a midway bikelog

The girls helped me dig up potatoes from the garden today. The plants weren’t totally dead yet, but i haven’t done much with them, and they were planted from potatoes that sprouted in the pantry over the winter, so i didn’t expect much. We were pleasantly surprised to find that there were potatoes under there though, and though approx. 1lb per plant is probably pretty sad, i was happy to get them. And they’re delicious.

Next year i think i’ll get some seed potatoes and really make a go of it.

1. They’re writing funny w/r/t their use of abbreviations
2. Whatever bag they’ve been carrying always seems to be 2.5 lbs heavier than usual
3. They start calling dead people ‘de-mapped’
4. Always asking if they can borrow that to use as another bookmark
5. They’re making lists like this when they can’t just sit and read the thing

(via Minnesotacyclist.com)

We definitely need something like this on the new post-Light Rail version of University Avenue. The video is a follow-up on lanes painted in Long Beach, and many other cities are using them as well.

Cross-sections of the new version of the 120′ right of way layout along the Central Corridor seem to be finalized around 2 rail tracks, 2 traffic lanes with left turn lanes and sidewalk. That’s it; no parking space, no dedicated bike lane space. Parking is a very different issue (though i think off-street and side-street parking will pretty much take care of this). The bike lane isn’t such a huge loss as there’s no dedicated bike lane now, in fact the new University Avenue would be a safer cycling road than we currently have, if the right lane is marked as a shared bike lane.

Currently, cycling on University is a hit-and-miss proposition. Traffic is usually moderate to light and free-flowing. There’s a wide, sloppy right lane and parking space that generally allows the same amount of cycling space that a bike lane would allow, it’s just not marked. This works fine for some more dedicated cyclists who are comfortable negotiating traffic, but is intimidating to young and novice cyclists who (understandably) feel unsure about where they should be. Factor in speeding drivers and the poor condition of the road surface along most of University, and it’s not a very friendly route.

Sharrows in a well-marked shared traffic lane would improve this in many ways. Despite an overall narrower set of traffic lanes (especially a perceptibly smaller traffic space than the current layout), overall traffic speed won’t likely drop much, so cyclists will be caught up in high traffic flow with no buffer or escape space. Marking a shared lane will let drivers know both that this is shared space with slower road users as well as that the left lane is for faster speeds (and bike-free). The marking will also remind pedestrians to look for cyclists when crossing the street. Finally, cyclists that have a place to be will generally use it. If you watch a road with striped bike lanes, the vast majority of cyclists will use that lane rather than the traffic lane or the sidewalk. Most cyclists aren’t looking to interfere with cars, they just want to get where they’re going with the least grief and resistance (just like drivers!).

So why not shuttle bikes on to one of the parallel neighborhood streets? Lots of cyclists already use Thomas or Charles between Snelling Ave and downtown, but to the west those streets are blocked by the train tracks west of Prior. Just like with drivers, commuting cyclists want a smooth thoroughfare to their destination, and sharrows would provide that for everyone. No bikes on the road? No need to slow down. Really, for the price of a little extra painting, this would solve a lot of problems.

The girls and i just got back from a fantastic vacation, our longest vacation in a long time, and only their second trip to Oregon ever. With a little extra vacation time to work with (thanks to crazy work last year and carryover) and dad’s generosity, we were able to make the trip westbound on the train. Traveling by train was great, and it was extra nice having a sleeping compartment for a little extra privacy and better sleep.

This was my first long-distance train trip, and it was a great experience. Pros: no pointless security checks with your shoes off, plenty of space even in the coach seats, good food, chance to walk around at stops, showering en-route (yes, we were spoiled with the sleeper). Cons: it’s still a long trip, so road trip-like travel games and diversions are in order.

Once in Oregon, we went to Aunt Barb & Uncle Wally’s place in Sister’s, up in the mountains where we rode her horse Xena and hiked and swam. Ella was very excited to ride a horse, and was a total natural while she was riding. For a kid who gets nervous on a bike, i was proud to see her so happy and confident trying something new. I hadn’t been out to visit my aunt and uncle in several years, so it was great to be able to see them on this trip.

From there we met up with my brothers and their families, along with our stepbrother and stepsister for a big gathering at dad’s house which started, as it should, with beer and crab.

During our week there we played at the beach, saw sea lions, toured a light house, visited an aquarium, biked, boated, swam, 4-wheeled, ate and played a lot. The kids had some grandparent time playing and touring old town, and the parents got a little play time in the dunes. I was able to get out on a bike twice with friend Chris and some of his fun mountain biking cohorts for some great riding. Thanks to Dan for use of his excellent bike. I was wrung out with all the climbing but had a blast with the twisty trails and long descents.

We returned to the very nice Newport Aquarium to see the sea creatures, get buzzed by puffins (flappy!) and touched the anemone (grabby!). My favorites were the rays, Fi liked the birds, and Ella liked the jellyfish best. We had lots of time on the beach finding sand dollars, making sand castles and watching crabs bury themselves in the tide pools.

I missed pictures of lots of great stuff, but that’s the price of having fun. Lots more pictures in the photo gallery. This was a super fun trip, a grand adventure, a memorable vacation all around.

I’m back from 2 weeks of overdue and excellent vacation, pictures and stories to come. The thumbnail version: train travel much better than plane travel, i love Oregon, dual suspension bikes aren’t so bad, little girls love horses, a great time visiting family and friends and excellent adventures with my girls. I can’t wait to do it again.

On the way home, Ella and i added up the various transportation methods for the trip: train, automobile, horse, bicycle, boat, 4-wheeler, Jeep, airplane, taxi and foot.