07 Alpenrose Clean up day

April 29th 2007

It was a choice between riding the "Monster Cookie" metric century or the annual Alpenrose clean up day. I guess there was no choice at all. The track is one of my joys in riding. Got to help out if your going to ride and race on the track.

Mike & Candi Murrary the promoters of OBRA and the Alpenrose Velodrome for decades now made the digital call to the track. 50 good hearted and competitive souls showed up to scrape, clean, paint, eat,

put up signs, and lie to

each other. Nothing like bike racers to BS about how great they are.

It was a hearty crew. It's a lot of hard work.

Thanks to all.

Sudden Loss

Yesterday was a ride day. The first day since coming back from a long trip to Little Rock. A story into it self. A long story for later. Today was the the ride to get on the hills. I was looking for all the hills I could climb for the time I had. Skyline, Liberty, Enchanted Way, Jory Hill and Sunnyside. With all the other smaller climbs between. 50 miles of good hard word. The road of the long prayer as I like to think of it.
There are so many turns. Plants, birds, wild and domestic. I talk to most of them. I say hello to the birds often. Once and a while a bird will take note and fly along with me for a way. I like to think they fly with me. I feel as though I am a part of their world. Though these wild birds are tough. Tougher than me for sure.
There has been a friend. A friend at the turn of a nice down hill section. A fast area. Go hard and hold it long. Always to the left on the wire that streach along. The same place everytime. At first it would fly away unhappy with my presents. Over time it just started looking over it's shoulder. We would pass hello. Months of this. Clock work. I looked forward to the moment. 2 hard workers passing for a few seconds taking the time to cross the line.
On this day no one was home. I just kept going. Off somewhere. Next time. On this day I would pass this way a second time as the route of hills demanded it. Though this second time after 35 miles of effort I was unhappy not to see my friend. As though it was ment to be. As it is. I looked off to the right of the road. There he was. Gone to the speed of things. The passing of a friend. I turned around after a dam across my lips. My Kestrel was now changed. Closer than ever, though still. I was stunned. I stopped by my small friend now lost. As though still stunned by the passing I picked this beautiful creature up. Life now changed. I put him back further from the road. I wanted to do more. More had passed a while ago. I went on down the road. The miles came quick. The hill welcome. The sadness of the loss. Just another change in my life. A memory and a friend not soon forgot.

The gate

I start without a thought of what I am starting. A clean sheet. No expectations. No reasons. Just to put down a few lines. To say what comes out. To sign on to the idea of open communication. Maybe less than that to. Working my way through the new hoops of the blog. Hoops that need to be embraced. So the starters gun has sounded and the rolling path of this digital highway is now open to my few ideas and adventures.
I put a few photos in to get going. One is at my resent wedding to Mary Anne. In my Gordon kilt. I love that kilt. More fun to wear that kilt than I would have thought. I'll add a photo of Mary Anne.
The other photo is a shot of the Santiam Pass in November 2006. Last ride in the mountians for that season. The passes had 3 feet of snow 3 days later. It was the Sisters to Sisters Oregon ride. 89 miles and about 8800 feet of climbing in the driving rain for 6 hours. It was an epic ride. One I will never forget. Up the Santiam Pass and the Old MacKenzie Pass. It was just wonderful.
Back to my new wife. Mary Anne Radmacher is a writer and has a new book out"Lean Forward into Your Life". It's a life changing book. Worth the effort.
So today is start day. I plan to enter new posts as often as I can. New photos. New ideas. New people and events.
Best wishes