Société des Rambleneurs starts TOMORROW! There’s still PLENTY of time to get in on the action

Hello friends! After brutal temperatures here in Portland, with three days of triple-digit temps and a record breaking 112F/44C, temperatures have dropped to a "more" reasonable 90F or so. It's still hot as heck, but not hot enough that I don't want to go on a bike ride. But I don't want to ride fast...

Capturing the sun rise at Rocky Butte, 22 June 2021

As I've said ad nauseum on this blog, I am not a morning person. My schedule is more a "stay up for Late Night With David Letterman if it was still on"1 that I cultivated in the later '80s. (What can I say? There wasn't much quirky/interesting television then, and the internet was just a...

A visit to Leach Botanical Gardens, 19 June 2021

Minolta SR-T 101. MC Rokkor PG 50mm f/1.4 lens. Kodak Portra 160. Leach Botanical Gardens is an interesting little spot. Sitting in the Johnson Creek Valley at SE 122nd Avenue, this property was once the grounds and private home of botanist Lilla Leach and pharmacist John Leach. The grounds were then turned over to the City...

Ride Every Mile?

The loaded Bantam, "cheating" on the return from the Milo McIver overnight. 15 April 2021. Camera: Olympus Pen EES-2. Film: Kodak Pro Image 100. One of the great things about my time working at the hostel was the bike tourists. As someone who loves traveling via bike, it was always fun interacting with fellow enthusiasts....

A medium format status update: Still not getting into it.

A few months ago I mentioned how I picked up my first medium format camera, a Dacora Digna. After playing with 35mm in 2020, it seemed like bigger-sized negatives would be the next step. However, the issue is cameras that take medium format film are not as ubiquitous as their 35mm brethren: You can find...

Raleigh Crested Butte: The exit interview (of sorts)

The Raleigh Crested Butte has left the stable. This top-of-the-line in 1984 mountain bike served me (mostly) well for almost nine years. It was the bike that made me love vintage mountain bikes and plush 26" tires. It's also been the bike that I personalized and modified the most over the years, though its last...

The great shearing

It was time to lose the long hair. I had been growing it since November of 2019. I intended to get a haircut in March of 2020 (when I had the cash) but then pandemic happened. Since barbers and salons required close interpersonal contact, they were one of the last businesses to reopen. So I...

Still for sale: Raleigh Crested Butte

UPDATE 16 JUNE 2021: This bike has been SOLD. Hello friends. My 1984 Raleigh Crested Butte is still available. I'd really rather sell this bike through Instagram/tumblr/my blog than go the Craigslist route, so I'm relisting it again in the hope that happens. Otherwise, I'll be putting it up on Ye Old Craigslist next week....