bike riding mostly
Mushroom season in the PNW. Back to Stubs for the Standard Maintenance Loop. Park at Buxton trailhead. Three mile warmup along the Banks Vernonia Rail Trail then off onto the forest trails and up to the lookout. Return via Caddywhomper and Shoofly trails and back onto the BV for the three mile return to the trailhead. No rain, cool temps, lots of mushroom varietals popping out of the duff and everywhere else.
Video source:
https://watch.opb.org/video/oregon-field-guide-mushrooms/
Another round of kite flying at Cannon Beach. Town was swarming with visitors. The last belch before school starts? Despite the hordes there is always room on the beach to find a roomy spot to work on the burn. Room 5 always a pleasure. Four is ok too. Eight at the end has the turret dining nook, haven’t been in there yet. Twenty-one is great if you don’t mind stairs. Crack the front door, plop on the couch, watch the surf. The beach really changed after last winter and we haven’t been able to get around the north point to visit the tide pools. But it has left an enormous expanse of tidal flats and at low tide the skim boarders can g l i i i i d e. Ran into a guy downtown while Teal was inspecting the inside of her eyelids he was curious about the fat tires and I was incredulous at his beach cruiser that looked to be 75% rust, 15% salt, 8% pot metal and a hint of paint. It was a beauty with a tri-plane fork crown.
Got moving earlier than usual made it to the start line of the Bridge Pedal event in downtown Portland. Vast stretches of roadway are closed to autos so us pedalers can enjoy a relatively car-free tour of bridges.
Happy crowd, fairly well organized, lots of doughnuts cookies and bananas. Perfect weather. We opted for the 20 mile Main Ride. Easily got us and the bikes back and forth from Hillsboro on the MAX train.
Evening visit to West Union Gardens with expert Buehler pickers. Targeted the Boysens and Marions. Good haul, couple pies.
Another minus tide. This time it’s a Saturday on one of the hottest days of the year. Beach communities are begging people to stay away so of course we and the rest of Portland Metro pack our debris and truck over the coast ranges to pay them a visit. Got a head start on the crowds and arrived CB at 8:12 AM. Pedaled up to the tide-pools ogled the anemone starfish barnacles crabs mussels flotsam jetsam etc. Lots more people today but with 3x the beach area available everyone easily distanced. Enjoyed a picnic in the park afterwards then a stroll into town over the bridge to Bruce’s for a taffy reload. Home by noon. Good time.
May 28, 2021
Another minus tide ride at Cannon Beach. Timing aligned with a day off and a 9 AM, -1.7 foot tide. Crowd was light. Rain through the coast range on the Sunset Highway yielded clearing skies at the intersection with US 101. Nice ride up the coast and out onto the otherwise inundated wave plane. Tunnels were revealed along with the multitudes of starfish and anenomi. Not much flotsam & jetsum. Two buzzards were getting a head start on a fresh seal carcass. Post ride de regueur visit to Bruce’s Candy Kitchen in downtown Cannon Beach to restock the taffy stash.
Rinsing off in the bird bath.
