tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41933675344649904432024-02-19T09:06:14.889-08:00Bike TrippinRuth's addiction to biking all over the place.Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-44319851939446401852022-06-18T14:03:00.000-07:002022-06-18T14:03:18.122-07:00Back to the Sierra: June 2015A few months ago I realized this summer's birthday has not one but two 5s in it, and naturally that calls for a long(ish), hot bike ride. In the Sierra, with a tent and way too many other things. Then I had one of those moments - you know, those moments when a kind of dreamy idea suddenly becomes a doable, if nutty, idea. So here I am in a hotel in Truckee, sharing my room with myRuth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-13792496043697330332012-12-30T14:19:00.005-08:002012-12-30T15:01:27.110-08:00Way to end the year
Last January I didn't start out with any riding goals for the year, but along the way these ideas (and obsessions) just sort of came to me... and the miles just kind of added up.
After about 28 years of riding my bike in San Francisco, sometime in February I developed the sudden urge to finally ride to the top of Mt. Tam.
And then down the back (northwest) side. It Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-20835649809574418162011-07-28T14:35:00.001-07:002011-07-28T15:00:35.429-07:00Photos finallyThere's nothing like having nothing you have to do to make it hard to get a darn thing done - but (finally) here's a link to photos of the whole trip, Spokane to British Columbia to Missoula. Yay.https://picasaweb.google.com/106458209676650999720/BikingSpokaneMissoulaJuly2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNO6g-rDtsibHANext week I'm riding my bike around Lake Tahoe! Yay! That'll probably lend itself to some Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-92171276712530411882011-07-22T22:03:00.000-07:002011-07-24T12:31:08.481-07:00Hail MissoulaOk, this really could be called "Dork on a Bike" (or dork on the porch?) - but I had such a great time in Missoula, and riding around was part of the fun.Like pretty much every place I went on this trip, a river flows through town - and there are bike & walking paths on both sides of it, along with bike/ped bridges across it.I found myself riding pretty aimlessly around, just exploring the Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-34130294675149809952011-07-20T20:24:00.000-07:002011-07-22T22:02:48.458-07:00O MontanaThe little dinger part of my bicycle bell broke off when I was in Whitefish, which meant I couldn't just ring the bell when I wanted to - for example, at exciting landscapes, deer along the road, or fields of flowers. So instead I just sort of yelled out, "Ding ding!" Yeah, the subtitle of my blog could be, "Dork on a Bike," but those bell-ringing moments are sort of why I ride, so I just had toRuth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-69509559384011589262011-07-19T14:46:00.000-07:002011-07-19T15:32:07.144-07:00Following the RiverI'm in Missoula now (yay!) but before I can say much more about getting here I have to get back to the thing about following the watershed. I made up my route by combining the eastern leg of what's called the "Selkirks Loop," that goes north out of Sandpoint, ID and circles around the Selkirks mountains and Kootenay Lake (though I didn't do the whole loop) and two sections of bike touring maps Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-32336620573964666542011-07-15T21:47:00.000-07:002011-07-15T22:38:03.684-07:00Making it to GlacierWow! - that's pretty much what I've been exclaiming for the past several days, generally with my mouth hanging open or a shit-eating grin on my face (which expression really makes no sense at all). I've been in Glacier National Park for a couple of days after a bunch of days riding to get here (I've kind of lost track...). It's truly awesome. I am so tired after a day of hiking, and it's so Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-61111778369747606392011-07-10T17:41:00.000-07:002011-07-10T17:53:06.463-07:00Dangerous for cars!Today I rode from Creston, British Columbia (Canada) through a bit of the Idaho panhandle and then into Montana - three states and two countries, in one day! It was a longish day (60 miles) but not too hot, and not too hard, so I mostly just enjoyed myself.I'll be riding in very remote Montana for the next few days and probably won't get an internet connection again until maybe Wednesday night, Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-2564090783233505342011-07-10T17:32:00.000-07:002011-07-10T17:40:52.929-07:00O Canada, revistedI apologize for my cheesy inability to resist making "O Canada" jokes, since I enjoy biking here so much... I have very limited time on the battery, not to mention an urgent need to make dinner - but this campground in the middle of nowhere actually has wi-fi so I can't resist this, either.Here are photos from Saturday's brief joy-ride north from Creston, where I was staying. The road was very Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-11893648652504793862011-07-08T22:24:00.000-07:002011-07-08T22:52:13.950-07:00Rivers, bridges & railroadsThis post has a lot of photos -I'm too tired to write much but don't want to get too far behind, either. I made it to Canada today, hurray! To another RV campground with wi-fi in the tent section. I know that in fact there's a big issue of the lack of access to high-speed internet in rural areas, so it's especially strange (but useful) to find it here in my tent.I laughed when I looked at my Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-40717347682649094632011-07-07T21:07:00.000-07:002011-07-07T21:43:27.608-07:00Remembering Why I Do ThisToday was one of "those" days... again! Even while I was swearing and muttering stuff like "I'm getting tired of being a "'good sport'..." I knew it would turn out ok. I managed to get a flat tire before I even left the motel this morning - and as I began to fix it I encountered a ridiculous number of mishaps, including being unable to open the new tube of glue to put a patch on the hole (the Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-69931639738068704372011-07-06T22:04:00.000-07:002011-07-07T21:07:39.829-07:00On HolidayWednesday in Sandpoint: amazingly complex systems of business and transportation-of-goods brought me a new wheel, and the wonderful folks at Outdoor Experience put it all back together & had me on my way by about 2pm. So I did what I had to do: go for a ride!I'd been really disappointed I'd miss out on a section of the route I'd planned but realized I could do part of it as an afternoon Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-63923728349675676312011-07-05T22:25:00.000-07:002011-07-05T23:04:37.753-07:00D'oh!I think I went through most of my spectrum of moods today, beginning and ending with being quite content. I won't describe all the stuff in between; you can use your imagination. (Included, in case it doesn't occur to you, is the slapstick scene of my falling off a curb - while walking -and landing face down on the street, while a passing teenager on a skateboard recovered the water-bottle I'd Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-80509370555256907392011-07-05T18:39:00.001-07:002011-07-06T20:10:04.196-07:00Bike Paths and HighwaysI was having technical difficulties getting my posts posted, but the blogger help forum actually helped me figure it out. Hurray for the kindness of strangers!Including the ones who offered to take my picture (several different people, different times). This is on the Centennial Trail - a paved, off-road bike path - between Spokane and the Idaho border. The trail follows the Spokane River for Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-49825491235977067892011-07-03T22:00:00.000-07:002011-07-05T18:18:15.713-07:00Ready to pedal!I'm officially On an Adventure - starting in Spokane, WA of all places! I actually went to Washington State Univ., which is just about 90 miles south of here - but I never really spent time in town (just the airport). It's actually very cool, with old brick buildings and railroad tracks and this river running through the middle of everything. I lucked out in finding a cheapish motel near Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-51670155107548179052011-06-15T15:41:00.000-07:002011-06-15T15:57:36.301-07:00Do Over!!Dear fans (or anyhow former followers of this-here blog),I had so much fun riding around Montana last summer that I just have to go back… so this July I’m going to take 2½ weeks to do what we sped through in just three days last year. I’m not going to ride as fast, as hard or as far as I did last summer - hoping to feel more like I'm dawdling than rushing, so I can get even more pictures of Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-18308788263786898592010-10-06T20:30:00.000-07:002010-10-07T09:23:19.002-07:00Greatest Hits: Photos from the big ridePartly as therapy for myself and partly to serve you, loyal readers of this-here blog, I've spent a bunch of time over the past couple of weeks going over my photos & organizing them. I posted them here throughout the summer but I thought it would be nice to have them all in one place.Mostly because of technical difficulties (my modem going out mid-stream as I was uploading stuff) I have Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-5728112761539127452010-09-14T22:02:00.001-07:002010-09-15T15:42:59.199-07:00Home!I got back to San Francisco this past Saturday, and have been really caught up in doing things to feel at home again - like stocking up on my favorite foods (and baking!), riding my mountain bike across the city, and especially just being around Camilo - who managed to grow an inch taller than me in the past three months. I love being here, but it’s still kind of weird.I find myself both Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-47289354964125725652010-09-08T06:03:00.000-07:002010-10-01T21:30:31.619-07:00MeanderingThe town of Northampton, MA lies along something called The Oxbow, where a section of the Connecticut River flowed in a loopy course that eventually became so convoluted it cut itself off from the rest of the river. Janis Totty explained this to me and said, "Old rivers meander... they tend to go around obstacles instead of cutting through them."I think this says a lot about the 50-year-old Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-18219103401622850732010-09-04T05:02:00.001-07:002010-09-05T08:34:16.934-07:00Made it to the Atlantic! - plus pictures Even with my front tire in the Atlantic Ocean (not to mention my feet), I still can't believe I rode my bike all the way from the boat launch in Everett (near Seattle) to the Boston Harbor...!On Friday I officially ended the ride at the front porch of my friend Jenni Lopez, who lives in Hull. We had to wait until this morning to take the photos, though, because I arrived just before the remnantsRuth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-26722740957248926712010-09-02T17:55:00.000-07:002010-09-03T03:32:27.984-07:00On the brinkTomorrow I ride into Boston - and after 4,350 miles I still can't believe it. I could have made it there today (Thursday) but I wanted to savor this last bit just a bit more. Not to mention yesterday was the hardest day of riding I've had since northern Michigan, and I wanted to have a couple of short fun rides to remember the whole thing by. And not to mention, it's so much more exciting to Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-23875122034304291892010-08-30T13:49:00.000-07:002010-09-01T03:19:16.056-07:00Albany, my beacon - plus picturesI'm in Albany, NY wrapping up a rest day - meaning a day of running around doing errands, but resting from riding my bicycle. One of the projects was shipping home all my camping gear - from here it's only a few days to Boston, and I'll be staying with friends the rest of the way. The tent, sleeping bag & pad, stove and cooking stuff added up to almost 20lbs, which I am delighted not to be Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-63916807015614967102010-08-25T05:41:00.000-07:002010-08-25T05:59:34.605-07:004,000 Miles!!I'm in central New York - and just west of Syracuse yesterday I hit 4,000 miles. I almost missed it but managed to watch my digitial odometer click from 3,999.9 over to 4,000 - but still can't believe it. More good timing & luck: I'd already scheduled taking a couple of days to camp, rest & not ride my bike (though I always miss that... still love riding the bike!), and right now I'm Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-13899110510557558142010-08-23T07:08:00.001-07:002010-08-23T12:58:43.838-07:00Back in the Empire StateGreetings from New York! After being stymied all morning I was just able to post a picture of the pedestrian & biker entrance to the US from Ft. Erie, Ontario Canada. It's so civilized, really, to be able to stroll across a bridge to get where you're going (unlike the border between Detroit and Windsor, which bikes are prohibited from crossing). Except earlier today the blogger posting thing Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193367534464990443.post-42317654258149635762010-08-20T17:01:00.000-07:002010-08-20T17:31:59.629-07:00And pictures, ehThought I should post my Canada pictures now - it was hard to capture the scope of the corn, I have to say, not to mention that specific agricultural scent... but I got a lot of other stuff. Besides the corn, there were tons of blueberry farms - and a few stands with pie, where naturally I stopped. The route followed coastal-ish roads - meaning Lake Erie was anywhere from a quarter-mile to a Ruth Grabowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489668938619342657noreply@blogger.com0