Fifty Plus (50+) - Lesson 53.a in a series (chapter: stupid)

I'm back from a wonderful week in Ashland oregon, attending the Shakespeare festival and riding the delightful roads of Southern Oregon every morning. Pretty much a perfect vacation.
I also managed to learn an important cycling lesson:

When one heads out to ride in an area one don't know, and there is a lot of climbing, and it's a good long ride, it seems that a map in the rear jersey pocket can get rather soft, and the folds sometimes contain the names of the roads where one might wish to turn, but the map becomes less readable and more moist and torn. This can result in a slightly longer ride than planned.

From then on I put my (new) map in a plastic bag.
http://curtis.corlew.com/hosting/map1.JPG

What fun is a ride in a new area if you don't get lost?

What fun is a ride in a new area if you don't get lost?

+1 Getting lost is a big part of the adventure in a new area. Rejoice in you wilted, moist, mostley useless map.

I got a Personal Best (PB) of 120 miles which I contribute to be lost..

On the Solvang Double last year it rained so long that my route sheet was bio-degrading and becoming totally unreadable. Thankfully I made it to a checkpoint, where one of the kind (and intelligent!) checkpoint workers gave me new route sheet, encased (and dry!) inside a Zip-Loc baggie!

Finished the double in 13:15 and didn't get lost or add any bonus miles!

Rick / OCRR

I always stash a freezer (zip-loc) bag in one of my jersey pockets. Into it I put: my cell phone, a few bucks, some advil, a bandanna, and anything paper (like a cue sheet or map). Works well for me.

On the Solvang Double last year it rained so long that my route sheet was bio-degrading and becoming totally unreadable. Thankfully I made it to a checkpoint, where one of the kind (and intelligent!) checkpoint workers gave me new route sheet, encased (and dry!) inside a Zip-Loc baggie!

Finished the double in 13:15 and didn't get lost or add any bonus miles!

Rick / OCRR

Hi,

Here is my first post to this sub forum (I turn 50 in 1 month + 1 day).

+1 on the baggie. I use and re-use them for all kinds of things including route slips (on the rare occasions when I have one).

Hi,

Here is my first post to this sub forum (I turn 50 in 1 month + 1 day).



Seems like you're a bit premature.

CCCorlew.........man, you can't take these chances. We're depending on you to get this jersey order finalized. No more riding off into the wilderness. Ride a trainer until all is ready. There are BigFoot sitings in Oregon Ashland area all the time.

CCCorlew.........man, you can't take these chances. We're depending on you to get this jersey order finalized. No more riding off into the wilderness. Ride a trainer until all is ready. There are BigFoot sitings in Oregon Ashland area all the time.

No Bigfoot, but we saw deer right by the road. I rode through a small flock of wild turkeys one morning. On the trail leading to our ride there was a baby raccoon doing a Godzilla impersonation
, which would have been quite ferocious if it had been taller than a few inches. Also saw some sort of ferret with a beautiful black coat.
Didn't see a pothole or any broken glass. Drivers didn't try to kill us.
A good riding week, but no Bigfoot.

No broken glass or angry drivers.................my, my you were pretty far out into the country! :)

Hi,

Here is my first post to this sub forum (I turn 50 in 1 month + 1 day).

+1 on the baggie. I use and re-use them for all kinds of things including route slips (on the rare occasions when I have one).

Its quite OK to Post Prematurely here. The Code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard the 50+ Cleave.

Its quite OK to Post Prematurely here. The Code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard the 50+ Cleave.

So then I suppose the "guidelines" are going to get watered down to "suggestions" and then maybe an "allusion" and before you know it, we will let anyone lurk or post on this forum....oh, wait...we already do that....never mind.

What fun is a ride in a new area if you don't get lost?

Indeed!

On my cycling vacation last week, I'd just stepped out of the the tourist information place in Perth, Ontario (That's Canada, eh?) and was checking the maps they gave me--including a map of eight (count 'em!) cycling routes--when a parking violations guy came along and asked if I was lost.

"Not yet," I replied. "But I'm working on it!"

"Good plan," he agreed.

No Bigfoot, but we saw deer right by the road. I rode through a small flock of wild turkeys one morning. On the trail leading to our ride there was a baby raccoon doing a Godzilla impersonation
, which would have been quite ferocious if it had been taller than a few inches. Also saw some sort of ferret with a beautiful black coat.
Didn't see a pothole or any broken glass. Drivers didn't try to kill us.
A good riding week, but no Bigfoot.

Hi, cccorlew,

A good friend of mine and his family (from the Bay Area) make the trek to Ashland on an annual basis. He is not a cyclist but raves about the Oregon. With the description of your experience I may have to figure out a way to get up there next year. :)


Seems like you're a bit premature.


Its quite OK to Post Prematurely here. The Code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard the 50+ Cleave.

Thanks all for the warm welcome. ;)

Because of the way USA Cycling sets your racing age, I've been racing 50+ races all year. :D A discussion by patentcad on the Road Forum about 50+ reminded me that I should check out this forum. I'd been avoiding looking over here until I turned 50 but I liked the tone of the few threads that I read, so I decided to post. :)

Because of the way USA Cycling sets your racing age, I've been racing 50+ races all year.

That's exactly the excuse I used to start posting here in January. AARP started sending their propaganda in April. I became official as of June 19.

Also saw some sort of ferret with a beautiful black coat.



Most likely a mink.

Its quite OK to Post Prematurely here. The Code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.

Yeah, it's a pirate thing! Arrrghh!! :D