-WFHoLnK5JGvCni4766Iv40lV8tKBh4D2hVU_i5MgTDT-Qz02Irnfc9lXKY/s320/DRT2015+-+7.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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My commuter bike weighed a lot less than a cargo bike, but it was still strenuous dragging it up on the far side of the canal, and satisfying. It was not what I had planned for my Saturday. It was way cooler than anything I planned or anticipated. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ8QRoWsvbGxrCqucAw5tJyb4OC8KMUHtuhagfbynR8dYFLLdJPlFbS2aY8wyS5I5a1ONg5vJKWC5Umspb5uuOQNFi9fSU0nKTjSz-8nL6MV9V_UNOvmbKNFuH6jTKqD8by4sutSwnxcF/s1600/DRT2015+-+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ8QRoWsvbGxrCqucAw5tJyb4OC8KMUHtuhagfbynR8dYFLLdJPlFbS2aY8wyS5I5a1ONg5vJKWC5Umspb5uuOQNFi9fSU0nKTjSz-8nL6MV9V_UNOvmbKNFuH6jTKqD8by4sutSwnxcF/s320/DRT2015+-+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fléche teammate Alex Hongo participated in the hardest category, 'responder.' I saw him at the conclusion. Fléche teammate Chris Archibald participated as well, and for a little bit the whole 2014 fléche team was gathered recounting our ride and making tentative plans for another. </div>
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In all, my most rewarding outing in three years of coffeeneuring, and also a reminder of what a great town and community I live in. I'm feeling very lucky.<br />
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Distance: ~10 miles<br />
Drink: Java Sunda (home roast) pour-over<br />
Location: Alton Baker Park, Eugene ("coffee shop without walls")<br />
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<h4>
Coffeeneuring 4: North Plains with Lynne, Corey, and Stefanie, October 24, Saturday</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghMDWgQlT07TpT5rNXChdcGzedJTgHVakDBxRu8UImlGiKevVdC77mdGcwy77-Jv5QJpCp9t8kG6PRLDHf2z0YtfJQrlebuAa0B-EHopwxeZO0p-_WuyEveFThaQe35d7HUiNNu5FAESC/s1600/Coffeeneuring+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghMDWgQlT07TpT5rNXChdcGzedJTgHVakDBxRu8UImlGiKevVdC77mdGcwy77-Jv5QJpCp9t8kG6PRLDHf2z0YtfJQrlebuAa0B-EHopwxeZO0p-_WuyEveFThaQe35d7HUiNNu5FAESC/s320/Coffeeneuring+-+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Many of us converged on North Plains, Oregon to witness our friend Susan Otcenas cross the 10,000km mark in her 2015 randonneuring. (That's a lot of riding, and the 'K-hound' award for riding 10,000k in a year is one of the harder RUSA awards to earn.) Lynne and I decided to add a coffeeneuring outing by taking a scenic tour around North Plains before the whole group met at McDonalds for the start of a 100k permanent. The scenic tour was necessary because the only available cafe in North Plains, <i>Hits the Spot, </i>is only a few blocks from the McDonalds. (Riding to North Plains from Lynne's home in Beaverton would be possible, but impractical since we would also need to ride back in time to get to the celebratory pot-luck after the permanent.) We met <a href="http://thompsoncustombicycles.com/" target="_blank">Corey Thompson</a> and Stefanie Randolph at <i>Hits the Spot,</i> and briefly also Keith Kohan. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHBbrhj-BAYKZdvBD3gHu7JAwQwbnsjcZ4OnSI3CyE0LASeeQXYJKXjdBjigBgY1TsNvb9zX_L8TWm4roCbKuYMeEU9hNAi7wzP4ecAqg7pYH8L0pYQS8kBh22mRlZHzX0GqDHO21cjhc/s1600/Coffeeneuring+-+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHBbrhj-BAYKZdvBD3gHu7JAwQwbnsjcZ4OnSI3CyE0LASeeQXYJKXjdBjigBgY1TsNvb9zX_L8TWm4roCbKuYMeEU9hNAi7wzP4ecAqg7pYH8L0pYQS8kBh22mRlZHzX0GqDHO21cjhc/s400/Coffeeneuring+-+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lynne, Stefanie, Corey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenBHZ-QpPdGNb5jAB2AbvCtQXQ6_kM-IHJi7MuI0xzpMvRcdMqwPzs9G_BkvSvvvHE2f3iG7jSc1MmI9TyvNrelFJlyCx2-vLfptMmgTrRUlEJi7CFc_ZEWZZ_enpUR00PbPJG1ekqDTS/s1600/Coffeeneuring+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenBHZ-QpPdGNb5jAB2AbvCtQXQ6_kM-IHJi7MuI0xzpMvRcdMqwPzs9G_BkvSvvvHE2f3iG7jSc1MmI9TyvNrelFJlyCx2-vLfptMmgTrRUlEJi7CFc_ZEWZZ_enpUR00PbPJG1ekqDTS/s400/Coffeeneuring+-+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Technically the heron made its appearance after the conclusion of the coffeeneuring, on Susan's K-hound ride. </td></tr>
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Assessment: friendly, bike-friendly service, acceptable coffee<br />
Distance: 2.4 miles<br />
Drink: Coffee (American style)<br />
Location: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hit-the-Spot-Cafe/561209843984351" target="_blank">Hits the Spot</a>, North Plains, Oregon, USA<br />
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<h4>
Coffeeneuring 5: Deschutes Hall, University of Oregon, October 25, Sunday</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgv5XALZaWIT7mUgR6wBSgk3DDO5PWYMxZbNFmaYZEh-d4q0s5CIrDblFrp-FLF3xLqcvWXQ4LmIkvWtTJeLFovB3cm16c4cnBMJ8ZTlsOJjH1Y30kkcZa5VA5s5j5mEinR9DVl0FQUd4/s1600/Coffeeneuring+-+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgv5XALZaWIT7mUgR6wBSgk3DDO5PWYMxZbNFmaYZEh-d4q0s5CIrDblFrp-FLF3xLqcvWXQ4LmIkvWtTJeLFovB3cm16c4cnBMJ8ZTlsOJjH1Y30kkcZa5VA5s5j5mEinR9DVl0FQUd4/s320/Coffeeneuring+-+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's a weekend, and this isn't exactly work, even if it is work-related, so I'm going to count it. Some of my students asked me to drop in on the Hacktown Hackathon going on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I dropped in for a couple hours 9-11pm, but that doesn't count because I had already coffeeneured that morning. Sunday morning I came again a couple hours before the wrap-up. On both visits there was a lot of good conversation with students, some jollity, and some advice on debugging and problem-solving.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIL9viwbVd5kt0g0V0svEKGLQb7oxvi4kwdR016FT2n5-Y72Fr3ooRXyBqiYHfy0yyx1UBoFNSgNy3QAbqRrXUkFwl9JLkHHsr91Z-9eGLjIuaERw1ijSrqwdXMH_LY_qWC7JnHX5r8hk/s1600/Coffeeneuring+-+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIL9viwbVd5kt0g0V0svEKGLQb7oxvi4kwdR016FT2n5-Y72Fr3ooRXyBqiYHfy0yyx1UBoFNSgNy3QAbqRrXUkFwl9JLkHHsr91Z-9eGLjIuaERw1ijSrqwdXMH_LY_qWC7JnHX5r8hk/s1600/Coffeeneuring+-+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIL9viwbVd5kt0g0V0svEKGLQb7oxvi4kwdR016FT2n5-Y72Fr3ooRXyBqiYHfy0yyx1UBoFNSgNy3QAbqRrXUkFwl9JLkHHsr91Z-9eGLjIuaERw1ijSrqwdXMH_LY_qWC7JnHX5r8hk/s400/Coffeeneuring+-+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A hackathon is something like a 400k brevet for software development. Like a 400k, it generally involves slogging through the night, although as far as I know hackathons are nearly all indoors. For ditch naps, substitute naps under tables and desks. For coffee, substitute red bull (but also coffee). For ACP and RUSA trinkets, substitute small stuffed animals to prize winners.<br />
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Eugene is Tracktown, hence Hacktown, and 26.2 hours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU27xQXxhRIlibhXMJ50bW2sAGIrLtsApTyyYp6hDHw3LQUCc6TkPPqUQRauGr2a8-_4h9zQrD4ViQrf-GwMN4xJWB3M9Fj4_o4DsNCWsURT-p1iskPg7tE8Ntjkc7wzm_FiGryNSisF9W/s1600/Coffeeneuring+-+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU27xQXxhRIlibhXMJ50bW2sAGIrLtsApTyyYp6hDHw3LQUCc6TkPPqUQRauGr2a8-_4h9zQrD4ViQrf-GwMN4xJWB3M9Fj4_o4DsNCWsURT-p1iskPg7tE8Ntjkc7wzm_FiGryNSisF9W/s320/Coffeeneuring+-+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Assessment: bike-friendly campus, friendly students having fun and suffering, just like randonneurs<br />
Distance: 10 miles round trip from my home<br />
Drink: A mix of English Breakfast tea and chai<br />
Location: Deschutes Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR<br />
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Coffeeneuring 6: November 1, 2015, Hendricks Park</h4>
Achievement unlocked: Meet internet friend face-to-face for coffeeneuring. <br />
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I became aware that Sally was a coffeeneur in the greater Eugene area last season, and followed her posts on Facebook, but we had never met face-to-face. We made arrangements to meet in the main shelter at <a href="http://www.eugene-or.gov/facilities/Facility/Details/80" target="_blank">Hendricks Park</a>, with contingency plans to move somewhere else if the forecast rain was horizontal. <br />
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What an enjoyable meeting! We talked bikes, we talked PBP, we talked recycling ... Sally works at one of a very small handful of companies that makes the sophisticated machines for separating the materials in recycling. There is a lot of very cool and clever technology involved. I, being lazy, brought my coffee from home in a thermos mug that fits in the bottle holder of my bike. Sally, being resourceful and an experienced touring cyclist, brought equipment for making her coffee on the spot. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoOMaQv50lne1EE3F66JTjJ26sYa8vI5ZcihgdLeR974zbCEItT3nIrlXHh8kwMkMY2Dl5NMovd_qYGhuaUopDa6_rku9OnoJ6Bhu4bHSn-Mm6hbVOlQ2oQZFcF7ogQDNafYAZRYT9NRv/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Hendricks-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoOMaQv50lne1EE3F66JTjJ26sYa8vI5ZcihgdLeR974zbCEItT3nIrlXHh8kwMkMY2Dl5NMovd_qYGhuaUopDa6_rku9OnoJ6Bhu4bHSn-Mm6hbVOlQ2oQZFcF7ogQDNafYAZRYT9NRv/s400/Coffeeneuring-Hendricks-2.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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A mushroom walking tour group was having its pre-walk lessons in the covered structure, and the rain wasn't coming down, so we moved to a picnic table outside. After a nice long chat, a few sprinkles reminded us that it might be time to move on. </div>
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Location: <a href="http://www.friendsofhendrickspark.org/pdf/HPMap_Finalfull.pdf" target="_blank">Hendricks Park</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hendricks+Park/@44.0376389,-123.0604493,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x54c11fcc6708bcb1:0x6e438961f1bc00fe" target="_blank">2198 Summit Ave, Eugene, OR</a>. Hendricks Park is known mostly for its rhododendron gardens, but it's beautiful year round.</div>
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Date: November 1, 2015</div>
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Drink: Cafe au lait (me), pour over (Sally)</div>
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Bike friendliness: Hard to beat leaning your bike against a picnic table and sitting under giant conifers. </div>
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Distance: ~10 miles round trip for me, farther for Sally</div>
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Coffeeneuring 7, Friendly Street Market</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpSMNViN-LfLiCU1kDck_Jnwo7C73AhdI6zgTDyw17dA2kIn0cIF21KA0lF22hUNgjdo6kULetU9jKRAJ9U012GNmeQ_1usjhJzn2hW5GVdn1xw_txmeSGLuUThavMISAe29yBGxH2eoz/s1600/Friendly-coffeeneur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpSMNViN-LfLiCU1kDck_Jnwo7C73AhdI6zgTDyw17dA2kIn0cIF21KA0lF22hUNgjdo6kULetU9jKRAJ9U012GNmeQ_1usjhJzn2hW5GVdn1xw_txmeSGLuUThavMISAe29yBGxH2eoz/s640/Friendly-coffeeneur.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was supposed to rain hard on Saturday. And then it was supposed to rain on Saturday. And then it wasn't. Since I try to keep up a streak of riding at least one 200km brevet each month (going into my fifth year of so-called R-12s), a break in the weather on a November weekend is hard to pass up. I had a tentative plan to join a work party at a local park (Madison Meadow), which would have been perfect for my 'social coffeeneuring' theme. I changed plans and rode a brevet 'permanent' instead. </div>
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So, solitude. Off theme. The only real social interaction of the whole day was a nice chat with the young woman in a coffee and ice cream booth in Brownsville, on the return leg. We talked about Paris, about randonneuring, and about her recent adventures in kayaking. Very nice, but not coffeeneuring. In fact I drank plenty of coffee in the first half of my ride, but it doesn't count as coffeeneuring. Rule 8: <i>"You may not combine your coffeeneuring ride with any other ride such as an organized century, populaire, or brevet."</i></div>
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But Rule 8 goes on to say: <i>"If you do an organized ride, you may do another, separate coffeeneuring ride on the same day, e.g., a pre- or post-event ride to get a latte either before or after your organized ride."</i> So that's what I did. My ride ended at the 7-11 at 18th and Chambers, purveyors of some of the worst coffee on earth. But just a mile and a third away is Friendly Street Market, with a deli. It was not exactly humming at a quarter to eight, and in fact the deli part was shut down, but the operator said he could make me tea. I chose rooibos tea, avoiding evening caffeine. There was only one other occupied table, where some friends were having a boisterous conversation over beer. More solitude, but I was ok with that, being pretty tired after my ride. Drank it slowly, then rode home very very slowly (about 3.5 mph up the hill to our home), another 1.3 miles. </div>
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So here's my rationalization: Solitude is complementary to being social. Twice a week, for 90 minutes, I lecture to a room full of students, and I spend a good deal of time holding 'office hours' by hanging out in the shared lab space, and in various faculty meetings and in advising or other meetings with students. I enjoy those interactions. They take energy, and they move at their own pace. My short ride to school and back home gives me a little break. A long solitary ride gives me a much longer time for reflection and for ideas to develop in ways that they never will in my day-to-day routine. So, while my theme this year is being more social in my coffeeneuring, a little solitude is not a bad thing. Figure and ground, theme and counterpoint. </div>
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Location: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FriendlyStreetMarket/" target="_blank">Friendly Street Market</a>, 2757 Friendly, Eugene, OR. It's our neighborhood natural foods store, with lots of organic veggies, good local meats, bread from local bakeries, a nice selection of beers, and other stuff somewhere in the spectrum of natural to foody. </div>
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Date: November 14, 2015</div>
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Drink: Rooibos tea</div>
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Bike friendliness: Pretty good --- adequate bike racks (staple design) in front, under cover. </div>
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Distance: ~2.6 miles</div>
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-39749633675070726022015-09-28T12:43:00.002-07:002015-09-28T12:43:43.875-07:00Paris-Brest-Paris: Plans vs. RealityI did succeed at Paris-Brest-Paris, finishing in 88 hours 28 minutes. However, my actual progress was quite far from my plan. Briefly:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I had hoped to reach Loudeac (449km in, or a little over 1/3 of the way) in substantially less than 24 hours. I actually reached Loudeac in a little over 24 hours. </li>
<li>I planned to sleep 90 minutes at Loudeac on the outbound. Had I done so, I would not have had breakfast at the hotel. Also I was very tired after 24+ hours of riding. I instead slept 3 hours on the outbound, so I left Loudeac quite a bit after my "Plan A", with less time in the bank. </li>
<li>I crashed on the way back from Brest ... lost inflation in my front tire, which slid out from under me. It wasn't a bad crash. I had some road rash on knee and elbow, shifters knocked out of position and uglified, and (as I later learned) a clean bolt pulled partly out, but it didn't really have a big effect on my riding once I (slowly and carefully) put the bike back in order. But it cost me quite a bit of time adjusting the shifters, changing the flat, and later dealing with a shoe that I couldn't unclip. (It's pretty alarming when the foot you customarily clip out with just won't come unclipped, to the point that I resorted to leaving the shoe attached to the pedal and removing my foot from it.)</li>
<li>I had planned to sleep 3 hours in Loudeac on the return. Due partly to time lost from the crash, and partly just to riding more slowly than I had hoped, I slept 90 minutes on the return. </li>
<li>I had a drop bag with a change of clothes in Villaine. However, I didn't have a hotel there, and didn't want to wait in line for a bathroom, so I didn't really have an opportunity to change. Also the jersey in my drop bag was synthetic, and with the dropping temperature I decided keeping my wool jersey on was a better idea. (I'm glad I made this choice, as it rained the next morning.) I did retrieve something from my drop bag ... food? I don't recall what. But neither the planned nap nor the planned change of clothes happened. </li>
<li>I did lay my head down on a table for 30 minutes in Mortagne. Every available space on the floor, in the cafeteria and halls and doorways, was taken by others sleeping, so the table was what was available. Thereafter I did not have a repeat of the vivid visual hallucinations I experienced on the way into Mortagne, but I was still quite tired and had to take a couple of ten-minute ditch naps later, fortunately before the rain started. </li>
<li>Narayan Krishnamurthy, a friend from Seattle International Randonneurs, asked me to ride in with him from Mortagne. I tried. After perhaps half an hour or an hour, I had to send him on and take my first ditch nap. (Narayan had a later start time and was therefore closer to the time cut, so he could not afford a ditch nap then, although he really wanted one.) (On further reflection, that may have been my second ditch nap ... I think Narayan and I both slept for a few minutes somewhere between Mortagne and Dreux.) </li>
<li>I had another flat, this time on the rear, on the final stretch from Dreux to the finish. My coordination was poor, but another rider stopped and helped me get the wheel back on. </li>
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It's interesting (to me at least) to see how my actual progress stacks up against my plans. My optimistic plan A was reasonably close on the first day, then far off later. </div>
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A = Plan A (optimistic schedule)<br />
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B = Plan B (15% slower, less sleep, racing the cut)<br />
Actual: Actual arrival time at a control, from the PBP electronic records<br />
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Note A and B are planned departures, and Actual is arrival times. Perhaps at some point I can dig through GPS records to get the actual departure times.<br />
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SQ Yvellines<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(start) <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>19:30 Sunday<br />
Mortagne au Perche (food)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>139km/86 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2:28<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3:52<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> (not a control)</span><br />
Villaines La Juhel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>220km/136 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 7:20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 9:43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 10:10 Monday Actual: 06:10 Monday<br />
Fougere<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>309km/192 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 12:21<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 15:43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 16:04 Actual: 11:10 Monday<br />
Tinteniac<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>363km/225 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 15:41<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 19:43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 19:56 Actual: 14:40 Monday<br />
Quedillac (food) 389km/241 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 17:10<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 21:30<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> (not a control)</span><br />
Loudeac arrive<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>448km/278 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 19:59<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 0:53<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 2:00 Tuesday Actual: 19:50<br />
Loudeac depart<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>448km/278 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 22:00<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 0:00 <br />
St Nic du Pelem<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>493km/306 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 0:19<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 2:47<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> (not a control)</span><br />
Carhaix<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>526km/326 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 2:47<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 5:44<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 8:03 Actual: 05:31<br />
Brest<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>614km/381 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 8:05<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 12:06<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 14:53 Actual: 10:59<br />
Carhaix<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>698km/433 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 13:11<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 18:14<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 21:19 Actual: 17:10<br />
Loudeac arrive<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>780km/484 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 18:11<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 0:13<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 3:39 Actual: 23:04<br />
Loudeac depart<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 23:39<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 1:39<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 3:39 <br />
Tinteniac<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>865km/537 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 4:48<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 7:49<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 10:12 Actual: 08:24<br />
Fougere<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>919km/571 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 8:20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 12:05<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 14:23 Actual: 12:05<br />
Villaines La Juhel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1008km/626 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 14:27<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 19:25<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 21:14 Actual: 18:30<br />
Mortagne au Perche<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1088km/676 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 19:20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 1:17<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 3:08 Actual: 00:42<br />
Dreux<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1166km/724 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 0:08<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 7:02<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 8:44 Actual: 07:38<br />
SQ Yvellines<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1230km/764 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 4:12<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 11:54<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 13:30 Actual: 11:58<br />
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It is remarkable how close this is to my "Plan A" in the first 24 hours and "Plan B" thereafter. It's a little depressing to realize this averages to 8.6 mph over the whole journey, but that's total time and not moving time. I have no idea what my moving average was ... probably around 11 or 12mph. I was definitely not moving quickly toward the end. <br />
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Although I found it difficult to keep to my plan, I think the planning exercise was useful in helping me gauge my progress at each point, and to make tactical decisions like sleeping more at Loudeac on the outbound. Although I was behind where I wanted to be, I was never in serious danger of missing a cut, and knowing that was helpful. </div>
Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-51130068472769448212015-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:002015-08-14T12:42:08.284-07:00My Paris-Brest-Paris time plan I learned the art of brevet time planning from Susan Otcenas (who makes very elaborate time sheets with, among other things, speed variations based on climbing) and Lynne Fitzsimmons (who uses a similar but less complex system). Mine are closer to Lynne's style, but have borrowed as well from Susan's style. I like to have at least two versions: A "plan A" for the schedule I'd like to keep if everything goes well, and "plan B" for the schedule I'll try to keep if things are going less well and I'm rushing to keep ahead of the cuts.<br />
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Here is my plan for Paris-Brest-Paris, extracted from a spreadsheet that has some additional columns, such as my speed and the time I plan to spend at stops (typically 45 minutes at each, except for sleep stops in Loudeac and food stops at a couple places that are not controls). <br />
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I depart at 7:30pm Sunday (10:30am Eugene time) and have 90 hours to reach Brest and return, with intermediate time cuts that I must reach to avoid disqualification. The intermediate time cuts are not even: Basically I have 40 hours to reach Brest and 50 hours to return.<br />
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I have a hotel in Loudeac for Monday and Tuesday nights. On the way out it's likely I'll get 90 minutes sleep, 3 hours on the way back, but more (or less!) is possible. Sleep will be in 90 minute increments --- for example, if I have time for 4 hours on the way back, I'll take 3 (90 minutes x 2 cycles) and bank the extra hour for a nap sometime later. However, if I reach Loudeac with less than two hours "banked", I'll likely to take at least a short nap before continuing. <br />
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A = Plan A (optimistic schedule)<br />
B = Plan B (15% slower, less sleep, racing the cut)<br />
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SQ Yvellines<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(start) <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>19:30 Sunday<br />
Mortagne au Perche (food)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>139km/86 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2:28<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3:52<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
Villaines La Juhel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>220km/136 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 7:20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 9:43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 10:10 Monday<br />
Fougere<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>309km/192 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 12:21<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 15:43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 16:04<br />
Tinteniac<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>363km/225 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 15:41<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 19:43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 19:56<br />
Quedillac (food) 389km/241 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 17:10<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 21:30<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
Loudeac arrive<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>448km/278 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 19:59<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 0:53<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 2:00 Tuesday<br />
Loudeac depart<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>448km/278 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 22:00<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 0:00<br />
St Nic du Pelem<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>493km/306 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 0:19<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 2:47<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
Carhaix<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>526km/326 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 2:47<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 5:44<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 8:03<br />
Brest<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>614km/381 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 8:05<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 12:06<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 14:53<br />
Carhaix<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>698km/433 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 13:11<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 18:14<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 21:19<br />
Loudeac arrive<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>780km/484 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 18:11<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 0:13<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 3:39<br />
Loudeac depart<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 23:39<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 1:39<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 3:39<br />
Tinteniac<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>865km/537 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 4:48<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 7:49<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 10:12<br />
Fougere<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>919km/571 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 8:20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 12:05<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 14:23<br />
Villaines La Juhel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1008km/626 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 14:27<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 19:25<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 21:14<br />
Mortagne au Perche<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1088km/676 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 19:20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 1:17<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 3:08<br />
Dreux<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1166km/724 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 0:08<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 7:02<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 8:44<br />
SQ Yvellines<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1230km/764 miles<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A: 4:12<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B: 11:54<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cut: 13:30<br />
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Except for Loudeac, all times are departure times, after some time for getting my control card stamped, getting some food, etc. There are a couple of anomalies in the schedule as shown here ... for example, I can't actually leave Loudeac before I arrive on the way out. What that means in practice is that Plan B is not tenable on the outbound ... I must either ride faster than that or spend less time at the controles.<br />
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I think I can stay close to plan A for the first day, if nothing goes wrong. I may slip closer to plan B in subsequent days. I will try to keep 4 hours "banked" after the turnaround in Brest, but the early morning finish shown in Plan A strikes me as unrealistic ... it's more likely I'll trade in some of that time bank for a nap somewhere on the third or fourth day. I'll have a drop bag in Villaine (but no hotel), so I might take a nap on a cot there.<br />
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-91089942825575336842015-03-01T22:34:00.000-08:002015-03-21T17:17:05.040-07:00How to Ride All Night<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing for Solstice 2014 ride</td></tr>
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Probably all of us ride at least sometimes at night, even if it's just our commute home during the mid-winter months. From late fall to early spring, we may carry lights and anticipate many training and recreational rides ending in darkness. Most think of darkness as something to be avoided or tolerated. But what about riding all night, intentionally? Have you considered that? Does it sound like fun, or a worthwhile challenge? I think it is. <br />
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I've ridden through the night several times now: On 400km brevets, on 24-hour flèche events, solstice night brevets, and on the outset of the fabulous SIR 1000km brevet from Seattle to Klamath Falls. I don't consider myself an expert, but I don't think I can consider myself a beginner any more either. Here are a few things I've learned about riding through the night, from dusk to dawn. <br />
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Aside to my experienced randonneuring friends: You probably already know what I'm going to write here. Feel free to critique my advice and add some of your own in the comments. This is aimed primarily at recreational and sport riders who are new to distance riding at night.<br />
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Why might you do this? First, because riding at night is something a little different, an experience worth having. Everything looks different. If you ride alone, the solitude is magnified. If you ride with a friend or a group, riding together for a long time at night is a bonding experience. Or, you might just want to ride a really long way. If you are riding for 24 hours or more, a period of darkness is a given. (Almost: There is a 600km brevet in Alaska that takes place around the summer solstice and entirely in daylight. )<br />
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Of course your bicycle must be equipped with a good headlight. I'm a big fan of hub dynamo light systems, but both dynamo and battery lights have improved greatly over the last few years. You need enough light to see the road, and you need it to last all night. There are lots of good battery lights available now that meet the first requirement; the second is a little harder, but you can do it. There is more to say about lighting than fits here. I'll reserve the rest for a separate post.<br />
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Even if you have excellent lighting, don't underestimate the value of good reflective clothing. Besides making you much more visible to drivers while you're riding, a reflective vest or jacket will make you visible when you're beside the road, fixing a flat at 3am. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solstice 2013 ride (photo by Norm Carr)</td></tr>
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Besides food and lights, you will need some capacity to carry layers of clothing on your bicycle. If it's cool at 8pm, it may be downright cold at 4am. The coldest hour seems to be right around dawn. If you don't have the layers you need, the energy your body needs to keep warm will be stolen from your pedaling, and also hurt your alertness. <br />
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A night ride requires more planning than a day ride. In particular, you'll want to have located 24-hour convenience stores and gas stations with mini-marts, because your opportunities for buying food at night are much more limited than during the day. It can be difficult to read a cue sheet at night, so a GPS or a GPS route on your phone (like the new RideWithGPS app) is very helpful, particularly if the route is not very familiar. Even if you use a Garmin or other dedicated GPS device, it is a good idea to have your route also on your phone (the Maps.me app is good for this) in case of a device failure or if you get lost. <br />
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If you can, take a nap before an evening start event. Even an hour, even if you can't really get to sleep, helps make sure you don't start in the hole. Sometimes this won't be an option, but if you have the chance it is very helpful. <br />
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Make sure someone knows your route. If you ride at night often, or outside cell phone coverage, you might consider a satellite tracker like the FindMeSpot, which communicates directly through a satellite and does not depend on your cell phone. If you need one very occasionally, you might rent or borrow one, or perhaps you can ride with a friend who uses one. If you need one often, they are about $150 to purchase plus $150 each year for service. I've never used the 'call for help' feature on my tracker, but I'm glad it's there. <br />
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You'll also want to pack more food than you would for an equivalent ride in the day. Eating while riding can be more difficult in the dark. If you have a front rack or a handlebar bag, it helps to munch from the bag while riding. Otherwise a 'bento-box' style top-tube case can hold a couple bars and a couple gels. I'm not a fan of powdered drinks in general, but they are convenient at night since you can reach your drink without seeing it. <br />
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Eat, drink, repeat. This holds for riding in the day or at night, but it's particularly important at night. Besides keeping your energy up for pedaling, sufficient food and water help keep you alert. If you start feeling drowsy, consider how long it has been since you last ate or drank. Caffeine helps too, and many gels, bars, and other ride foods available today include caffeine. But caffeine without additional food energy won't do it. <br />
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Suppose you've eaten enough, and yet the drowsiness is becoming overwhelming. You must stop. Really, do it. Falling asleep while riding is a bad idea. I've done it once, but woke almost immediately and recovered before crashing. Last year on a ride in Washington, a rider was not so lucky; he fell asleep, crashed, and broke his collarbone, a long way from anywhere. So if you find yourself shaking your head to stay awake, pull over and take a short nap. Set your phone alarm for fifteen minutes, eat a gel or bar with caffeine (which you can be digesting while you rest), and lie down if you can, or else sit with your head on your knees, and take that little bit of sleep. It doesn't take a lot.<br />
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You will go slower at night. What feels like 18 is probably 14; what feels like 14 is probably 10. Unless you are racing, you should just accept that you will not maintain daytime speeds at night. Nonetheless, you need to guard against slowing down too far. If you feel like you are doing 14-15, but you are really doing 9-10mph, you may quickly fall behind your plan, so check your computer occasionally (or use the backlight on your gps unit to keep your speed visible). <br />
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The bigger threat to your schedule at night is not riding slower, but taking too long when you do stop. If you stop at a convenience store without a plan, the delay can easily balloon. If you are riding in a group, it helps to discuss the stop in advance: Are we taking bathroom breaks? Getting food? How much time do we plan to be stopped? An explicit plan for the length of the stop helps. Take the time you need, but not more. <br />
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And then? A ride is just a ride. Things will look different, and you'll feel different, but the key skills of steady pedaling, monitoring your exertion, and enjoying your surroundings are the same as ever. If you can ride 100 miles or more in the daylight, with a little preparation you can probably ride 100 miles or more at night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9E6cQ1kBjViUFyyjojblaB4IFATb1g3gl8nT-3lj7IFrt-5-sOFaZei10f4IW4gdf6_WFLjWCDUvxkczhprNytPW6N2W2GLw3g8GfkXbwUkDIALD27EiTXJLM38Yow74ZOz6VWhJq4as/s1600/Solstice-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9E6cQ1kBjViUFyyjojblaB4IFATb1g3gl8nT-3lj7IFrt-5-sOFaZei10f4IW4gdf6_WFLjWCDUvxkczhprNytPW6N2W2GLw3g8GfkXbwUkDIALD27EiTXJLM38Yow74ZOz6VWhJq4as/s1600/Solstice-after.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refueling after the Solstice 2014 ride</td></tr>
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<br />Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-18319321823494792492014-10-12T15:52:00.002-07:002014-11-19T08:43:04.172-08:00Coffeeneuring 2014<a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/category/coffeeneuring/" target="_blank">Coffeeneuring </a> is a tongue-in-cheek variation on randonneuring: a short, leisurely ride to enjoy a hot drink, documented in photography rather than receipts and signatures. This is my second year of participation. Last year I kept individual rides in separate posts, then added a consolidated post at the conclusion of the series. This year I think I'll just build one integrated post.<br />
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<b>Ride 1, October 5 2014 (2 miles)</b><br />
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My first coffeeneuring ride was a "ride to the ride" for a permanent brevet from Market of Choice. Since I had my usual quota of coffee before leaving the house, and since my stomach didn't like the idea of hot chocolate, I elected to have a cup of tea (which I find often soothes an unhappy stomach on rides). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7g2Vq5bMdf-JRtvAVgJBD2IsJqTJi6kL4Wd37aDfPdFaVSzLiNtMju_0NvYSQe-xLW0bcGS-_sdVYU20Qhj5xNQQb9jNzbtVUcxr3den4IuYPkmxzGYPh2lwWNQiwQ5h-LKL9r4u8r8uM/s1600/Coffeeneuring1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7g2Vq5bMdf-JRtvAVgJBD2IsJqTJi6kL4Wd37aDfPdFaVSzLiNtMju_0NvYSQe-xLW0bcGS-_sdVYU20Qhj5xNQQb9jNzbtVUcxr3den4IuYPkmxzGYPh2lwWNQiwQ5h-LKL9r4u8r8uM/s1600/Coffeeneuring1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I wasn't expecting much. To my surprise, the tea was really, really good. They spooned a bit of loose leaf tea from a sealed jar into a cylinder of some sort of fiber, then twisted a knot in the cylinder to form a tea bag. Lately I have not been a very discerning tea drinker, settling for Twinings in tea bags. The tea at MoC was so much better than what I have been drinking that I decided I need to get some supplies to make better tea. </div>
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<b>Ride 2, October 12, 2014 (4 miles)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EeNDejU84is8gph119-fUBqZLAdoAfmcCObiK3zCtpVI9NKMtThhyphenhyphenhKrY7DC4t868-hdn32wJ2hEIe1PzLihHexKF5JkyBpUXsEudSKy4E0DeU2zWsnkO9PgGVVeeIqsUaSokPr90Xjn/s1600/Coffeeneuring4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EeNDejU84is8gph119-fUBqZLAdoAfmcCObiK3zCtpVI9NKMtThhyphenhyphenhKrY7DC4t868-hdn32wJ2hEIe1PzLihHexKF5JkyBpUXsEudSKy4E0DeU2zWsnkO9PgGVVeeIqsUaSokPr90Xjn/s1600/Coffeeneuring4.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>My second ride is most in the spirit of coffeeneuring. Cyndi rode with me to Market of Choice to get bread and milk, and to inquire about supplies for the tea I had enjoyed on my prior visit. We got the tea but they didn't have the DIY bags in stock. Since I had already coffeeneured there, we stopped at Friendly Street Market on the way back home for hot chocolate. Hot cocoa, actually, which is not quite the same ... but it was a nice environment, and I really like how the outdoor seating and improvements to the café have made Friendly even more of a neighborhood institution. </div>
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<b>Ride 3, October 18, 2014 (8 miles)</b></div>
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Hideaway Bakery make the best bread in town in their big wood-burning oven. They also make nice cakes and pastries, and the coffee was good --- notably better than when I coffeeneured here last year. Cyndi drove to meet me, and my daughter Adrian rode over. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDvxG7q3cS8-f18Y1DW0PnguwemsRNhjBL7l4cvxBq7a8z8XvSM4H0hIIOG3eqsT-sZ3tjBnKG0VsekWyLQ1jmBOu-aZjP1GFdFGYHQUlN39OAD5aZxRlx85WuF4sKO98O8BX51uxtqpT/s1600/Cyndi-Adrian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDvxG7q3cS8-f18Y1DW0PnguwemsRNhjBL7l4cvxBq7a8z8XvSM4H0hIIOG3eqsT-sZ3tjBnKG0VsekWyLQ1jmBOu-aZjP1GFdFGYHQUlN39OAD5aZxRlx85WuF4sKO98O8BX51uxtqpT/s1600/Cyndi-Adrian.jpg" height="277" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsSsYg-7vHjVJeM307TUmdDjaWimtgI2EvxUwVjGOrzse5-_Zf3Mt7YVHlxwolKnUHha_GtpLeapHVFHqfqoeTJIw7tHYG_srem0-ZvCVaZbGTpiSPGdZI2lCfG7OGiHttG6oW92Vx_vh/s1600/Hideaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsSsYg-7vHjVJeM307TUmdDjaWimtgI2EvxUwVjGOrzse5-_Zf3Mt7YVHlxwolKnUHha_GtpLeapHVFHqfqoeTJIw7tHYG_srem0-ZvCVaZbGTpiSPGdZI2lCfG7OGiHttG6oW92Vx_vh/s1600/Hideaway.jpg" height="171" width="200" /></a></div>
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We each had caffé latte, and shared a piece of chocolate cake. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-Kb7pfYQLKUnG2q2M9xHVfoHFyNd37DKjJNx1NhspnC-4CeDQ38rTFok1QPoK-a3hU-FA7cZoeln_ZQrXu3sv8RrTPDVkERCQCOQNq415elfpQT1IzqObcScgEQaegNJ8BGIDtfAoEO0/s1600/Adrian-bikes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-Kb7pfYQLKUnG2q2M9xHVfoHFyNd37DKjJNx1NhspnC-4CeDQ38rTFok1QPoK-a3hU-FA7cZoeln_ZQrXu3sv8RrTPDVkERCQCOQNq415elfpQT1IzqObcScgEQaegNJ8BGIDtfAoEO0/s1600/Adrian-bikes.jpg" height="320" width="201" /></a>Hideaway has pretty good bicycle parking. It's on the other side of the building from the cafe and bakery, but visible enough to seem reasonably safe. <br />
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After coffee, I rode along with Adrian to her home to deliver a few jars of applesauce, and saw a couple fawns on the way back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJa-DCusWv3-dQs8GmI2WvNbLMpO803Gwts8O79tk8lHT6Dhc_cwDO9Y2M4OD72s8mfS3g3ZvjzbJ_8VMvrEaaQyaOgXKHVynywOVIUnOEyQHbusd_Ox3kPsRwYYZ_7ePlb1AOEz0TCwet/s1600/Deer-street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJa-DCusWv3-dQs8GmI2WvNbLMpO803Gwts8O79tk8lHT6Dhc_cwDO9Y2M4OD72s8mfS3g3ZvjzbJ_8VMvrEaaQyaOgXKHVynywOVIUnOEyQHbusd_Ox3kPsRwYYZ_7ePlb1AOEz0TCwet/s1600/Deer-street.jpg" height="265" width="640" /></a></div>
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On the way home, I stopped at Arriving by Bike (a transportation-oriented bike shop in Eugene) to check on long sleeve wool jerseys and lights. I didn't find what I wanted in a jersey, but they had the B&M Eyc in stock. I called Cyndi, who brought her bike down to have an Eyc installed. After riding home, I swapped her front wheel for one with a generator hub, from my old Salsa rando, so now Cyndi should have a good light system. </div>
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<b>Ride 4, October 18, 2014 (~4 miles)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzezrWeU25bz5YBxiM628YfeV2kwKVfFi4d6_6_QrdCzEsKw3w_Nl5YOjJgCTqdPyKYbOIi5W7HNj0jdOKz2bnglXfHR8RtxxbIa02PvICXwqHLfSiaJebgT3BujNSxSKi33TJAHvEi9kd/s1600/IMG_1149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzezrWeU25bz5YBxiM628YfeV2kwKVfFi4d6_6_QrdCzEsKw3w_Nl5YOjJgCTqdPyKYbOIi5W7HNj0jdOKz2bnglXfHR8RtxxbIa02PvICXwqHLfSiaJebgT3BujNSxSKi33TJAHvEi9kd/s1600/IMG_1149.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
John Pearch rode my permanent populaire from Florence today, and I rode down to meet him at the conclusion. Although he was at a Starbucks inside Albertsons grocery, I elected not to get my drink there but instead to look for something a little better after helping him find some fast food in the area. (He ended up at Fisherman's Market for fish and chips; I hope it was good.) I cruised toward center town looking for something reasonable. I was headed vaguely in the direction of Barn Light when I caught sight of the library and remembered that Eugene Public Library has a cafe. It was open, and gave me a good excuse to brag about out our excellent library. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD5L_mEeobnyY-rJu9_CIZfVsE4fKT_RtX2kmMPaIRqr_sTKbp49PWx-djcLZ_38k46I1HnNuR-7qYOgoRYT25I94pbjByCZ_fM8ou59qRyUg9RHyHAOuIzoxBEbraKIjrZiOk_-MMoUJ/s1600/IMG_1148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD5L_mEeobnyY-rJu9_CIZfVsE4fKT_RtX2kmMPaIRqr_sTKbp49PWx-djcLZ_38k46I1HnNuR-7qYOgoRYT25I94pbjByCZ_fM8ou59qRyUg9RHyHAOuIzoxBEbraKIjrZiOk_-MMoUJ/s1600/IMG_1148.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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I had a hot chocolate. I think it was pretty good, but unfortunately I didn't drink much before I accidentally set the paper cup down on the lid and spilled the rest. <br />
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The library is quite bicycle friendly. I leaned my bike against the window because I didn't have a lock with me, but there is quite a bit of bicycle parking. Eugene is the sort of place where you needn't feel weird about walking around with a helmet on. (In truth I don't feel weird walking around with a helmet pretty much anywhere, but that's me.)<br />
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<b>Ride 5, October 25, 2014 (4.25 miles)</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOe8VIL2CTOpiYNB-WukQ6CvaEa379snwFCvQRyTFJkzKWhqVi4c-6DnkLQhLr89xbQwtI649FmgF0s19oHiSA6N7R0N1AOgj3ee3gQa_MYZiMmTcoQ06UiaKgQfUd1yq6erkUrWSM9sM/s1600/16Tons1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOe8VIL2CTOpiYNB-WukQ6CvaEa379snwFCvQRyTFJkzKWhqVi4c-6DnkLQhLr89xbQwtI649FmgF0s19oHiSA6N7R0N1AOgj3ee3gQa_MYZiMmTcoQ06UiaKgQfUd1yq6erkUrWSM9sM/s1600/16Tons1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Picked up five pounds of cranberries fresh from Bandon from a friend-of-a-friend, then stopped at 16 Tons on the way home. They are serving micro-roast coffees from Water Avenue Coffees in Portland. According to the server, they get a delivery once a week. I ordered hot chocolate. (OK, I guess I am a little snobbish about coffee ... I will drink almost anything in a pinch, but if fresh roast is your thing, a week old doesn't cut it.) The hot chocolate was ok, but not better than the cup I got at the public library last week. I should probably have at least tried 16 Tons' coffee to give it a fair chance, but as usual I had a couple coffees in me before leaving home (currently drinking an interesting blend of Kenya Nyeri Karogoto AB and monsooned Malabar, which is excellent in espresso). I really do like 16 Tons as a place for beer and cider on tap. I'll try their coffee another time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeogRaipsmSMzfgANzoQlcbnqcXFG8KXhsi1fBktb7tM0M0GEDuqrzEmHTds3H3OpuFsGSi1GHwN0a2KTr4EJPe1j9_0deBgL_Df3c4Z8fcqwLqfp8KLXxE91RfqpiLIB9Ct0coOT6-_H/s1600/16Tons2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeogRaipsmSMzfgANzoQlcbnqcXFG8KXhsi1fBktb7tM0M0GEDuqrzEmHTds3H3OpuFsGSi1GHwN0a2KTr4EJPe1j9_0deBgL_Df3c4Z8fcqwLqfp8KLXxE91RfqpiLIB9Ct0coOT6-_H/s1600/16Tons2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkk-mrq-qM5MXwtLschKEhE-QmOQa6G9I_g1YmSAI0iKreiFT0U71xDBoxc7czwJ7sGqIxeQ5ssEF_leOLNsxP6LUTaWCH2eKXImDQ4KD5eV4mxI_0NBgEJePZNP_k06aO1nsJ8-0FClYS/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkk-mrq-qM5MXwtLschKEhE-QmOQa6G9I_g1YmSAI0iKreiFT0U71xDBoxc7czwJ7sGqIxeQ5ssEF_leOLNsxP6LUTaWCH2eKXImDQ4KD5eV4mxI_0NBgEJePZNP_k06aO1nsJ8-0FClYS/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice weather for napping</td></tr>
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<b>Ride 6, October 26, 2014 (21 miles)</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtK1yfl8bG8Vio8QD5iK1H4vzwsLo8GFjVtI-GCQtQbGXVLyU1Dy-MaeX-t6qmpGO-lj_QHFoivpYaC5u664hokCGIC4HpqVFtSFK-NFR8Omx1AQih88HMlFcnItORorVgZOvtO9BGYYK/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtK1yfl8bG8Vio8QD5iK1H4vzwsLo8GFjVtI-GCQtQbGXVLyU1Dy-MaeX-t6qmpGO-lj_QHFoivpYaC5u664hokCGIC4HpqVFtSFK-NFR8Omx1AQih88HMlFcnItORorVgZOvtO9BGYYK/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macbeth</td></tr>
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Macbeth and Fox Hollow is a popular short training loop in the area, but at my pace today I can't call it training. Moseying. I went out over Bailey Hill, then Lorane to Macbeth, and down Fox Hollow. And of course that means nothing at all unless you happen to know the roads around Eugene, but for a Eugene recreational rider that is a complete description of the route.<br />
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Earlier today the rain was quite impressive, and yesterday was windy. This afternoon, though, it was lovely. I decided to stop for a few more pictures than usual.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAk5hy4lOlB76AfFAy2vAC519na0b9mFAeerEutJ-Szb1ogoRsCFMIkl4yx5_PIKNGIvS7QYQ7OCDoCXlpeZU2J4uTIOKCq4OWMfuaBZSwoKdMN4Bckc65KNg8uoHkVMRbY31Frrlf7xd/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAk5hy4lOlB76AfFAy2vAC519na0b9mFAeerEutJ-Szb1ogoRsCFMIkl4yx5_PIKNGIvS7QYQ7OCDoCXlpeZU2J4uTIOKCq4OWMfuaBZSwoKdMN4Bckc65KNg8uoHkVMRbY31Frrlf7xd/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth3.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LeBleu, just off Macbeth near the top</td></tr>
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I turned off on LeBleu (near the top of Macbeth) just for this view ... I always love the afternoon sun through the trees.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nvE44tk6dcd3ZauXJ4Z4p9DbxMbRZxG8xI_rZ0Rj3kPMkk7Z4Sa6sZWW65RY2g4BAFn2rh9ZCHpi-kcxMKXkBv4bJhBnHyFqD1Gn8OroFFcJyOYPkDqwh-quGYthpK4o60f-t5mti6UM/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nvE44tk6dcd3ZauXJ4Z4p9DbxMbRZxG8xI_rZ0Rj3kPMkk7Z4Sa6sZWW65RY2g4BAFn2rh9ZCHpi-kcxMKXkBv4bJhBnHyFqD1Gn8OroFFcJyOYPkDqwh-quGYthpK4o60f-t5mti6UM/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep and alpaca on Fox Hollow. The sheep are wearing blankets because they have been recently shorn. The alpaca look short-haired as well, but seem to be doing fine without blankets. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi826UePmuaj6VjssHxTnhegUl8r1EXuZ7dY0A-Ol1tfpo-YgQG9ayyj7gO5H_fLnyy1LhM2o0ts-ZjclR8XEvRYCiZ8auYuK0vtL_gNqHJwZ6riQ7JtcNd_mIFO8mav-AaitnbFpAs8750/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi826UePmuaj6VjssHxTnhegUl8r1EXuZ7dY0A-Ol1tfpo-YgQG9ayyj7gO5H_fLnyy1LhM2o0ts-ZjclR8XEvRYCiZ8auYuK0vtL_gNqHJwZ6riQ7JtcNd_mIFO8mav-AaitnbFpAs8750/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Macbeth5.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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At Allan Brothers I had a choice of three hot chocolates: semi-sweet, Mexican, or white chocolate. I chose semi-sweet. It was probably the best hot chocolate of the series so far, although the hot chocolate at the library was close. Allan Brothers wins out for making better whipped cream.<br />
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<b>Ride 7 Verboort Populaire aftermath (2.5 miles)</b><br />
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My normal rule is to avoid driving to a ride that is shorter than my drive, but I occasionally have reason to make exceptions. I discovered that I had fulfilled all the requirements for a "RUSA Cup" award (every distanced of calendered RUSA event from 100k to 1200k in a 2-year period, totaling at least 5000k) except for the shortest, a 100k populaire. So, off to ride the Verboort Populaire, a 100km (63 mile) triangle from Forest Grove to Vernonia and back to Verboort, timed to coincide with the annual Verboort Sausage Festival. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPGUUgmv7l2kv0S1vZXTA9jx2L2aJ8dv0gD4z8Bu-Zbdb07_fp_MKyeaxEwowF6xU8Agh2z-xvHxlJMf9bXFgIJhPhzmvIuCJfERM5u5RPQ8eJH8Xdl3UoReDdBV4sIZ_aCWk4eBV6ec8/s1600/Banks-Vernonia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPGUUgmv7l2kv0S1vZXTA9jx2L2aJ8dv0gD4z8Bu-Zbdb07_fp_MKyeaxEwowF6xU8Agh2z-xvHxlJMf9bXFgIJhPhzmvIuCJfERM5u5RPQ8eJH8Xdl3UoReDdBV4sIZ_aCWk4eBV6ec8/s1600/Banks-Vernonia.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Banks-Vernonia trail, photo by Keith Moore)</td></tr>
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It's a lovely ride, and I haven't done it in a few years, so it was a pleasure despite spending more time in the car than on the bike. But the stop at Black Bear Coffee in Vernonia does not count as coffeeneuring ... you can't coffeeneur while participating in another event. </div>
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Fortunately the ride starts in Forest Grove and ends in Verboort, about 2.5 miles away. Just far enough to coffeeneur if you ride back to your parked car after the populaire. So: Hot tea and a sausage with sauerkraut on a bun. Also, good company and a festive atmosphere. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAZ4zZR4OMeHw20DCxgZtrLZWhXXOnznUNJM4hSfR03Y9qdxlZNLfxans-pzkD7sSpim4fb_Ayi0AGontp_7SI-ElOUeZ0_Sxyox28JgY_oAgs1X5x1WIHhqFK_51gL5M-uQtsQA729nS/s1600/Verboort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAZ4zZR4OMeHw20DCxgZtrLZWhXXOnznUNJM4hSfR03Y9qdxlZNLfxans-pzkD7sSpim4fb_Ayi0AGontp_7SI-ElOUeZ0_Sxyox28JgY_oAgs1X5x1WIHhqFK_51gL5M-uQtsQA729nS/s1600/Verboort.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Verboort Sausage Festival, photo by Keith Moore)</td></tr>
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<b>Ride 8: MacBeth and Fox Hollow to Vero, Sunday Nov 16</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVe1Gz74QzdunCh7IQu20lRzCDEQh15MA0mkOdGQl3fWQhmovoo7QG_0V7elXduohuUUh0R96bbTdVbCjegE71ztqGQKnVxjpDD8V3RoPgc3ohN8HAj9c-oZ7f_Ous3I1ld0mZ_QT8Oh0/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Vero1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVe1Gz74QzdunCh7IQu20lRzCDEQh15MA0mkOdGQl3fWQhmovoo7QG_0V7elXduohuUUh0R96bbTdVbCjegE71ztqGQKnVxjpDD8V3RoPgc3ohN8HAj9c-oZ7f_Ous3I1ld0mZ_QT8Oh0/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Vero1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><b><br /></b><br />
This is my extra credit ride ... just in case! Or just because. <br />
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We're having a cold spell in Eugene, and in paranoia of ice I didn't even commute by bicycle Thursday and Friday. By Sunday it had been a few days since rain, so I figured roads would be clear, and took a short training ride (but at a less-than-training pace) up MacBeth and down Fox Hollow.<br />
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I had been to Vero earlier in coffeeneuring season with <a href="http://tangobiker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bill Alsup</a>, but on a weekday ... coffeeneuring for him because he was on vacation, but not for me. So, back to Vero to make it official (or rather "official"), and to check out their hot chocolate. Worthwhile!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_dN-g8PLPzSsX6gA-tJ4MwpA-Vlnh4gjRdIeyKp4tCcrzV6i8kBOesWSeJrFykHuQre_EJGwkTp6aXqN954MRU7368iwKh8zaa_HeUWY_ilpeI1wFAn-IO79eVecmo715iyQaO6cn7jI/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Vero2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_dN-g8PLPzSsX6gA-tJ4MwpA-Vlnh4gjRdIeyKp4tCcrzV6i8kBOesWSeJrFykHuQre_EJGwkTp6aXqN954MRU7368iwKh8zaa_HeUWY_ilpeI1wFAn-IO79eVecmo715iyQaO6cn7jI/s1600/Coffeeneuring-Vero2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot chocolate at Vero Espresso</td></tr>
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Total distance: 20 miles, give or take a mile. Temperatures between 25.4 (at Bill's Bench, top of Fox Hollow) to 35 or so downtown. Really glad I went in the counter-clockwise direction, so the ice was all in slow-speed climbs, rather than descents. <br />
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<b>Summing up: Hot chocolate in Eugene</b><br />
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Although I started with (surprisingly good) tea at Market of Choice, my coffeeneuring series this year was basically a chocolateering series. I learned that surprisingly good hot chocolate can be found in unlikely-seeming spots (Eugene Public Library, for example), while a really first-rate bar can offer sub-mediocre hot cocoa (16 Tons). The best:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Market of Choice. I didn't log my hot chocolate at MoC above, since I had already logged a coffeeneuring visit for hot tea (also excellent), but I did have hot chocolate there as a starting control for a permanent brevet. And, remarkably, it was the best hot chocolate I had this season: ganache, not overly sweet, mixed into steamed whole milk. This is a supermarket, and it's beating the socks off coffee bars in Eugene. The only downside is that it comes in a paper cup. </li>
<li>Vero Espresso. Also ganache in steamed milk, and with latte art (see last photo above). Approaching the quality of MoC hot chocolate, but a little on the over-sweet side. </li>
<li>Allann Brothers. I didn't see how it was made, but it is probably also ganache in steamed milk. Choice of Mexican, white, or semi-sweet. The semi-sweet is on a par with Vero, but in a paper cup (because I was in cycling gear?) and minus the latte art. </li>
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These three are close, and well above other choices, although the Eugene Public Library comes closest. (I believe the library is using chocolate syrup in the steamed milk, which is not as good as using ganache but much better than stirring in cocoa.) </div>
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Not in my trial group: Full City Coffee (I know they keep a vat of ganache for making chocolate-based drinks, but didn't get a chance to check them out this year); Wandering Goat Coffee (generally the best coffee in town, but I have no idea about their hot chocolate). I'll have to try them out sometime this winter. </div>
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With this training, I think I'm well on my way to properly appreciating hot chocolate in the early morning in some little town between Paris and Brest. </div>
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<u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eugene to Florence via Triangle Lake</u><br />
<u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>RUSA permanent populaire #2318 </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Point-to-point, reversible, 120km (75mi). Approx 1800' climbing.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Map:</b> <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4304442">http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4304442</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Cue sheet:</b> <a href="http://goo.gl/xbCNXt">http://goo.gl/xbCNXt</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Registration form:</b> <a href="http://goo.gl/QJ5ips">http://goo.gl/QJ5ips</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Contact (perm owner):</b> michal.young@gmail.com</span><br />
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This 120km (75mi) route takes you from Eugene, OR to Florence, on the Oregon coast, via Triangle Lake on Highway 36. It begins at 18th and Chambers in southwest Eugene and follows the Fern Ridge Path to its end at Greenhill and Royal, then out Royal, Fir Butte, and Clear Lake roads across the north edge of Fern Ridge Reservoir to Lawrence and onto Highway 36 (Siuslaw Highway). The highway is narrow but less traveled than Highway 126; I have felt fairly safe on it in fall and spring. There is a market at Low Pass, not too far along 36, but it is often closed when I pass early in the morning. You will have no cell phone coverage for most of the segment on 36, from approximately Low Pass until Swiss Home, so it may be a good idea to ride with a buddy.<br />
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You will cross the coast range. However, it is not a hard or long climb, topping out below 1100 feet. River views just after the summit are particularly scenic. That section of pavement is also rather rough, the more reason to slow down a bit and enjoy the view.<br />
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And what river is that? The map says Lake Creek. Pretty substantial for a creek. <br />
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The little town of Deadwood, at about 48 miles, is a control. Hot food offerings at the market are meager, but the market has a restroom, and the staff are friendly. I am partial to this market because they were helpful to me once when I was suffering from knee pain and unable to finish my ride. <br />
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Highway 36 merges into Highway 126 at Mapleton. Mapleton is not a control, but the coffee shop in the little strip mall on your left just after the junction is nice. It was tempting to end the route right there in Mapleton, which is a nice little town, but the point was to get to the coast ... so the last few miles are on Highway 126. The nicest thing I can say about that section is that the shoulder is wide enough to make you feel relatively safe despite the SUVs and motor homes. It is flat, but in summer you can count on a strong headwind. The scenery is nice if you can sit up enough to take it in. The river is wide and flat as it approaches the bay, and you might see osprey as well as coastal birds.<br />
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The closing control is in Florence. There are many choices, including grocery stores and cafes, once you reach the junction with Highway 101. I recommend turning south (left). After picking up a receipt to document finishing your route, you may consider riding about 5 miles south on Highway 101 to <a href="http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=95" target="_blank">Honeyman State Park</a> (open year round) for a shower, or even to camp in one of their $5 hiker-biker spots if you are suitably equipped.<br />
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<br />Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-3016416197657433042014-02-24T20:27:00.001-08:002014-03-30T11:44:49.560-07:00Two Winter ridesas in, rides on my new Winter randonneuse. It has been ridden twice, and both were 200km permanent brevets. I'm still tuning it in.<br />
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February 1 I rode Eugene to Beaverton with Lynne and Graham, after picking up the bike two days before. It was quite literally the first ride of more than around the block. Ideally I would have taken a couple training rides with it first, but it would have been silly to leave the new bike home. The weather was lovely, the course is not too challenging, and it was nice to ride with Lynne and Ross. There were no really big climbs or descents, but several small hills. The bike felt capable in the climbs and steady in the descents. The gearing (compact double, 50-34/11-32) is excellent, a big improvement over the road triples on my other bikes, and the disc breaks feel great --- good modulation, and a lot less force required at the levers. There is considerable toe overlap due to the geometry and the really big fenders, which I noticed only when taking a very sharp turn on a slow climb. <br />
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I was sliding down the saddle toward the nose a lot, and had a lot of force on my hands against the bars with just a single layer of tape, so I took the bike in to Paul's where Alex H. brought the saddle back a bit and installed gel pads (Trek Isozone) under the tape. The feel of the Fizik tape is great, aside from lack of padding, so Alex reinstalled the original tape over the pads. Alex also mounted my Topeak Road Morph pump under the down-tube, using the mounts Eric provided for a third water bottle holder. In retrospect I wish I had asked Eric for a dedicated mount for the pump ... oh well. I'm not sure if I'll keep it under the top tube, because there is some contact between the front derailleur cable and the pump mount, although so far the action of the shifter still feels light.<br />
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Second ride, February 23, Alsea Loop, on my own. This is a route with considerably more climbing, and corresponding descents. The forecast said 10% chance of rain, but I must have been lucky because it rained lightly but steadily from about 2pm on. <br />
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I find that I stand to climb much <strike>more</strike> less on the Winter ... and when I do, I feel like I'm in too low a gear. Because the gears are spaced more closely? Because I'm taking advantage of the lower gears for climbing more? Hard to tell ... but as much as I enjoy occasionally hammering up a short hill in training, for long brevets it will be good to be able to stay seated more. <br />
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There is a gravel stretch on Alsea Loop. Some parts are washboard, some good packed gravel, and some are thicker loose gravel. I often take a slight detour, about a mile longer, to avoid it. I had planned that detour this time, but when I reached the turn, it occurred to me that I ought to give the gravel a try with my new bike and 28mm tires. It was a noticeable improvement over my Salsa with 25mm tires. In fact, it was fun, and the scenery on that gravel stretch is better than the paved detour. The bike will take 32mm tires, which would be my choice for a real gravel grinder route, but even the modest step up from 25 to 28 (and modest step down in tire pressures) made a big difference.<br />
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Even after the adjustments made by Alex, I'm still sliding a bit forward on the saddle, so I'm going to tilt the nose up a little more. I've still got a bit too much pressure on my hands and arms, although it's much better than the first ride. I can rest my forearms on the flats in placid sections, although the bars still aren't soft enough for that to be really comfortable. I can't ride no-hands yet. There is clearly a wobble when peddling no-hands at about 15mph. That's a bit disappointing, but the wobble is not as bad as on my Salsa. I felt some wobble once in a descent, when I caught a strong cross-wind coming down the west side of Highway 34 below Mary's Peak; otherwise it feels very sure-footed in descents.<br />
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The half-way point (or just a little past) is Alsea, on Highway 34, over the coast range west from Corvallis and Philomath. The staff at John Boy's Mercantile are friendly, and there are tables to sit and eat. Marginal cell coverage (I can usually text, but not talk), but there is free wi-fi in the store. And, as it is in rural Oregon, people are not shy about talking to strangers. A middle-aged woman and a young woman whom I took to be her daughter sat at the small table with me. They talked mostly with each other, but then asked me a bit about my ride. The younger woman asked where I rode from. When I answered "Eugene", she went silent, and the look on her face told me that this was not among the plausible answers. The older woman was not phased. She asked me about the route I took and whether there was much debris left on the road from the recent snow (which brought down lots of branches and quite a few trees). I am curious what the younger woman thought. Will her idea of the distances that one can ride a bicycle change? Will she just think I must be a weirdo, and that her mother ought to be a little more careful about chatting with strangers? Who knows.<br />
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Just after the half-way control at Alsea, I noticed a loud rattling in the back, getting louder. This turned out to be the back fender loosening from its mount to the seat-stay bridge. I considered just riding it home that way, but if the bolt came all the way out it might have been iffy. Reaching the bolt head required removing the rear wheel. That made me a little nervous, because I've never successfully removed and replaced a wheel with a disc brake before ... and I was particularly nervous because once I tried to help someone with hydraulic disc brakes change a tire, and didn't know how to open her brakes back up to get her wheel back on. But ... no problem, actually. I removed the wheel, tightened up the bolt, and put the wheel back on with no problems at all (which is actually just how Eric said it would work). Getting the wheel on straight was actually a lot easier with this bike, with its vertical dropouts, as versus the insane and evil horizontal dropouts on the back of my Salsa. <br />
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The rain continued. It varied from a very light drizzle to light rain, never a downpour, so I was able to switch from my coat to a a vest for the climb up South Fork. The cloud cover and rain made the spring scenery a little less fantastic. On the other hand, the traffic was almost non-existent. Alsea Falls was very full and loud. <br />
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A few times on the climb, when I turned sharply, I felt my toe against the front fender. I think I will learn to avoid that. It might even help my form to avoid weaving on climbs. There is a possibility I will go down before I completely master it. But those fenders! They really kept the water off my feet. I'll probably still add the Berthoud leather mud flap front and back, but I'm not even sure I really need it in front.<br />
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South Fork becomes Alpine Road at the summit. The descent on Alpine is steep and curly. I would have been quite nervous coming down on my Salsa, with caliper rim brakes, because of the sensation of putting the brakes on and waiting for them to wipe the rim well enough to slow me. A primary reason for a disc brake randonneuse was to have more confidence on wet descents. A lot of recent articles have praised hydraulic disc brakes in this regard, but I had hopes that my older tech mechanical discs would also do the job. They did. There is some reduction in braking power compared to when they are dry, but they are far far better than any rim brake I have used, including road calipers, cantilevers, and v-brakes. I could descend much faster because I had confidence that my brakes were not going to abandon me at a critical moment. I still took the descent slower than I would in summer, because I also had to consider the wet pavement and debris, but nothing like the cautious creeping I would have done on my Salsa. It was fun.<br />
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Having an Acorn Boxy Bag in front makes even more difference than I anticipated, compared to the Topeak handlebar bag on my Salsa. I can open it up toss in my glove liners, or cap, or even my rain coat, rather than opening up the trunk bag. It makes quick changes of layers much easier, which means I make the change rather than just putting up with the discomfort of wearing the wrong set of layers.<br />
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And the light ... Luxos U. Lovely. It kept charging my GPS all day, only dropping power at food stops and once or twice on slow climbs in the dark. When night really fell, it cast a lovely wide and deep beam. The E3 on my Supernova was already a pretty great light, but the Luxos is such a different experience. It's a field of light, instead of a beam. I've heard similar descriptions of the new Edelux. The new generation of lights is a big step forward. The wired Pixeo tail-light also seems plenty bright. <br />
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Overall: Very good experience with the new bike. I'll continue to fiddle with saddle position and angle, and I might end up adding even more padding to the bars. (Swapping in a carbon bar with the big flat area is not an option because of the custom "7" style stem.) I'll keep looking for a better place to mount the pump, without resorting to zip-ties. I might take a tumble before I get completely used to the toe overlap, but if so it will be at very low speed. The bike has a good balance of sportiness and efficiency. I'm looking forward to longer rides.<br />
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<br />Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-14905309132070633112013-11-18T22:19:00.002-08:002013-11-18T22:53:14.433-08:00Coffeeneuring 2013 in Eugene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10657861623/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Caffe normale by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="shot" height="170" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/10657861623_4c5629abb6_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I had ambitions to do more, and in particular to declare my home a coffee shop for a day (with a good story or cycling advice as the price of a cup), but in the end I am satisfied with having finished the coffeeneuring challenge successfully, boosting ever so slightly Oregon's standing as a nexus of bicycles and coffee.
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My adventures are as follows:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390771126/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Fall colors by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Fall colors" height="200" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/10390771126_c55ea14256_m.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10517194753/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Lynne and Lesli, coffeeneuring before randonneuring by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Lynne and Lesli, coffeeneuring before randonneuring" height="184" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/10517194753_43ef28a2fb_m.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10526240864/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="150" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2845/10526240864_1ee2932f14_m.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10234971215/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="240" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/10234971215_41c330f59e_m.jpg" width="180" /></a> <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390723525/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Coffeeneuring #5: Wolf Creek by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffeeneuring #5: Wolf Creek" height="150" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/10390723525_40d5f95881_m.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/10/coffeeneuring-at-wandering-goat-oct-5.html" target="_blank">October 5</a>: Mocha at Wandering Goat with Patrick Deegan and his daughters. This was a wonderful start, and I wish I had been able to turn more of my coffeeneuring outings into meet-ups with delightful people. Approximately 5 miles round trip. </li>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/10/coffeeneuring-2013-2-hideaway-bakery.html" target="_blank">October 12</a>: Mocha and pastry at Hideaway Bakery, with Cyndi. Bonus visit to preparations for <a href="http://eugenedrt.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">2013 Eugene Cargo Bike Fair and Disaster Relief Trial</a> on the way home. Approximately 5 miles round trip. </li>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/10/coffeeneuring-3-allann-brothers.html" target="_blank">October 13</a>: Hot chocolate at Allann Brothers on Hilyard. Combined with a scenic loop up McBeth and down Fox Hollow, for a total of about 15 miles. </li>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/10/coffeeneuring-4-caffe-vero.html" target="_blank">October 19</a>: Caffe Latte at Vero Espresso House, with Cyndi. Combined with shopping at Smith Family Bookstore (before) and Arriving by Bike (after), for a total of about 9 miles. </li>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/10/coffeeneuring-5-wolf-creek-to-lindas.html" target="_blank">October 20</a>: Coffee at Linda's Cafe and Deli, Lorane, OR. This was my only longish coffeeneuring expedition: Wolf Creek loop counter-clockwise. Little stores and restaurants in itty-bitty towns are such a treasure and a resource to those of who ramble. It's a great pleasure to be greeted as a regular at a place like that, some distance from home. About 70 miles. </li>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/10/coffeeneuring-6-pc-at-dawn.html" target="_blank">October 26</a>: PC (Market of Choice) at dawn, before setting out on a permanent brevet with Lynne and Lesli. Straight espresso. Just barely over the 2 mile minimum. </li>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/10/coffeeneuring-7-seeing-lynne-off-at.html" target="_blank">October 27</a>: Hot chocolate at Morning Glory Cafe, by the Amtrak station, to see Lynne off to Portland. About 10 miles round trip. </li>
<li><a href="http://nw-melange.blogspot.com/2013/11/coffeeneuring-extra-credit-8-of-7.html" target="_blank">November 3</a>: Extra credit coffeeneur (#8 of 7), a semi-successful attempt to bike in shapes. The cup, carefully designed on a map before departure, is more-or-less recognizable. The saucer, improvised at the last minute based on my mental geography of the river bike path, is a travesty. Straight espresso at Full City Coffee on the way back home. About 15 miles. </li>
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I regret that I didn't manage to open a coffeeneuring bar one morning and make coffee for lots of other Eugene area lovers of coffee and cycling. Maybe next year, if there is a next year. Can MG really keep this up if the coffeeneuring boom spreads? I hope so. I have more adventures to plot, and plenty more cafes to visit in the Eugene-Springfield area and further afield.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10658215243/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Cup-route by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Cup-route" height="257" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/10658215243_f723c10997.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-14555692105899494162013-11-03T15:41:00.000-08:002013-11-03T15:41:24.301-08:00Coffeeneuring extra credit: #8 of 7<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10658215243/" title="Cup-route by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Cup-route" height="402" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/10658215243_f723c10997.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I've seen a couple suggestions to ride a coffee-cup shaped route. It's not as easy as it sounds, because street systems tend to be on a grid with few suitable lines to form the bowl of a cup or a handle. Coburg/Cal Young/Willagillespie/Country Club was the closest thing I could find to a cup shape in the Eugene area, with a somewhat clumsy handle looping around Monroe Middle School. That much I mapped out in advance, but I forgot to consider one-way streets, which caused me some problem where I tried to complete the bottom of the bowl.<br />
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On the way to the start of the cup, it occurred to me that I should be able to draw in a saucer with the river path. This I did not see on a map before I got there, and I should not be surprised that my mental picture of the geometry is way different from where the path actually goes. That stretch along the river was supposed to be the saucer ... obviously that part didn't work.<br />
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The only coffee along the cup itself was a Starbucks. I'm not too snobbish to acknowledge that Starbucks makes reliably pretty good coffee, and has had an overall very positive influence on coffee in the U.S. But this is Eugene, and we can do a lot better, so I stopped at Full City (Pearl Street) on the way back.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10657649766/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="341" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5515/10657649766_bcb3f6a2ab.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Full City is more-or-less the original really good coffee in Eugene. More-or-less because the proprietor was roaster at Coffee Corner when Coffee Corner was the best coffee in town, 30 years or so ago. I'm not 100% certain, but I believe I bought my first batches of green beans from him when I was living in Indiana. Fully City has a high standard for quality, from the roasting and freshness to the pulls. They make a few choices differently than I would ... some of their roasts are a bit darker than I prefer, and the practice of serving the shot separate from the steamed milk in a caffe latte seems to me an unnecessary exposure of the coffee to air. No latte art here; the focus is on flavor. I had a shot. It was good.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10657861623/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="426" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/10657861623_4c5629abb6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Coffeeneuring data: 3 November 2013, Full City Coffee Roasters on Pearl Street, "caffe normale" (straight espresso), about 15 miles total.Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-66956854424635148112013-11-03T11:49:00.000-08:002013-11-03T11:49:29.280-08:00The canon and the value of allusionTwo articles have got me thinking about the value (and cost) of a consensus literary canon. Yesterday it was a Slate article, "<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2013/11/arcade_fire_s_reflektor_reviewed.html" target="_blank">Thirteen Ways of Looking at Arcade Fire</a>." Today it was a Chasing Mailboxes post "<a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2013/11/03/coffeeneuring-is-truth-truth-coffeeneuring-a-blog-update/" target="_blank">Coffeeneuring is Truth, Truth Coffeeneuring</a>". I imagine more people "get" the latter (Keats, <i>Ode on a Grecian Urn</i>) than the former (Stevens, <i>Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird</i>), and one could get something out of both articles without catching the allusions, but reading is a richer experience when we catch these inside jokes of reference.<br />
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I suspect few of my current students would catch the Keats reference, and I would be surprised if one in ten caught the Stevens reference ... which is a shame, because the whole form of the Slate review is a bit of a play on the form of the poem, with a switch-up from straight numbering of the perspectives to a repeated "one two three four" rhyming with the dance theme in the review. The Keats theme is less woven into the coffeeneuring blog post, but there is an implicit comment there, echoing Keats, about the relation of aesthetic appreciation to practical pursuits. Allusion makes writing denser and more rewarding.<br />
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But I miss lots of allusions, and not just in the parts of the canon that I am unfamiliar with. A week ago, a friend who was brought up with traditional Old Testament tales told a story about her work involving building more bricks without more straw. I had some idea that straw was involved in making bricks, but my spotty religious education did not include unreasonable demands on Jewish slaves in Egypt. And I miss a lot of contemporary allusions. I know now that a British telephone box might be a disguised tardis, and that a tardis is not (as I once assumed) a malicious space creature, but I will never fully appreciate a conversation heavy with references to Dr. Who. I know that Breaking Bad is about a high school chemistry teacher who turns to cooking meth, but that's as far as my familiarity goes. Is my recognition of 19th and 20th century poetry adequate recompense for being completely oblivious to references to Duck Dynasty or Homeland or The Wire? <br />
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To some extent allusions are "in" jokes that we use to distinguish those from our own group, with its shared values and experience, from others. If you make a reference to Monty Python, and I get it, then we know we have that in common. It builds a bond. I was pretty thrilled when I first read extensive references to Chuangzi in LeGuin's <i>The Lathe of Heaven, </i>because I had read a fair bit of Chaungzi and because I knew that not many readers of <i>The Lathe of Heaven</i> likely had ... the thrill of getting an in joke is partly knowing that a lot of other people don't. I enjoyed the Wallace Stevens allusion in a Slate review partly for the same reason. It's fun knowing that only a fraction of the readers of that article will be in on the joke.<br />
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Which brings us to the cost of a consensus canon. The traditional canon in western education, as others have complained, is a bunch of dead white European men. Chuangzi isn't there. The Bible is there, but the Koran isn't. Keats is there, but Li Bai (Li Po) isn't. I probably can't name a lot of the key texts that have been omitted, because of course my own education was largely built around the traditional western canon. The in jokes that I learned to recognize and appreciate are in jokes told by people who belong to the club of those who share my educational background, and who happen to include the majority of those who have money and power in our society. The in jokes of people brought up in other cultures, or in other subcultures in America, do not necessarily have less intrinsic value than the in jokes I recognize, but they are less useful as entree into the dominant culture.<br />
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I'm not saying that knowing Duck Dynasty is equivalent to knowing Keats. I can't make a direct comparison, since I'm familiar with only one of them, but I wouldn't trade my 19th century poets as a group for reality TV. (I might trade Keats for Monte Python and Wordsworth for early Saturday Night Live, if I had to ... neither the dead poets nor contemporary TV are uniform in quality.) <br />
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So there is a cost to having a consensus canon: It is necessarily a narrow selection that omits a great deal worth knowing, and it will unavoidably be slanted toward work most relevant to those with power and resources. It marks an in-group, and excludes many out-groups. But there is likewise a cost to not having a canon, or having many, mostly disjoint canons. Our discourse is plainer and poorer if we can't paint on the rich textured background of our shared reading. <br />
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I don't have a prescription for addressing this quandary. I know plenty of others have thought about it and argued about it, for decades. It's on my mind partly because I am not part of the community that typically argues about it. I teach computer science, not literature. Still, when I introduce aliasing of variables in my intro class, I really want my students to recognize and get a little thrill when I borrow an explanation: <br />
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<table align="CENTER" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="color: #000020; width: 601px;"><tbody>
<tr><td>O! be some other name:</td><td><a href="" name="46"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td>What’s in a name? that which we call a rose</td><td><a href="" name="47"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td>By any other name would smell as sweet;</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-1615736803246500132013-10-27T18:50:00.000-07:002013-10-27T18:51:06.341-07:00Coffeeneuring #7: Seeing Lynne off at AmtrakLynne and I have spent a lot of time together on bicycles. I met her a few years back, on a 200k in territory familiar to her and unknown to me. I was having trouble finding the cues, and asked if I could tag along with Lynne and her friend Cecil, and they graciously said yes. The next time I rode in the Portland area, Lynne was looking for someone to ride with, and I was happy to ride with her. We're approximately compatible in riding speed, around the same age, and find plenty to talk about. And on long distance rides, there is a lot of time to talk, and then to not talk, and then to talk again. <br />
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Now, when I travel north to ride, often I stay at Lynne's home, and Lynne sometimes visits us in Eugene to ride here. Friday she took Amtrak to Eugene. Saturday along with our friend Lesli we rode my Alsea Loop 400km permanent. Her train home was Sunday morning, and (of course, this being Eugene) there is cafe just across the parking lot from the station. So: Coffeeneuring.<br />
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Again I made coffee at home with breakfast. I can't quite grasp the idea of skipping my morning coffee so that I can have more coffee at a bar. But no problem, other hot drinks count for coffeeneuring. I took my commuting bike, and of course Lynne took her randonneuse, and we worked our way down the hill into Eugene. I chose the route poorly, but it's just not that hard or far from anywhere to anywhere in Eugene, so soon enough we were at the station and at the Morning Glory Cafe next door.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10526434173/" title="Lynne at Morning Glory Cafe by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Lynne at Morning Glory Cafe" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/10526434173_941eae335a.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Cyndi had an errand to run, so she drove down and joined us.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10526240864/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2845/10526240864_1ee2932f14.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Lynne had chai, I had hot chocolate, Cyndi had caffe latte, and we had enough time to enjoy our drinks and chat a little before it was time to walk Lynne's bike over to the luggage car for loading. Then Lynne found her train car and we said our goodbyes. Cyndi went off to her errands and I rode in to school for a recruiting event.
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Coffeeneuring data: Sunday, October 27; about 10 miles round trip; hot chocolate.Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-85478226968404659872013-10-27T15:55:00.002-07:002013-10-27T18:50:52.981-07:00Coffeeneuring #6: PC at dawnThe planned event for Saturday was a 200km group permanent with my PDX-area rando friend Lynne, who took Amtrak down Friday night and stayed with us, and my Eugene-area rando friend Lesli. The starting point was a supermarket known variously as "PC" or "Market of Choice." Originally it was "Price Chopper," but gradually it moved into a higher-end, more organic/local/enthusiast market niche, for which the old name was unsuitable. So for a while it was "PC Market of Choice", on its way to being "Market of Choice". It's still "PC" to many long-term Eugeneans, but signage and bags all say "Market of Choice", and increasingly that is what everyone calls it. <br />
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Market of Choice has a coffee bar. Not an embedded Starbucks, but its own coffee bar. And when we reached the start point, Lynne noted that we had ridden (just barely) more than two miles from my home. While stopping for coffee <i>on</i> a brevet does not count as coffeeneuring, one may coffeeneur on the same day as a brevet. The randos of my acquaintance have universally interpreted the rules as counting the ride to the ride as a separate event, on which one may coffeeneur. So we declared a coffeeneuring opportunity, and went in.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10517188183/" title="Coffeeneuring at PC by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffeeneuring at PC" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2823/10517188183_3d6f65b25f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I had drunk two double caffe lattes at home before we set out, so I ordered hot chocolate. Lynne had single caffe lattes with breakfast, which may have left her capacity for one more, and I think Lesli also ordered coffee. It was dark when we entered PC, and daylight when we emerged.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10517194753/" title="Lesli and Lynne at PC by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Lesli and Lynne at PC" height="460" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/10517194753_43ef28a2fb.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Coffeeneuring data: 26 October 2013, 2.somesmallnumber miles, hot chocolate
Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-32930662714159915422013-10-20T15:54:00.006-07:002013-10-20T16:05:35.858-07:00Coffeeneuring #5: Wolf Creek to Linda's DeliIt was a beautiful day, foggy and chilly to begin but predicted to reach 65. I decided to take my fast bike on the Wolf Creek loop counter-clockwise, possibly for the last time this fall. The main challenge that poses is clothing: Since my fast bike has no bags or racks, whatever I need for the weather conditions needs to be on my body. I chose leg warmers to go with my regular bib shorts, a synthetic base layer under a medium-weight long sleeve wool jersey, short-finger gloves with long-finger wool glove liners, a sleeveless wind vest, and a think wool cap under my summer bike helmet. Also I chose an unusual route outbound: Out to the end of the bike path at Greenhill and then south on Crow Road to Crow, rather than popping over Lorane hill and down to four corners. This is because the descent on Lorane is really cold, always much colder than on the Eugene side of the ridge. I am usually too paranoid about getting cold, and make choices that are too hot as the day warms up, but this time I got it about right: Chilly but not painfully cold for the first couple hours, then just "brisk" for a while, then warm but not too hot when I finished around 3.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390723525/" title="Coffeeneuring #5: Wolf Creek by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffeeneuring #5: Wolf Creek" height="768" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/10390723525_40d5f95881_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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The climb on Wolf Creek was pretty as ever.
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At the top, I thought I found a chanterelle, but on review I think it's something else, because the gills don't continue down the stem. Past it's sell-by date in any case.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390749526/" title="Coffeeneuring #5: Chanterelle? by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffeeneuring #5: Chanterelle?" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/10390749526_19937889cb.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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There was a lot of new clear-cut on on Wolf Creek and Siuslaw Highway, including this spot at their intersection. I used to stop here sometimes for shade. It won't be shady again in my lifetime.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390912653/" title="Clear-cut at Siuslaw Hwy and Wolf Creek by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Clear-cut at Siuslaw Hwy and Wolf Creek" height="768" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/10390912653_a2d7076cd2_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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In five years, if they replant promptly, it should look something like this patch on the right (further along Siuslaw Hwy). In 15 years, it should look like the patch on the left.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390755396/" title="Replanting by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Replanting" height="768" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7345/10390755396_aa6646061c_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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There are still a lot of very nice stretches along Siuslaw Highway, which brings me to the little town of Lorane, where Lorane General Store has become Linda's Deli.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390729684/" title="Approaching Lorane by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Approaching Lorane" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/10390729684_9834588e21_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390731504/" title="Linda's Deli, Lorane by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Linda's Deli, Lorane" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7350/10390731504_2bbfaeef80_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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The coffee at Linda's Deli is ok. The people are fantastic. It's probably been a few months since I was there last, but I was recognized and greeted, and the older lady (probably Linda herself?) asked me how long I had ridden and how much further I would ride today. I used to always have pie there, but lately I've been choosing hard-boiled eggs.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390743014/" title="Coffeeneuring in Lorane by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffeeneuring in Lorane" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/10390743014_3c568cc1d4.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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On the way back I noticed cattle with more impressive horns than I usually see around here. That didn't seem to much for their self-confidence, though ... they began retreating from the fence as soon as I stopped to take their picture.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390741566/" title="Coffeeneuring #5 - cattle with horns by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffeeneuring #5 - cattle with horns" height="480" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2889/10390741566_764e85624e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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There is quite a bit of grazing land on the way back along Territorial Road and Lorane Highway. I can attest that the grass-fed cattle at Knee Deep are tasty.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390905403/" title="Knee Deep Cattle Company by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Knee Deep Cattle Company" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3726/10390905403_0e696d23d7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Fall colors in Oregon are generally pretty subdued, partly because of the particular varieties of trees common here (oak in this view), and partly because we have wet autumns.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390771126/" title="Fall colors by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Fall colors" height="1024" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/10390771126_c55ea14256_b.jpg" width="768" /></a><br />
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But this has been a pretty dry fall, apart from one week of torrents, and here and there are some bright patches.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10390768286/" title="Fall colors by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Fall colors" height="800" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/10390768286_44925671d0_c.jpg" width="600" /></a>
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Coffeeneuring data: October 20. About 65 miles round trip to Linda's Deli in Lorane, Oregon, where I had coffee and hard-boiled eggs. Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-76653766667741571982013-10-19T13:45:00.000-07:002013-10-19T13:45:20.829-07:00Coffeeneuring #4: Caffe Vero<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10367613014/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Smith Family Bookstore by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Smith Family Bookstore" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3784/10367613014_a45cd8820a.jpg" width="375" /></a>My original plan was to stop at Eugene Public Library (which has a coffee shop) to pick up one of their two copies of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Buildings_Learn" target="_blank"><i>How Buildings Learn</i></a>, by Stewart Brand (better known to me as the editor of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Earth_Catalog" target="_blank">Whole Earth Catalog</a>). On my way, though, I decided that I should check for a used copy at <a href="http://www.smithfamilybookstore.com/about.html" target="_blank">Smith Family Bookstore</a> first. Software engineers are fond of (building) architecture as an analogy to software architecture, and <i>How Buildings Learn </i>was recommended by a colleague because of the relation between (mostly unplanned) evolution of buildings and (planned or unplanned) evolution of software systems. I thought it would be handy to have a copy of my own to peruse without a deadline, and to draw from for my spring class in globally distributed software development.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10367612355/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="180" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3803/10367612355_50643c2d2c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>Cyndi called and suggested meeting at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VeroEspressoHouse" target="_blank">Vero Espresso</a>, a few blocks away and not far from where she was shopping. OK then.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10367607985/" title="Caffe Vero exterior by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Caffe Vero exterior" height="768" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/10367607985_0b1ebac778_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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But what's this? Paper cups? The barista apologized. Apparently they ran out of real cups. At least it wasn't styrofoam, but still there is a difference in flavor and in the feel of the cup on the lips. A little disappointing.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10367629976/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Coffees at Caffe Vero by young.michal, on Flickr">
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<img alt="Coffees at Caffe Vero" height="768" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/10367629976_2db261c2e7_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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The coffee at Vero is quite good. Both the steamed milk and the coffee is a bit sweeter than most local places, but perhaps a little less complex than the best. If you think of coffee in voices (I do), it's like a nice consonant blend of tenor and alto, maybe just a bit of baritone, all in a sweet major key. Pleasant, but not something you listen very closely to. Vero is a good place to go for a pleasant cup and conversation if it's the conversation you really want to focus on. If you want to focus on the cup itself, Wandering Goat is probably a better choice ... you get a wider range of voices there, with some interesting and slightly more challenging harmonies.<br />
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On the way home I stopped to look at wool and light systems at <a href="http://arrivingbybike.com/" target="_blank">Arriving by Bike</a>. I'm looking for a mid-layer that's a bit lighter than my Ibex Shak, and planning a generator light system for my daughter Iris's bike.<br />
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Randonneuring data: October 19, 2013. Vero Espresso House, 205 E 14th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401-4101 (14th and Pearl). Ordered Caffe Latte. Approximately 9 miles round trip, including stops at Smith Family Bookstore and Arriving by Bike.Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-47700621061642500932013-10-14T17:20:00.000-07:002013-10-14T17:20:21.894-07:00Coffeeneuring Q&A<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); color: #515151; font-family: ff-meta-serif-web-pro-1, ff-meta-serif-web-pro-2, Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.7em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In response to <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2013/10/14/this-week-in-the-coffeeneuring-challenge-guest-post-coffeeneuring/" target="_blank">Chasing Mailboxes</a>, 14 Oct</div>
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<span style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Guest Coffeeneuring Blog Post Questions</strong></span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1) Where do you live?</strong></div>
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I live in Eugene, Oregon. That's 100 miles south of Portland, about 60 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, at the southern end of the Willamette Valley. Eugene is a town of approximately 150,000 people, and with Springfield just across the river the urban area is about 200,000 people. Eugene is a University town, but large enough that the University is not the only thing going on. In this way it is more like Boulder, Colorado and Madison, Wisconsin than Ann Arbor, Michigan or Ames, Iowa. Years ago the Wall Street Journal referred to Eugene as "the last refuge of the terminally hip." We didn't take that as an insult. </div>
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Eugene is the home of Co-Motion Cycles, Bike Friday, Rolf Prima wheels, Burley cycling accessories, and one-person builders including English Cycles and Winter Bicycles. Eugene also has a high ratio of LBS to population. </div>
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<strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2) How did you decide to coffeeneur?</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Peer pressure? It really doesn't make a lot of sense, rationally. I roast my own coffee and make espresso drinks at home, and rather seldom venture out to coffee shops. But several of my Portland-based randonneuring friends coffeeneured last year and seemed to be having fun. Also I'm hoping to meet a few people through coffeeneuring. Not that I'm a hermit and need some contrivance to meet people, but it seems like potentially a nice social activity. </span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3) What bike are you using as your coffeeneuring bike? What makes it a good coffeeneuring bike?</strong></div>
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Bike, singular? Should I designate a single bike as my coffeeneuring bike? Why would I do that? </div>
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In the first week of coffeeneuring, I used my commuter bike, a Canondale hybrid from the early 90s. It has a generator hub, flat bar, twist shifters, fat tires, fenders, and a back rack for panniers. It has flat pedals with "power grips", which work with street shoes roughly like toe clips. </div>
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In the second week of coffeeneuring I used my Salsa Casseroll, which is outfitted for randonneuring. It has a generator hub, drop bars, bar-end shifters, fenders, a back rack, and SPD clip-in pedals. It is my winter training bicycle and my randonneuse, and also a pleasant choice if I need to carry a bit but not so much that I need to stuff panniers. </div>
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Both of these are quite suitable for coffeeneuring, because the first lets me wear street shoes and the second lets me wear walkable MTB shoes, which are good enough for a coffee shop. </div>
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<strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4) Where did you choose to coffeeneur for this coffeeneuring trip?</strong></div>
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Ah, I see, I am choosing one outing. I'll choose the outing to Hideaway Bakery on Saturday. It's a bakery that also makes coffee, as versus a coffee shop per se. The bread is baked in a wood-fueled oven, and it is fantastic ... the best bread in Eugene, and Eugene has good bread. The pastries are good too. </div>
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<strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">5) Is the coffee shop beautiful and the coffee delicious? Tell us a little about your coffeeneuring locale.</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It is very nice, very comfortable, very Eugene. Outside and inside seating. Essentially invisible from the street, but full of people nonetheless because people tell their friends about good food and nice settings. I had once met a friend here to start a ride, and wanted to go back. The coffee is good, but unexceptional by Eugene standards. The pastries were excellent. </span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6) What other types of riding do you do besides coffeeneuring?</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I randonneur. I rode my first 1000k this last summer, and am aiming to ride Paris-Brest-Paris on 2015. I also commute to my work, about 3.5 to 5 miles each way depending on the route I take. Sometimes I take a longer way home to get in an hour or two of exercise. Western Oregon's weather is mild, making it easy to be a year-round commuter. </span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px rgb(28, 20, 13); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7) What else did I forget to ask you that you want to share?</strong><br />
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The cycling around Eugene is excellent, and there is more excellent cycling up and down the west coast. Although Oregon is known for rain, we actually have fairly dry summers, and much lower humidity than the midwest and east coast of the U.S. If you have an opportunity to visit, bring your bicycle!<br />
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-2829949419042215072013-10-13T18:02:00.001-07:002013-10-13T18:02:28.044-07:00Coffeeneuring #3: Allann Brothers<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10258621083/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Allann Brothers Coffee, outside view" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/10258621083_e4d50c272b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Sunday afternoon ... I had my morning coffee (blend of two of my home roasts in a caffe latte), then finished reading a paper I am reviewing, and took an afternoon ride. Chose Macbeth / Fox Hollow loop because it brings me conveniently near several Allann Brothers Coffee, which seemed more in the spirit of coffeeneuring than getting some pretty awful afternoon coffee at a convenience store along one of the other potential short ride loops.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10258618123/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Interior view of Allann Brothers Coffee" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/10258618123_d601c73981.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Allann Brothers is actually a chain based in Albany, but it's not a Starbucks-like mega-chain. They make pretty good coffee, which they roast themselves not too far away, and the shop has a pretty good neighborhood vibe. Allann Brothers is also one of the few places you can still see commercial espresso machines with hand levers. While Pavoni makes a sort of imitation of this for home use, the commercial hand lever machines work on a completely different principle: You pull down to compress a spring, and it is the spring that then applies steady pressure to the water through the group head. Thus the origin of the term "pulling a shot", and a "short pull", in which the lever is pulled down only part way to reduce the amount of water in the espresso shot. The other place I have seen these old machines, several years ago, was Sicily. I never saw them in northern Italy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10258623253/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Looking out from Allann Brothers Coffee" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/10258623253_0a23e6a4a3.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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This being afternoon, and me being sufficiently caffeinated, I chose hot chocolate instead of coffee. It took three tries to understand the server asking me whether I preferred semi-sweet chocolate or Mexican chocolate. Semi-sweet, with whipped cream, why not. It was nice.<br />
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Coffeeneuring data: 13 October (Sunday), Allann Brothers at Hilyard Street and 24th, hot chocolate, approximately 15 miles round trip including the loop around Macbeth and Fox Hollow (otherwise it would be 6.2 miles round trip by the shortest route).Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-81092182765207505112013-10-12T16:30:00.001-07:002013-10-12T17:15:05.900-07:00Coffeeneuring 2013 #2: Hideaway Bakery<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10234512624/" title="Coffeeneuring 2013 #2: Hideaway Bakery"><img alt="Coffeeneuring 2013 #2: Hideaway Bakery by young.michal" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/10234512624_ac16bfd7a8.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10234512624/">Coffeeneuring 2013 #2: Hideaway Bakery</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/">young.michal</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
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I think this is currently the best bakery in Eugene, for both bread and pastries. I particularly like their rustic breads, but today Cyndi and I shared a scone and pain au chocolate, and each had a mocha. (Cyndi was on four wheels, and I was on two.) The coffee is fine, but not the best in town; the reason to go here is excellent breads and a nice atmosphere.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10234621266/" title="Coffeeneuring 2013 #2: Mocha, pain au chocolate and scone at Hideaway Bakery. by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffeeneuring 2013 #2: Mocha, pain au chocolate and scone at Hideaway Bakery." height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/10234621266_b057318cae.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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On the way home, I got to see a bunch of cool cargo bikes, and even a cargo skateboard, preparing for the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/sets/72157636480396373/" target="_blank">Disaster Relief Trials</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10234971215/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/10234971215_41c330f59e.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10234866684/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3706/10234866684_6b01f66a25.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Perhaps the most interesting was a cargo bike towing another bike on the way to the trials. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25462842@N04/10234978715/" title="Untitled by young.michal, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/10234978715_bf948f7255.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;">Coffeeneuring data: 5.6 miles round trip (probably a bit more with the detour to see the DRT prep), to Hideaway Bakery, 3377 E Amazon Dr, Eugene, OR, where my qualifying hot drink was a mocha. </span><br />
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-9780375648628197432013-10-05T11:08:00.002-07:002013-10-12T16:58:19.791-07:00Coffeeneuring at Wandering Goat, Oct 5 2013<br />
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I haven't coffeeneured before ... I like to think I make good coffee at home, and if I have enough time to go to a coffee shop, then I probably have enough time to hang around the house and enjoy making my coffee as much as drinking it. Still ... it's a cool idea, and Eugene is a good place to explore and appreciate coffee. So in 2013 I'm participating in the <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2013/09/30/third-annual-chasing-mailboxes-coffeeneuring-challenge/" target="_blank">Third Annual Coffeeneuring Challenge</a>. I am hoping, in particular, to meet up for coffee (or other hot drinks) not only with current cycling buddies, but with some people I don't know as well, or at all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8zNvEe1ocfYtuJf7VAez-TgkfebLQtgBP7FUrMdKC8zNNa6wvAo92fW4zqYTcg21UCpw33TrhMGkl3mL5bLH29GHb2jQhk3Eh7gmOdYysSTDRBZng1KsJqxC4x06oqDdtHkezr9Qh2wC/s1600/Wandering_Goat-Oct_5_20131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8zNvEe1ocfYtuJf7VAez-TgkfebLQtgBP7FUrMdKC8zNNa6wvAo92fW4zqYTcg21UCpw33TrhMGkl3mL5bLH29GHb2jQhk3Eh7gmOdYysSTDRBZng1KsJqxC4x06oqDdtHkezr9Qh2wC/s400/Wandering_Goat-Oct_5_20131.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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October 5 I met Patrick Deegan and his daughters at <a href="http://www.wanderinggoat.com/" target="_blank">Wandering Goat </a>(268 Madison, Eugene), where I had a mocha.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIGZ0IdfB3NiuHlcODgMhp_LTluW6N9iwWR8Rl1UfcCttU1cKXRUT9QPxYhiErNhYb0fHXs6cNkyB-NudEFsZkL0aXZJwG9Ey36kN6LL7-GjsKGFYCGcZurYO-HtPCmZ8F1z0c41pGqGT/s1600/Patrick_and_Daughters-5_Oct_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIGZ0IdfB3NiuHlcODgMhp_LTluW6N9iwWR8Rl1UfcCttU1cKXRUT9QPxYhiErNhYb0fHXs6cNkyB-NudEFsZkL0aXZJwG9Ey36kN6LL7-GjsKGFYCGcZurYO-HtPCmZ8F1z0c41pGqGT/s400/Patrick_and_Daughters-5_Oct_2013.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I rode by it twice looking for it, before recognizing it as my destination ... it is not a flashy place. It may well be the best coffee in the Eugene/Springfield area, with a homey, friendly atmosphere that I enjoy.<br />
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Patrick brought his daughters in his bike trailer. They speak English, Russian, and Chinese together ... very cool. Also they have sparkly shoes that light up (although I think Patrick's shoes were not electric). <br />
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-51662922551550707352013-09-21T21:19:00.001-07:002013-09-21T21:21:42.310-07:00Dog bowl heat gun coffee roasting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have had three small home coffee roasting machines. The first was a Cuisinart "robo cafe", which Cusinart U.S. claims never existed (it appears to have been marketed primarily in Japan, but I got one from a nice kitchen store in Boulder). It was designed to roast, grind, and brew, which is cute but basically a bad idea. My second was an air roaster from Hearthware, a Korean company, and it was excellent for the three or four years it lasted. Then I had the next model of Hearthware, which was nearly as good. And then Hearthware pulled back from the home coffee roasting market, stopped supporting their products well, and so ceased to be a good option. What to do?<br />
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The Hearthware units operated on the same principle as hot air popcorn poppers. They are also known as "fluid bed" roasters, because the hot air (the fluid) lifts and stirs the beans as it roasts them. This is the same principle used by large commercial roasters, and it works well. There are other fluid bed roasters on the market, but they are not as well made as the original Hearthware units. One can also hack some popcorn poppers to convert them to coffee roasters, but I've never felt comfortable doing that. <br />
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Small commercial roasters (like your local coffee shop, if it roasts its own) use drum roasters. These turn the beans in a metal drum, which transmits heat to the beans. There are also home roasters that use this approach. Air roasters cost around $100-$150 dollars; drum roasters for home use are in the $350-$700 range. I seriously considered this option, but it's a non-trivial investment, and in addition the drum roasters present a larger challenge in smoke management than the air roasters.<br />
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There is a third, relatively cheap option: Put the coffee beans in a metal dish (typically a dog food bowl), and apply heat with a heat gun, like those used to peel paint. Like air roasters, this method uses air to deliver heat to the beans, but the beans do not float on a fluid bed of hot air. Rather, they slide around a bit in the dog bowl, which gets pretty hot and possibly also transfers a bit of heat through conduction, like a drum roaster. (I am a little skeptical that this contributes much to the roasting.) There are pretty good <a href="http://www.homeroaster.com/heatgun.html" target="_blank">instructions for getting started online</a>. It seemed like a good idea to at least try this cheap method before investing in a drum roaster.<br />
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So ... after much delay, we bought a heat gun and gave it a try. First I tried roasting some older green coffee left over from when my last Hearthware died. It was pretty disappointing. Then we bought some fresh green coffee from <a href="http://www.sweetmarias.com/index.php" target="_blank">Sweet Marias</a>, my supplier of choice, and it was better. And a little better. And, eventually, really good.<br />
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Impressions so far: Dog bowl roasting is a lot more challenging than using an air roaster. It takes a good deal of trial and error to find the right amount of green coffee to roast and to find and technique to achieve even roasting and the desired roast profile. Currently I use 100 grams of green coffee (because that amount seems to stir well in the hot air, while also retaining heat well enough), and I use the heat gun on low and very close to the beans for several minutes to reach first crack, then switch to high heat from a greater distance to rapidly take it from first to the desired level of roast (usually a little into second crack). Results still vary a lot, after a month or so of roasting roughly every third day. Occasionally it is very good indeed.<br />
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Today we took <a href="http://flic.kr/s/aHsjJvuur7" target="_blank">pictures at 30 second intervals</a> during a roast, to illustrate how the color of the beans changes during the roast, as well as to show the basic setup. Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-89674403320197533112013-08-22T23:07:00.002-07:002013-08-23T09:40:18.665-07:00Seattle to Klamath Falls - my first 1000km brevetAugust 15-18 I rode my first 1000km (621 mile) brevet, the <a href="http://seattlerando.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=466&catid=48" target="_blank">SIR Seattle to Crater Lake 1000K</a>.<br />
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I typically learn something from every ride. I particularly learn when things don't go well ... so in that regard I didn't learn as much from this ride as I might have, because the ride went well. But having never ridden more than 600km before, and having never had a multi-day ride that started at night, learning that I can do it is worth quite a bit. My confidence of being able to be ready for Paris-Brest-Paris in 2015 is bolstered.<br />
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Cyndi and I drove from Eugene, picked up Asta in Portland a little after 2, and reached Bremerton with time to nap a bit before the start. Not that real sleep was possible, but I think the quiet resting time may have been worth something. The ride started at 10:30pm, with the idea that we would ride through Thursday night and Friday before our first stop Friday evening, 400km (250 miles) down the Washington and Oregon coast to Pacific City. (Some people chose to ride farther, to Lincoln City for the first overnight.) <br />
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One of the first decisions one makes on a brevet is how fast to start. Try to ride with a fast group for a while? Go out slower to preserve energy for the long ride ahead? A benefit of staying with the fast kids early was that many of them knew their way out of Bremerton, and I didn't. Moreover, while they were moving at a pace I couldn't maintain forever, it wasn't <i>that</i> fast; I knew I could keep it for at least an hour or two. Sticking to a fast wheel for a while meant building up a reserve of time that might ultimately be traded for sleep later, so that's what I did. Before long we were a paceline, taking relatively long pulls, and I found I could take my pulls without getting too exhausted, at least for a while. <br />
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Fairly early on, maybe an hour in, a car gunned its engine as it passed us, then quickly disappeared around the bend. A moment later we heard the sound of peeling out. But it was probably not peeling out; what we heard was surely skidding breaks, because when we rounded the bend the car (presumably the same one) was off the road on the left, and just beyond it was a pickup, upside down in the left lane. We stopped. I could hear one man asking "is everyone ok", another man cursing at him, and a woman sounding a bit hysterical. Since everyone seemed to have exited their vehicles intact, and since we hadn't actually witnessed the accident, we rode on.<br />
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I remember only three stops in the first 200km (125mi). The first was the brief pause at the accident. The second was an "information control"in Matlock, where we were required to find the brand of gas sold as evidence that we had followed the correct route. We probably spent about 20 minutes there, taking time to drink and pee and eat and prepare a little more food to be eaten while riding. I believe some riders who had come off the back of the group rejoined us there, as well. The third stop was at Raymond, 170km (105 miles) in. By that time I had fallen off the back of the group, and found my way to the convenience store alone. I told the clerk that I imagined she had recently initialed brevet cards for the riders who reached there before me, but she said she had not, which was curious. After I refilled my water bottles and prepared a bit more food, just as I was riding back to the main highway I saw another small group of riders go by. I chased them, caught up, and joined that group ... but it was the same group I had ridden with earlier. I learned that they had found a restaurant open and had coffee, which took more time than my convenience store stop, and gave me one last chance to take advantage of their pace. We finished the first 200km in just over 8 hours (means about 6:30am, so about dawn), and I dropped off for good to avoid wearing myself down too far.<br />
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Without the group I was much, much slower, but still at an acceptable brevet pace. It was fully light when I reached Astoria and rode, at a slow pace, across that long long bridge. There I turned off course slightly to have breakfast at Pig'n Pancake, where once again I saw the bicycles of the group I had ridden with. They were enjoying breakfast at a table; I sat at the bar on the guess that it was the fastest way to get in and out. The hash browns and eggs tasted great. Then ice cream. And coffee. The worst coffee I have been served in a restaurant, I think. But I got in, ate a bunch, and got out in good time, so overall I consider it a success despite complete failure to caffeinate.<br />
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Speaking of caffeine, and of food: While I prefer "real food" when I can get it and eat it, I have increasingly resorted to highly processed "energy" foods on rides. I first tried Hammer Perpetuem (a food drink) on The Big Lebowski last summer, thanks to my riding partners Susan and Lesli, and it worked to fuel me when my stomach was refusing other forms of food. I used Perpetuem again on this ride, particularly at night because it's easier to reach for a bottle than to fumble around for other foods. I also used gels (Gu) and gelatins (Clif Shot Blox). All of these come in caffeine-enhanced forms. I would not have been able to hang with the fast group if I couldn't keep fueling myself in that manner. Shot Blox in particular worked very well for me all three days of this ride, along with the occasional gel. <br />
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Near the end of the first day, I felt a second wind and rode several miles at a brisker pace, including a stretch with Theo and James. But here I miscalculated: Less than 20 miles from my overnight in Pacific City, the second wind left me, and I was much slower that I should have been to finish that last little bit. When I finally did reach the hotel, I was too exhausted to eat much, and went to bed without a substantial meal. Fortunately I had enough time in the bank to sleep almost 4 hours, and when I woke I was able to eat the chowder Cyndi had brought for me, and probably something else I don't recall.<br />
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I rolled out Saturday morning just after 1 (having heard that others planned to leave around that time). I rode for a time on Slab Creek Road with a group of Bay Area randonneurs, and stopped with them briefly at Lincoln City, but then went on ahead when they chose to have a sit-down meal in the Safeway there. Riding alone now, I rode on to Newport, where I found Newport Cafe open. And inside Newport Cafe, Asta and Kerin! Also excellent hash browns, eggs, and corned beef hash, and palatable coffee. Asta and Kerin finished and left before me, so I left Newport alone again. <br />
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I do not recall the next segment of the ride in great detail. It was foggy and misty. At some point I passed the Bay Area randonneurs as they paused at an overlook. It cleared and became warm, and I stopped at Honeyman park to remove a layer and put on sunscreen. Somewhere (around Waldport?) I had a strong spell and rode faster. In other places I rode slower. Eventually I came to Reedsport, where I again met the Bay Area riders and others. I had a tub of potato salad, refilled my water bottles, rested a bit ... and then off toward Roseburg, riding with the Bay Area randonneurs again for a stretch.<br />
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The Bay Area randonneurs organized a very disciplined paceline: The leader was to maintain a steady 16mph and pull off at the next milepost. In most pacelines I have ridden, pulls are much shorter than a mile, but I think I understand the rationale for these long pulls. First, the milepost is a definite marker, much easier to track than a shorter distance or time. Second, while shorter pulls are probably less taxing physically, a constantly rotating paceline is more mental burden, and on a long ride our brains are at least as worn as our legs. Even so I found the paceline mentally demanding, and did not intend to join it again after our stop in Elkton. As it was, we did not leave Elkton as a group, and the paceline never re-formed as far as I know. I briefly rode again with a couple of them as we neared Roseburg, but not for long ... I fell behind and rode the last few miles pretty slowly.<br />
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Our second overnight was in Roseburg, and just across from Dennys. Dennys was slow, but I managed to have another form of fried potatoes and a milkshake. I was overfull, but could digest while I slept. Two and a half hours? Three? Something like that ... not too bad compared to the amount of sleep I have had on 600s. Asta, Kerin and I rode out a few minutes after 2am. 50 miles in, at Dry Creek Store I took some extra time in the restroom and Asta took a nap on a picnic bench; Kerin rode out ahead and I didn't see her again (though I think Asta did). A little further Asta stopped for a ditch nap and I continued. And a little further yet, a refreshed Asta caught me and went on ahead, skipping Diamond Lake where I stopped for food and rest. <br />
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The next segment, from Diamond Lake to Crater Lake, was my weakest. Perhaps I over-ate. Perhaps it was the heat. Whatever it was, I was riding very slowly, and not feeling great. I have ridden that segment before and know it is not nearly as hard as it was this time. Tired and uncomfortable as I was, by this point I was never in any doubt of finishing. It was simply "relentless forward motion" time. I stopped for a while at the rim to chat with other riders, and then longer at the lodge where I bought ibuprofen, drank a lot of water, filled water bottles, and used the restroom. And then down, steeply down ... the decent should have been fun but I wasn't having fun, I was in some physical pain and tired, but it was nice to be making good time again.<br />
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Descents end, and one pushes on. In Fort Klamath once again I met the Bay Area riders, along with the ride organizer, stopping for a beer. I stopped for soda (I am quite certain beer would have been a phenomenally bad idea for me), then rolled out just a little before the rest ... and promptly flatted. Changed the tube, checked the tire for sharps and didn't find one, so I put the same tire back on. Whether there was a sharp in there that I didn't find, or whether I under-inflated too far and caused a pinch-flat, I don't know, but by the time I reached the intersection with the main highway into Klamath Falls, my front tire was soft again. I pumped it a little and rode on to a better spot, a closed real estate office with a big porch to work on, where I changed the tube and tire. (I carry three spare tubes and one spare tire.) Clearly I was going to be later than I hoped, but I still felt like I was in no danger of missing the final time cut.<br />
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From that point I had a brisk tail wind and was able to ride pretty fast along the side of Highway 97. Fast enough to not see something ... bang ... ran over it with my rear tire. Listening for a hiss ... no hiss. Maybe it's ok. But a few miles later, the back tire is definitely getting soft. So one more time, pull over, dig through my bag for my last spare tube, pull the wheel and remove the tube. I inflated the flat tube just to be sure it really was a pinch flat, indicated by a "snake bite" pair of holes. It is ... whew, that's good, because it means I can put the same tire back on and not worry about sharps. Check it for sharps anyway. I'm tired, I'm being very careful, and I'm really really slow doing this. <br />
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Just as I'm getting the back wheel into those awful horizontal dropouts, Roger rides up. Do I need any help? Well, if you happen to have more than one spare tube, could I borrow one? Roger reaches for his tubes, then has another suggestion: Shall we ride in together? Yes yes yes please let's do that but I'll be slow yes please. Roger is a very strong rider. There's no way he should have been behind me, but he suffers from <a href="http://ultracycling.com/old/training/neck_pain.html" target="_blank">Shermer's neck</a>. He's had to stop several times to rest until his neck muscles will work again. He thinks he can get in to Klamath Falls without stopping again. I notice that he is sitting as upright as he can, sometimes using just one hand on the bar to be more vertical and reduce stress on his neck. Even so, with the tail wind we make good time. And then we make very slow time trying to navigate the small streets through Klamath Falls, as the bugs come out to celebrate evening. <br />
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And, eventually, as it is getting dark, we see the hotel ... with Cyndi and Asta standing on the corner to cheer us in, a nice touch. Pizza, beer, a little time to chat with other riders, and off to sleep. <br />
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So what did I learn on this ride? Although I had rough patches, I learned mostly from some things that went right. Riding with the fast group was fine for a while, although I probably should have dropped off a little faster. Eating what I can is better than forcing myself to eat more; even going to bed Friday night without a substantial meal wasn't a catastrophe, while I might have done better to eat a little less at Diamond Lake. Processed energy foods, and Shot Blox in particular, do work for me, although it's still better to eat more "real food" when I can. Keeping a level head and not getting too frustrated was helpful when I experienced a series of flats, and earlier when I wasn't feeling good between Diamond Lake and Crater Lake. Making time when I felt strong, and keeping going when I felt weak, balanced out pretty well. I did lose too much time at a couple controls: Cannon Beach was a mess, and I should have just gotten my control card signed and moved on as quickly as possible. If I had eaten less at Diamond Lake, I might also have left earlier. But mostly things went well. I feel good about it, very good about having made another step in my development as a randonneur, and confident that I am on my way to riding a full grand randonnee of 1200km in the next year or two.<br />
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<br />Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-31175207401094840122012-11-11T23:03:00.000-08:002013-04-10T15:00:53.105-07:00Alsea loop permanent (from Eugene OR)This 211k Randonneurs USA permanent brevet, #1726, is a loop primarily north and west of Eugene with a fair amount of climbing (you cross the coast range twice) and some lovely views. The highlight is South Fork road from near Alsea past Alsea Falls to Alpine, which will be familiar to many local riders from the annual Alpine Century, but there are plenty of other nice views along the way. The last 25 miles are flat.<br />
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Note: Logging trucks use some of these roads (Territorial Road in particular) on weekdays. I have not encountered them on a Saturday, but I cannot rule that out. The route is safest and most pleasant on a Sunday. Consider carefully whether you feel safe sharing a rural road with logging trucks, and schedule your ride accordingly. <br />
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<a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1810086/full.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1810086/full.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Map: <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1810086">http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1810086</a><br />
Cues: <a href="http://goo.gl/1W8YR">http://goo.gl/1W8YR</a> (or <a href="http://goo.gl/Skodv">http://goo.gl/Skodv</a> for plain html)<br />
RUSA permanent reg form: <span style="color: #7f6000;"><a href="http://goo.gl/zDwsb">http://goo.gl/zDwsb</a></span><br />
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The Alsea loop begins in south-west Eugene (the shopping center at 29th and Willamette) and pops over the valley rim on Lorane Highway, on the way west/south-west way to the tiny town of Crow. Stop at the tiny Crow Market for a bite and to have your brevet card signed or get a receipt. There is a port-a-potty outside, and despite the sign you may be permitted to use the restroom inside (ask nicely).<br />
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From Crow it is almost a straight shot north on Territorial Road to Monroe. You will pass through the conjoined towns of Veneta and Elmira as you cross Highway 26, and will find supermarkets and other services there if you need them. The little stretch of Applegate Trail keeps your time on the busy Highway 36 to a minimum before you are back on Territorial. Territorial Highway merges into Highway 99 just at the south end of Monroe, where your second control is. The Dari Mart in Monroe has restrooms and hot as well as cold food. This is your last store until mile 72, so fill those bottles.<br />
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Just north of Monroe, you turn left onto Alpine Cutoff Road (watch the tracks!) and work your way west to Bellfountain Road, where on a Saturday or Sunday morning you are likely to meet Corvallis area cyclists out for a weekend ride. Left on Decker, a little south of Philomath, and soon the climbing fun begins. There is more climbing in store as you turn west (left) on highway 34. You'll summit at the turnoff to Mary's Peak, the highest point in the coast range, but on highway 34 the road summit is only 1200 feet. Then it's a long, fast descent, followed by several miles of flat to Alsea.<br />
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Stop at John-Boy's Market in Alsea to have your brevet card signed and/or get a receipt. There is a restroom in the back of the store, and they have hot food. You can sit at the table inside, or on the bench out front, where you're likely to strike up a conversation with an Alsea local.<br />
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Just beyond John-Boy's Market, at the Post Office, you'll turn left on Alsea-Deadwood highway, and just a mile south you'll turn left again onto South Fork Road, toward Alsea Falls. One of the first sights on South Fork is the Alsea Acres goat farm, which makes wonderful chevre (goat cheese), available at the Eugene Farmers' Market on Saturdays in summer. Then you'll start climbing back over the coast range, but it's not as steep as the climb from east to west. Alsea Falls is worth a short stop. When you summit, the road turns steeply downward. This is a screaming descent ... do be careful in the curves. When you level out again, you're almost to Alpine, and soon on you're way back to Monroe (not a control on the return). The climbing is almost over. Monroe is your last chance for restrooms with running water for quite a while, so use them if you can. <br />
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From Monroe you retrace your route a few miles back on Territorial, but this time you'll turn right on Ferguson, and which will bend south and take you past the Long Tom Grange. This is an active Grange that hosts the Daffodil Festival each spring, and is locally famous for fund-raising with its "Men of the Long Tom Grange" calendar. Stop at the grange for an information control. Just a little beyond, you'll turn left on Turnbow, and do your last little bit of climbing for the day. Are those llamas or alpacas on the right? <br />
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The descent on Turnbow takes you to High Pass road, where you turn left (east) toward Junction City. Now it's flat and pretty straight and, frankly, pretty boring compared to what you've been through ... sorry, can't be helped. Before Junction City you'll turn right on Dorsey Lane, which looks too small to possibly be on the way to anywhere, but it really is on the way to Alvadore. And maybe Alvadore isn't anywhere, but there are a couple convenience stores catering to visitors to Fern Ridge Reservoir, and you should stop at one of them to get a receipt.<br />
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More flat ... I've tried to avoid routing you much along the busy Clear Lake road, but you'll have to endure half a mile of that shoulder before you turn right again onto Fir Butte, which takes you to Royal, which takes you to the beginning of the Fern Ridge Bicycle Path, at the intersection of Royal with Greenhill Road (just several yards south on Greenhill). Now this is more like it ... a nice separated multi-use path all the way back into Eugene. Where the path to Roosevelt splits off to the left, you bear right (crossing the canal) toward down town. Watch for pedestrians and runners, and keep an eye out for heron and cranes along the canal. <br />
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You come off the Fern Ridge path just past Chambers street, across the canal on a little bridge, and then across a larger bridge that crosses 18th Ave and through the disc golf course, ending in a school parking lot. Work your way left through the parking lot to a path that takes you out to Polk Street, then follow cues to work your way back to the starting point at 29th and Willamette. In addition to the food establishments in the shopping center, there are food and restrooms in Market of Choice, the large grocery store.Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-20501128630661187022012-08-28T08:04:00.000-07:002012-08-28T08:09:47.527-07:00Rando-curious: 200km brevets vs. century ridesIf you are considering your first 200km brevet, your most related experience is probably a supported century ride like the bRamble, Alpine Century, Peach of a Century, etc. Here are some points of comparison: <br />
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<b>Distance</b><br />
200 kilometers is 125 miles ... a little more than a 100 mile century, but not an outrageous length. Note, however, that the extra 25 miles is usually at the end. <br />
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<b>Time</b><br />
A brevet is a timed event, with time cuts for intermediate "control" points as well as the ride finish. You do not have to be very fast to finish within the time cut (13.5 hours for 200km), but you need to keep going at a modest pace. Elapsed time, rather than time in the saddle, is what counts ... so those food stops are on the clock. <br />
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<b>Paperwork</b><br />
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The term "brevet" comes from the card that a randonneur carries on the ride to document passage and times at "control" points along the way. At a control, you can ask someone (typically a clerk at a convenience store) to initial your card and write the time of your arrival, or you can obtain a receipt with the time, date, and location. At "information controls", you answer a question on the card to demonstrate that you visited a location where you find information to answer the question. <br />
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<b>Food</b><br />
On a supported century, volunteers provide you with food and drink at intermediate points along the ride. On a brevet, you stop at markets. Typically you buy food and get your brevet card signed at the same stop. Remember, you're on the clock, so don't dally too long unless you're a fast rider. <br />
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<b>Support</b><br />
In addition to food stops, century ride support typically includes a sag wagon. Occasionally a brevet may feature support at a remote intermediate point where markets are not available, but usually you are on your own, and sag support is unknown. In fact, there is a rule against receiving help from a person other than rider on the same brevet, except at designated control points. <br />
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<b>Navigation</b><br />
You get a cue sheet for your century ride, and you get a cue sheet for your brevet ... so far so similar. But the supported century ride probably features road markings or even volunteers pointing the way. The brevet route is not specially marked ... you'll have to read the cue sheet and navigate. <br />
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<b>Cost</b><br />
The fee for a century ride covers a variety of support expenses, such as the sag wagons and food stops, and often includes a portion for charity and advocacy work of the sponsoring club. The fee for a brevet is usually much less, covering insurance and the minimal support provided, typically including a snack at ride end. A typical fee for a 200km brevet might be $15 or even less. Longer brevets, especially with overnight stops, may cost more. <br />
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<b>Light</b><br />
Supported centuries typically take place entirely in daylight hours. A 200km brevet may take place entirely in daylight in the summer, but most brevets either start before dawn or extend beyond sunset (and some even start in the evening). Whenever a brevet is not entirely within daylight hours, a randonneur is required to have adequate lighting and reflective gear, as spelled out in article 10 of the <a href="http://www.rusa.org/brvreg.html">Rules for Riders</a>. Note in particular that lights must be attached to the vehicle (the bicycle); lights attached to the rider are not sufficient. <br />
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<b>Weather</b><br />
Supported centuries are nominally "rain or shine", but in practice centuries are scheduled in periods where "shine" is a reasonable expectation. The brevet season starts earlier in the year, and often extends further into fall. Randonneurs in the northwest are accustomed to riding long distances in the rain. <br />
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<b>Equipment</b><br />
The bicycle you use for a supported century will also work for a 200km brevet, provided you have lights if the ride will take place partly in low light or darkness. However, you'll notice that a lot of randonneurs are riding bicycles with fenders, generator lights, and front or back racks. You'll see a lot of handlebar bags, which serve both to hold the cue sheet and to feed the randonneur between controls. Many randonneur bicycles will sport fatter tires than racing bicycles, and randonneurs will be wearing shoes that make walking practical. <br />
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-56305434581990709612012-08-26T17:51:00.000-07:002012-08-27T12:54:51.070-07:00Down the Drain 2012 pre-ride reportAugust 25 was a good approximation of a typical day in early September: Cool morning, warm afternoon just verging on hot. If we are lucky September 8 should be similar. A short-sleeve synthetic jersey with a light base-layer was adequate, and I deemed knee or leg-warmers unnecessary as I rolled out around 6:40 from home. It was fully light. On September 8 we can expect sunrise at 6:44, so those riding to the ride will need lights and reflective gear. Sunset September 8 is 7:24pm, before the ending control closes, so again lights and reflective gear are in order, although few should actually be riding in the dark.<br />
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Many routes from Eugene start by popping over a small ridge that edges the southern end of the Willamette valley. Lorane Highway is one among the standard handfull of ways out. It's a gentle climb, good for getting the blood pumping at the beginning of a ride, followed by an easy descent that can be surprisingly chilly even on warm days. Lorane highway turns left at "four corners", with the other two corners being Bailey Hill Road (to the right) and Spencer Creek (straight ahead). Then Lorane has a couple gentle climbs and a descent past Fox Hollow road. Some of Lorane Highway has recently been overlayed with unpleasant chip-seal. Just past Fox Hollow, though, this turns to lovely new asphalt. <br />
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The cue sheet notes a fire station on the left, a little after passing Fox Hollow, with a port-a-potty. Perfectly placed if you tend to take in a lot of liquids just before a ride, as I do.<br />
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After a bit Lorane Highway ends at Gillespie Corners, in a T junction with Territorial Highway. We go left (south) toward the town of Lorane. Alas, the pavement is bad, the shoulders vary from narrow to absent, and there are lots of blind curves. Fortunately traffic is light early on a Saturday.<br />
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The town of Lorane is not a control, but it's a handy stop if you are in need of water, nutrition or a toilet. Of the general store and the café, I prefer Linda's Café, confusingly labeled "Lorane General Store." I bought a couple boiled eggs and a cup of coffee, and ate one of the eggs there. They also have a flush toilet, and there are jugs of cold, filtered water in the white refrigerator, to refill your bottles. It's also a good place to ask about local roads. I asked about Carpenter Bypass, and the lady who may or may not be Linda said she wasn't sure but that the couple having breakfast probably knew. The couple having breakfast said it got a little steep toward the top, and there were probably still some unpaved bits, but BLM had done a lot of paving a couple years ago.<br />
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At Lorane we turn right (west) onto Siuslaw River Road, but not for long. And here's the first difficulty of the day: The Carpenter Bypass, which is called Road 20-5-141on the 2007 cue sheet, is unmarked. No sign at the turn, no sign along the road to tell you where you are. I passed it thinking "odomenter says it should be here, but it can't be that one." It was that one. If you reach Fire Road, you have gone too far ... turn around and take the first paved road, unpromising as it may look. You'll see a beat-up green electrical box on the right side of the road, bearing the number "27300" in stickers. That's the closest thing I could find to a positive identification. If you have a mapping device, you may see that you are at the intersection of Siuslaw River Road and Carpenter Bypass. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Must be Carpenter Bypass Road</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu14X0WBTNu_SAyWlxs6kEQeWD-Lsdm_GzOrn_S8iX3BF8mR_j7_C8-53Mop7-lPuRUd-raBBMm0UodEWWdCie7jpTVEKzqLy3SHnqPmVtH94X9DdzA5xoML31ql03FMEtUn-lW3xg53uW/s1600/Carpenter-Mirkwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu14X0WBTNu_SAyWlxs6kEQeWD-Lsdm_GzOrn_S8iX3BF8mR_j7_C8-53Mop7-lPuRUd-raBBMm0UodEWWdCie7jpTVEKzqLy3SHnqPmVtH94X9DdzA5xoML31ql03FMEtUn-lW3xg53uW/s320/Carpenter-Mirkwood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You can guess what comes next: Single lane forest service road with perfunctory paving. Some climbing. Some category two Mirkwood canopy, and some clearings.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXAu2btTCIPAUio1t9bk0xBwVlczyZUgxhAL-yv-z-UGJ9e_bq1WF0VvXrNFl2WJjbrGBr497qF6E5ktposuxnXVP0KddNj4-nIdwn-a192MRLOt565lxvrPK6wmIbHUQyLLVX2KYdJ8Q/s1600/Carpenter-Clearing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXAu2btTCIPAUio1t9bk0xBwVlczyZUgxhAL-yv-z-UGJ9e_bq1WF0VvXrNFl2WJjbrGBr497qF6E5ktposuxnXVP0KddNj4-nIdwn-a192MRLOt565lxvrPK6wmIbHUQyLLVX2KYdJ8Q/s320/Carpenter-Clearing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is working forest, so you'll see clearcut and ex-clearcut in various stages of regrowth. </span></div>
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What you won't see is a sign reassuring you that you are on the right road, aside from a yellow warning sign that is an information control. Eventually you will see a small sign at a fork in the road indicating Road 20-5-141, but it won't be apparent which fork it labels. Bear left there ... you'll apparently be transitioning from Carpenter Bypass Road to Tip Davis Creek Road, according to Google maps, although you'll never see a sign confirming or denying this. Also, you may notice that perfunctory pavement is giving way to dirt and gravel. There might be some one-time pavement under there somewhere. Some of the downhill was a bit technical on my 25mm tires.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbhPrRqeA-WZxWtB4OK688ilB91PYFcQEfVHzMtdL6xW12cq2h90uA22mX_aSnXrzAvUagWYsCms00zwWWjCKLw3Jm32HipjTPZDI-mUVFt5Qs7xSOhMFaxBSmFbRwQyxnC73SFb2FdeO/s1600/Carpenter-gravel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbhPrRqeA-WZxWtB4OK688ilB91PYFcQEfVHzMtdL6xW12cq2h90uA22mX_aSnXrzAvUagWYsCms00zwWWjCKLw3Jm32HipjTPZDI-mUVFt5Qs7xSOhMFaxBSmFbRwQyxnC73SFb2FdeO/s320/Carpenter-gravel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
You pop out onto Upper Smith River Road, which is lovely pavement except where it has fallen off the side of the mountain ... fortunately all from the other lane. A large dog gave chase just after the intersection, but he wasn't very fast. After just a little bit of climbing, there is a fast, fun descent to Umpqua Highway (38).<br />
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Just a few miles on Umpqua Highway take you into Drain. Ray's Food Place on the left is a good place to refuel and get your brevet card signed and/or get a receipt. If you need unidentifiable deep-fried foodstuffs, they are to the left from the entrance. I had a green chili "burrito", and it was just right.<br />
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The 2007 cue sheet takes you to Hayhurst Road via Drain Section Road. I haven't decided whether to stick with that, or keep you on the Umpqua Highway. The latter is simpler and has a good shoulder; I've never felt unsafe on it, and in any case it's just a couple miles to Hayhurst. There was a secret control on Hayhurst in 2007. Since it is only ten miles between Drain and Yoncalla, both of which offer ample food-shopping opportunities, we may instead have an information control at the intersection of Hayhurst and Skelley Road.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The information control answer is not that yellow thing. The picture was taken pre-modification. </i></td></tr>
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Hayhurst takes us to the south end of Yoncalla, and we drop down through town to Highway 99. East past the high school, just a little way to Elkhead Road. Elkhead takes us a bit north and under the freeway, where we bear left to Scotts Valley Road (following the freeway for just a bit) and then right (east again). <br />
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There is a short stretch of gravel just as a kind of warning, before we turn left onto London Road and the real fun starts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oh yes, it does. More than once.</i></td></tr>
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There are two or three stretches of gravel. They aren't deep, and they don't go on forever, but some of them are on climbs and, if you ride fairly narrow tires as I do, you will need to maintain a nice smooth pedal stroke to avoid slipping. But then you reach the top of London Road (or maybe it's Shoestring Road by this point) and it's beautiful, smooth pavement in sweeping curves on a long descent. Worth it.<br />
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And then that's it for climbing, until almost the end of the ride. You glide down past Cottage Grove Reservoir, into Cottage grove, and then take the Row River bicycle trail on an out-and-back spur along Dorena Reservoir. There is running water in the bathrooms of some of the parks along the Cottage Grove reservoir. There is a small park with vault toilets and a water fountain on Row River Trail before it reaches the lake. There are vault toilets, but no running water, on the trail as it runs along Dorena Reservoir.<br />
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New smooth asphalt was a pleasant surprise on Row River Road, which connects you from the Row River Trail to Sears Road. Until very recently the shoulder was wavy. Killian's Market is at the intersection of Row River Road and Sears Road, where you turn north. The sign says "no public restrooms", and I've never asked if it's true, so take advantage of the vault toilets on the Row River Trail before you leave the lakeside.<br />
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Sears Road is mostly flat with a few rollers, paralleling I-5 north to Cloverdale Road. You take a quick jog left on Cloverdale toward Creswell, then turn onto Dale Kuni, which takes you over I-5 to highway 99. Yes, alas, you must ride north a bit on 99, and it's not nice ... then left onto Dillard Road, which will give you the last bit of climbing for the day. Unfortunately the pavement on the descent is too poor to allow you to safely zoom ... take it slow and watch for ruts and potholes. Dillard takes you to Amazon, and a few more turns and a couple miles brings you back to the start. <br />
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Saturday will be a home football game at 3pm, so expect the bars and highways to both fill up whenever the game is done. How long do football games last? I have no idea, because I just ride my bike when other people go to the game.<br />
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Overall: Nice ride, some gravel; you'll need to put a little time in the bank in the first part of the ride to compensate for time lost on the Carpenter Bypass section. Food opportunities are more than adequate along the way. <br />
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6417687787143274762.post-49076916651269285852012-07-15T13:17:00.000-07:002014-08-28T07:58:30.707-07:00Five Rivers (RUSA permanent 1587)<h2>
<span style="background-color: white;">Five Rivers (RUSA permanent 1587)</span></h2>
This loop from Eugene to Lebanon, with a spur to Walterville, takes you along the Willamette, McKenzie, Mohawk, and Calapooia rivers, and across the Santiam. The second half is fairly flat, and climbs in the first half are mostly gradual. The first climb is on Marcola Road where it becomes Brush Creek road (familiar from the Eden's Gate 400km brevet). The second, and steepest, is on Fern Ridge road between Crawfordsville and Sweet Home (and an information control at the top is there to make sure you enjoy it). The last is on Gap Road south of Brownsville.<br />
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There are few controls on this route (Walterville and Lebanon, plus two information controls and the start/end), but there are lots of optional food stops: Mohawk, Crawfordsville, Sweet Home, Brownsville, and Coburg. Each of these has at least a port-a-potty, and Sweet Home and Brownsville also have running water.<br />
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Start <strike><span style="color: #999999;">at Eugene Coffee Company</span></strike> near 18th and Chambers, <strike>or</strike> at one of the <strike><span style="color: #999999;">other</span></strike> establishments there (cues are oriented from 7-11 in front of Bi-Mart <strike><span style="color: #999999;">Eugene Coffee Company</span></strike>) and take Fern Ridge Bicycle Path into town. Sadly Eugene Coffee Company has closed. 7-11 is charmless and their coffee is dreadful, but it's a convenient start on the south side of 18th. On the north side, there is a Starbucks inside Albertsons, and you can pick up the Fern Ridge path directly to the right and behind Albertsons.<br />
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This route was approved July 15, 2012. I've tried to make the cues as clear as possible (and thanks Crista and Lynne for good advice on that), but if you have any issues or suggestions for improving clarity, do please let me know!<br />
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<a href="http://goo.gl/NpDhL" target="_blank">Cue sheet</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rusa.org/cgi-bin/permview_GF.pl?permid=1587" target="_blank">Randonneurs USA (RUSA) record</a><br />
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Map: <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1272826" target="_blank">http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1272826</a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click for larger image. For dynamic map, use the <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1272826" target="_blank">RideWithGPS link </a>above.</td></tr>
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Michal Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121032748918225172noreply@blogger.com0Eugene, OR, USA44.0520691 -123.086753643.9607726 -123.24468209999999 44.143365599999996 -122.9288251