Ever come to the end of a weekend and think, “Wow, lots happened in the the last 7 days or so!”
Moving to the coast DID slow down things over all for us, in a very good way. However, there are still some weeks, busier that the rest…. Continue reading “And it all happened in a week!”
Followers of the blog will know that for Christmas, my amazing wife Michelle got me something I have wanted for a very long time. A fat tire bike!
It came home the weekend after Christmas. I rode it day one, in the rain and racing sunset. Then later in the week, I did short beach ride.
Sadly, after that, the weather has NOT cooperated (32 inches of rain since January 1) and Roscoe (the name of said bike) has stayed warm and dry in the garage. That streak ended today…
One of the accounts I follow on Instagram is for a French Fry Mooching seagull affectionately known as FathomsBarBuddy.
He hangs out on the ledge at Fathoms Bar, up on the 10th floor of the Inn at Spanish Head
He has some pearls of wisdom that come from his feathered head and orange beak. (If you are an instagram user just search Fathomsbarbuddy, all one word.)
One of his tidbits is to “Never waste a winter day when the rains stop!”
Folks, let me tell you, as I type this, our rain gage says we have 15.36 inches of rain since January 1! Our average for January is only 10.4″ (thanks Alexa!) we are well above average and its windy and rainy this evening.
So when there was an unexpected break in the weather this morning, I saddled up! Continue reading “Seriously a 2 mile climb with a headwind???”
When I am at work and talking with other insurance companies, quite often I get asked by the big national insurance companies where the Mighty P, the company I work for, is based out of. Almost invariably, when I say Seattle, I hear. “Does it REALLy rain there all the time?”
I of course say YES IT DOES! We want people to think it looks like this
We try not to let people know that a lot of the time the Northwest really looks like this!
If keeps down the crowds you know.
However, for as much as it does rain in Seattle, the Oregon Coast gets even more. Which makes it challenging to to be a cyclist here… Continue reading “A short window of opportunity!”
Way back in the way back days, before the Mountainstroh Blog, shoot, even before I am sure I knew what a blog was, I become a cyclist. It was December 2007, and I got my first real bike.
Who knew how far it would take me…. Continue reading “New Decade, New focus and a New Name”
When I first started riding, it was all about the miles. I was new to the bike, a young strapping 44 and finally found a sport I was good at. I could climb any hill, cycle all day long, and seemed never to get tired. I was the wind.
Fast forward 11 years. NOT so strapping, sure as hell ain’t 44, but I can still climb anything you throw at me. I don’t go as far, but for good reason.
I am now the Oregon coast cyclist, I stop for amazing views, whales spouting and, as you can see here, to watch a bald eagle soar. I keep track of the miles, but now I ride for the experience, for the memories, for the life around me.
I am still good at what I do, and will keep doing it till the legs wear out. The bike is and always will be a time machine, making me feel younger and stronger than I truly am.
In my heart I truly hope that sometimes the eagle stops to watch me as I conquer a vicious headwind or make it over a steep climb. Maybe, just maybe, he smiles at me, as I do him when he soars.
The eagle and I are kindred spirits. Riding the winds, seeing the world and living the life. It is good to be free!
Everyone knows how much I love cycling along the Oregon coast. The majority of my miles this year have been between my house in Lincoln City, and Newport. Its a 25 miles stretch of road, much of it with views like this! Oh and yes there is a whale spouting!
I tell people all the time that I ride this route every chance I get, and I never get tired of it. There is ALWAYS something that makes the ride worthwhile.
There are times I want something different. Like today, since I was watching the Seahawks in the morning, I wasn’t able to ride until the afternoon. I try too avoid HWY 101 on Friday’s after work and Sunday afternoons. There are just to many people driving big ole Winnebagoes they aren’t used to.
So today I decided to ride the Yaquina River. Continue reading “Cycling the Yaquina River”
