Face 6 Days Later
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.
Wow - I had no idea that faces can heal so fast. You'd hardly know that 6 days ago I went over the handle-bars and landed on my face (and knee). The knee still has road-burn, but at least now people will stop asking me "what the other guy looked like". I got tired of that joke.
See the Flickr Slideshow to see how quickly it healed.
Nothing to worry about, after some painful cleaning and feeling around it seems that nothing is broken, I probably have a slight concussion (I've been sleeping all day). The Doctor was more worried about that than anything else - he was obsessed about the circumstances of the accident and that I need someome to keep an eye on me just in case I'm concussed (luckily I do have someone to keep an eye on me). My bike computer registered a max speed of 10mph - I can't even claim I was speeding!
I'm still going to do the The Night Ride tomorrow!
Face Plant!
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.
I shouldn't try doing two things at once, like walking and chewing gum, or waving at the neighbor while cycling down a very steep hill!
This was taken very soon after the accident. Now I'm worried about scarring - it might be deeper than I first thought. Appointment with doctor is at 2:45...
Max on the Steel Bridge
Originally uploaded by Major Clangr.
The Max had a power outage again on Friday - I seems like there has been a problem every day this week.
On Friday the train stopped at Orenco, the driver announced that there was a train in every station all the way to Sunset and we would just have to wait was they turned around and came back. However... I had been meaning to try to see how hard it would be to cycle all the way home, and starting from Orenco is pretty close to all the way home.
Problems: I don't know the way; it is very hot (I have no water); my bag is heavy (laptop etc) and I'm already very tired. I like a challenge!
I managed to guess my way to cycling to Elmonica, and then I looked at the map at the station. Baseline will take me to Jenkins which I can use to get more-or-less to Beaverton Transit Center and then I know the way from there...
I passed the sights of Beaverton: Nike Headquarters, very smelly roadkill (huge dead racoon in the bike lane), 45 mph roads with no bike lanes, the Round and Beaverton Transit Center. I never noticed before, but the bike lanes on highway 10 start at the moment you enter the City of Portland. Why does Beaverton hate cyclists?
Summary: 14 miles extra on my bike. Very thirsty and exhausted. I'll never choose that route again... I wonder if there is a better route...
Pop! At the last mile-post on Leif Erikson Drive
Originally uploaded by Major Clangr.
That's about here on Flash Earth. I had about 1/2 mile to go to the end of the trail, so 11 1/2 miles to go back to complete the 23 mile ride though a cool and leafy forest, no cars.
As I knelt to take the picture, my right knee popped - quite painfully - and I hobbled around for a few seconds cursing and and wondering if I was going to make the 11 miles back...
It was fine! It hurts sometimes to bend it now, but nothing too serious. I hope this isn't the beginning of knee problems. :-(
My bike on a hook on a train in a tunnel under a zoo
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.
Some folks at work thought I was being strange when I said that in I need to get a hook for my bike on the train. Surely I meant "rack" like on a bus?
No, it's a hook. MAX trains essentially have have three kinds of carriages: two kinds of low-floor carriages and one kind of high-floor carriage.
Each MAX train consists of just two carriages (they are short because Portland city blocks are so short), and one carriage is guaranteed to be a low-floor carriage (only the low floor carriage are suitable for folks with disabilities). But... only the low floor carriages have hooks (you can stand on the high-floor ones). Each low floor carriages has 4 hooks, so a train has 4 or 8 good places to hang a bike and relax.
Each morning, as I see the train, I need to work out which one (or both) of the carriages is the low-floor one (the front of the train is a different shape) then quickly move along the platform to get a hook. Some mornings there are no hooks and I have to stand for an hoour, holding the bike. No fun.
Biscuit Rocks, Estacada, Oregon
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.
Spring has sprung! Summer has come! Cycling has returned. We picked a bike ride from a book - 12 miles in Estacada - along the Clackamas River. I'm sure it took longer to drive there than the actual ride, but it was great to be outdoors and cycling again.
Here is another picture from the ride - a huge fish ladder at the North Fork Dam.
Next week I'm going to start cyclng to work to. Yeah!
Forest Park / Leif Erikson Drive
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.
Forest Park, Portland: Ain't it great?
Sunday Morning cycling on Leif Erikson Drive in the middle of Forest Park. This was taken somewhere between mileposts 8 and 9 (I turned around at 9).
The road is very bumpy. When I got back I noticed that the quick release on my front wheel had come loose and the wheel was just resting in the fork. Given how fast I came back I feel lucky I didn't fall off!
Cones block cycle path because of wet paint
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.
This necessary repaint makes it very difficult to cycle in the bike lane. Good job there is a sidewalk!
Portland's Bicycle Commute Challenge 2005
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.
My bike ride to work consists of 30 minutes cycling, 50 minutes on the train, 6.65 miles total, sometimes in the rain. Breakdown:
