An April Update

Hello folks. I don't do these "State of the Union" style posts that often, but should do them more often, because there's often things going on in my life or with the League that don't always translate into a blog post. April has been a difficult month here, mostly due to the weather. It seemed...

Champoeg post-report: A de-briefing on my first (tent) bike camping trip of 2022

St. Louis Church, 7 April 2022. Olympus 35 RD/Kodak TMAX 400 My first tent bike camping trip of 2022, to Champoeg State Park, happened just about two weeks ago. (My first bike overnight was in February with Emee to Stub.) Even after bike camping and touring for the better part of two decades, the first...

Bike Overnight: Champoeg (and the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway) 6-7 April 2022

The gate(s) of Champoeg, 7 April 2022. Olympus 35 RD/Kodak TMAX 400 After the trip to Stub Stewart with Emee to Stub Stewart in February, I was jonesin' for another trip, this time with a tent. While there were good bouts of weather in March, I was occupied with other things when they hit. So...

Would there be a need for Cycle Wild again?

Cycle Wild trip to Milo McIver State Park, 5 May 2012. Why yes, that's Russ Roca of Path Less Pedaled in the foreground. Why yes, I have been thinking a lot about bike camping and touring lately. It seems like I've talked about it weekly on this blog, especially since I just did my first...

A visit to the cabins: Stub Stewart Bike Camping Trip, 5-8 February 2022

Riding through Washington County farmland between Forest Grove and Banks, 6 Feb 2022. Olympus XA2/Kodak ColorPlus 200 It's been awhile. My last bike camping/touring typed thing was the Oregon Coast Tour in August, six months ago. Despite wanting to do something in September or perhaps October, bike issues nixed that idea. Tent camping in the middle of winter is a...

Like a broken record, the bike camping/touring itch returns

Beverly Beach State Park on Emee and my Oregon Coast Tour, 14 August 2021. Camera: Olympus Pen EES-2. Film: Fuji Sensia 100 (slide film)(expired) Winter camping in Portland is a possibility: there are several all-year campgrounds nearby and we rarely see snow or temperatures below freezing. Every once in awhile the temptation to do a...

My bike touring year in review, and plans for 2022

The Bantam at Women's Forum, from my May Ainsworth/Columbia Gorge Overnight. Olympus 35 RD/Kodak TMAX 100. As another year wraps up, it's natural to want to reflect back on what happened. There's one thing this year that I am thankful to reflect on when it comes to bike touring: that I could reflect on bike...

The Return of the Bantam, and thoughts on October camping

Well, that took awhile. I dropped off my Bantam Rambleneur at the bike shop on September 3rd. My kludged-together drivetrain was not working properly, and I didn't want another quick fix, since the same thing could happen again. I needed a new shifter in order to drop the stupid Wolf Tooth extra pulley, the thing...