S7s: Closing January

1) Last week was a sort of Winter Break for students of Henderson County Public Schools. They were out Monday-Wednesday. I went into work each day and was somewhat productive. Much of my time revolved around getting our wrestling match scheduled. On Thursday, we had a two hour delay. Friday was a regular schedule. It was sort of weird and difficult, since this was the first full day with my second semester students.

Speaking of which: so far, so good. Really nice group of kids. Also, smaller class numbers than last semester, which makes for slightly easier management and more opportunities to collaborate and do discussions. I am really looking forward to this group, though I'll apologize in advance for February. Hosting the Regional Wrestling and then going to the State tournament means I don't get to be in the classroom and miss out on some instruction.

2) The snow made me miss Pompey. The Mazda doesn't have the clearance of the Nissan (not that the Maxima had that much more clearance). Backed into a snow bank, which turned out to be an ice bank. Small paint scratch beneath the rear bumper. I also liked having manual transmission in the snow and ice. Really, the car handled fine in the snow.

3) 62 people are valued as much as 3.6 billion.

The wealthiest 62 people worth more than the poorest half of the world. I know the right screams of the dangers of socialism, but the widening wage gap, struggles of the middle class and the cost of health care worry me more than the dangers of socialism. I'm not advocating that the United States go welfare state in the European model, but I'll go on record that the system is broken. Costs have risen while wages have been stagnant, making the American dream difficult to achieve. Not impossible, but exceptional. And if you get to a safe place financially, you're one major injury or cancer diagnosis from having to declare bankruptcy. In the meantime, the profits and net value of the wealthiest individuals and corporations have skyrocketed comparatively. Middle class income has barely changed in the last two decades. It's a gamed system that is rigged to benefit the top of society and make it difficult for the everyone else.

4) Photo of the week, I still need to go to Iceland:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BA-RXa4AKPy/

5) While I hate that someone died, I'm hoping that the standoff at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon is coming to an end. I biked through Burns, Oregon when I went coast to coast in 2010. I had fond memories there. I stayed at a hotel to get out of the sun and ate at the Meat Hook. Ran into Charlie, who ended up rescuing a lost sock monkey a few days later. 

These guys who led the occupation are not patriots. They claim to love America but then disregard the laws and authority. Anyone else would be labeled threats or terrorists, but we let these guys persist because there are so many like them. Their interest is self serving and not community or national. They were never welcomed by the community they were holding siege. If change is what they wanted to invoke, what a pathetic effort they gave. In the end, nothing changed, they looked foolish and one person is unnecessarily dead.

6) Best Meme of the Week:

That said, tomorrow will be interesting and fun to watch as Iowa kicks of primary season. My prediction is that the Republican winner in Iowa, whoever it is, does not win the nomination. I think Clinton wins in Iowa with Sanders putting up a good fight.

7) So, we were not able to practice on Monday or Tuesday. That's after having to cancel practice Friday. We wrestled our last match against Tuscola on Wednesday. The match was supposed to be at Tuscola, but we moved it to Brevard. Brevard had matches against Tuscola and East Henderson left. We were able to get the win and finish and undefeated conference season. 7-0 and Conference Champions!

We carried that momentum into Saturday. We took 10 kids into the finals and had 7 champions. We also had two third place wrestlers, a fourth and a sixth. We were able to win the tournament, the first sweep of the conference and the tournament for us since 2001. We've won the tournament a few times but finished 2nd in the regular season. But I'm really proud of an great group of guys. They work hard, are good students and care for one another. 

We wrestle Tuesday in the first round of the Dual Team Playoffs. 

I Hate/Love Football

I'm pulling for Oregon tonight in the BCS Championship. I need an excuse for a bulleted list, so here's why I like the Ducks:

• State of Oregon > State of Alabama. Salem tops Montgomery, Portland tops Birmingham. Oregon has Crater Lake, Alabama has well, Biloxi. Oregon wins big.
• Duck might not be the toughest mascot, but at least Oregon can decide on one. Unlike the Auburn Tigers/Eagles. Plus, Ducks are original. There are 46 four year colleges that use Tigers (and 74 that use Eagles). Info from this interesting article.
• Autzen Stadium cooler than Jordan-Hare Stadium.
• Oregon's offense is cooler to watch. Makes you tired they move so fast. And anyone can use hand signals and runners, Oregon uses these to call plays:
• I also think there's something dirty about Auburn. I have no proof, but the Newton saga just stinks. If it smells like poop, it just might be poop. And I do believe that Auburn all-world DT Nick Fairley is a dirty player because of his late hits and unnecessary roughness . Mighty talented, but dirty.
  

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I hate the BCS. TCU won a quality football game against a pretty good Wisconsin team. They finished 13-0. Bowl apologists, please never ever tell me again that every game matters. Obviously it doesn't. A team should not win every game and not get a chance to play for a championship.

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Is College Athletics a Sweatshop?

Interesting read. Continuing the spirit of bulleted lists:

• College Athletes have to do an amazing thing by balancing social, academic and athletic obligations. Greg Strobel, head wrestling coach at Lehigh University told me he tells his athletes they can excel at two of the three, but not all three. So they have to choose. But they also get preferential selection of classes, housing and academic tutors. They have lots of help.
• College football programs generate lots of revenue and the poor athletes get nothing from it. I must apologize and say I do not for one moment feel sorry for a big time football or basketball player. They get equipment, training tables with the best food, per diems and leave college with no debt. You know who's starving? I was. And many of my friends and other regular students who had to work their way through college. You know who else is starving? Collegiate wrestlers, gymnasts, lacrosse players and other minor sport athletes. Please don't tell me, Tyrelle Pryor, that football players can't make it.
  
• I would not be opposed to paying college athletes on top of their scholarship. It needs to be something universal across the NCAA, or else Texas, Alabama and Notre Dame will become the Yankees of college sports by paying their athletes the most. Maybe something like you can pay college football players $500 per month, minor sports $250.
  
• I would like to see football and basketball scholarships become more of a loan. If you do not get a degree in 6 years from your first semester (that even lets you go pro and work towards a degree), you are contractually obligated to repay the value of your scholarship. Then maybe we would see more student-athletes in these sports. The ones who are using it for a stepping stone to the pros can then give back to the school that assisted them.

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Final word: As the NFL season winds down, there is a talk of a lockout by the owners. The NBA collective bargaining agreement is expiring soon also. There's lots of things that need to be worked out, but if anyone in the know is reading please remember:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics have January 7 unemployment numbers at 9.4 percent.
  
• Tom Brady is guaranteed 48.5 million in his new contract, $72 million with incentives. I would have to work about 970 years just to reach just his guaranteed money.
• Reggie Bush's 2009 salary was just over $7 million. He ran, caught or returned the football 144 times that year. Basically, he got $48,611 for each time he touched a football.
  
• US Census data has median US income in 2009 at $49,777.
• If there's a lockout, we'll come back to football eventually. But we'll be hurt because many of us will not understand or be able to relate with millionaires who do not have enough money.
  
• Some will wonder why, when they cannot find employment, these men who get to play a game for a living do not want to work.
  
• I hope there is no lockout, because I do love football. But if there's no NFL, I'll ride my bike more, hike after church and pay more attention to the college game.
  

Baron is Back!

Remember Charlie, who stopped to give me water in the desert between Bend and Riley, Oregon? I also ran into him the next night at the Meat Hook (real name of the restaurant) in Burns.

Well, I got this message in the comment section of one of my posts:

Charlie said...
HKU - Baron would like to join you on the rest of your trip. I read your blog and recognized the location of his "last" photo - I found him on the descent after your posted picture (yeah, pathetic, but I know the highway pretty well since I've been on it more than a few times). If you give me an address I'll get him to you ASAP - I'm sure he would enjoy the rest of the trip. - Charlie

Of course, I'm stoked. I've exchanged emails with Charlie and Baron, via US Mail, will be joining me and his already waiting green argyle cousin, Cliff, in Colorado Springs. Baron missed the Rockies and all of Idaho and didn't get to hang out with the Drakes, but I'm sure he has had his share of adventures.

And how cool is Charlie?

Idaho

Today is July 3. I am in Mountain Home, Idaho. From Burns, Oregon, I have covered the following distances: 65, 91, 92 miles. My legs felt like jello, so I only biked 31 miles today and decided to get my legs back because I start climbing tomorrow. My goal is to spend Independence Day in Fairfield-- about 60 miles away and at 5,100 ft elevation.

The ride from Burns to Juntura on June 30 was pleasant with some intermittent challenges: Stinkingwater Pass (4800 ft) and Drinkwater Pass (4200). Juntura was like an oasis. HWY 20 is lined with these huge trees that offer shade in the desert. Appropriately, the motel/campground/cafe is called the Oasis. It's the only place to stop for food between Burns and Vale, so it stayed busy. I had a terrific conversation in the restaurant with the Clarks, who wanted to know all about my trip. They invited me to sit and we talked for a long time.






After a breakfast in Juntura, I was back on the road. The ride between Juntura and Harper was one of my favorites. It was about 35 miles that followed the North Malheur River through canyons created by the surrounding buttes. Very scenic and quite fast as a lot of it was downhill. I thought it was prettier than my time in the Cascades. In Harper, I had a sandwich and talked with an old man (who never gave me his name). I would have been out of Harper 30 minutes earlier, but the man started a new story every time I tried to leave. I turned south in Vale and followed the Oregon Trail to Kearney Pass and made it all the way to Parma where I camped in the city park right next to the replica of Ft. Boise.





I knew that yesterday was going to be a long ride. I wanted to get to Grand View. It was 90 miles. I stopped in Homedale for breakfast. The only place that the lady at the gas station said was open was the bowling alley. I was skeptical, but found the bowling alley and a little diner attached. Breakfast was delicious and everyone inside was very friendly. I think every diner either said Hi or wished me well on my journey.


I then rode the 40 miles or so to Murphy, the county seat of Owyhee County and one of the smallest county seats in the country. It's unincorporated but does house the sheriff's office and courthouse. I was really getting worried because my left leg was hurting a lot. I thought I might have injured my hamstring. Now, I believe it was just cramps, but there was some concern I might not make the 30 miles to Grand View. I also attribute it to fatigue of back to back to back tough days.



So I finally make it to Grand View. A really nice guy named John (or David-- something biblical but not Obadiah) [photo above], saw me lost and yelled, "Are you looking for the park?"
"Can I camp there?"
"Everyone else does," referring to previous bikers. He was really nice, good old western guy. Talked to him for a few minutes and then he points me towards the Lion's Club park. Before I can set up camp, all these dogs come over. They all belong to either Justin, Heather or Heather's mother. Justin invites me over, telling me that their house has an extra room, bed, bath and there is chicken cooking on the grill. Stunned, I accept. They were just moving in, so things were in a state of unpacking.

The rest of the night was fun. We ate dinner, told stories and shared our lives. I met six month Violet, who has the biggest and best eyes and an adorable smile. Happy kid. Justin told me about being in the Air Force and all the stuff he hunts. I got to see (and hold) several of his guns. Most of you know, I'm not a gun guy, but it was fun learning things. It was also neat to see another person's passion. Justin was passionate about hunting (lots of badger pelts downstairs) and guns (he works in munitions at Mountain Home Air Base). We talked into the night, I had a great sleep in a king bed and got up and went to the Y-Bar for breakfast (where you can have a beer with your omelet), played with Violet and then I got on the road.

Monday, June 28: Bend to Chickahominy BLM Campground. 108.8 miles on my odometer. It was a haul, the sun was relentless, but I made it. And I had some cool encounters:

This is the school in Brothers, Oregon. I stopped in Brothers, almost 40 miles from Bend, for lunch at the post office/cafe/gas station/store. I was asking about the school, it looked like a great place to learn. Unfortunately, there are not enough students to open the school. The school hasn't been in use for at least six years, though they still maintain the grounds. About 14 students from the very rural area meet in Brothers and are bussed 50 miles (one way!) to Prineville.

I was riding down the road and saw this red object ahead. I was excited to see another biker. When I caught up, it wasn't a biker after all. It was Ray Brown, a retired teacher from Eugene, who is walking across America to raise awareness of, as his business card says, "American history, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights." I thought I had it tough biking across America; Ray is WALKING! Here's his blog: http://sonoflibertywalk.blogspot.com/

I am digging his trailer.

Lastly, it's late in the day and I am physically and mentally exhausted. As I grinding my way down the road I see a truck pulled over with a guy waving at me. He’s offering me water. I was more than happy to stop. Charlie works for the state and is checking fish habitats. He said that there were times when he bike toured that he wished someone would offer him water. I wasn’t in dire need of water, but I wasn’t going to turn away water in the desert either. I like good people.

I had one bad incident: somewhere along the way, I lost my travel companion. Baron fell off between Bend and Millican. I can almost pinpoint where I lost him. I stopped for a photo, unstrapped him to get to something in my pannier and didn’t strap him back. Unfortunately, I was 10 beyond and just climbed a pass. Hopefully, Baron is happy wherever he is. This is the last photo I have of him.

Random non-bike thoughts- the theme is things I miss/will miss:

- I miss watching World Cup with friends. Excited about Tour de France.

- I miss summer mornings drinking coffee and reading the paper at Black Bear.

- I will miss the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Sunday, June 27

Today is a rest day in Bend. I am pretty excited to be in one of my favorite towns. I just think Bend is so cool. I am not excited about the next 4 days through high altitude desert to Boise.

The ride from Pacific City to Salem was nice, especially for a plus eighty mile day. There were some short, kinda steep climbs in the beginning, but it was doable. The toughest part was the trucks on the narrow roads where there was not a shoulder. Ate at the Ram in Salem for a decent steak and good craft brew. The night of sleep I got at the RV Park in Salem was okay, considering that I was 100 feet from I-5. But they did have great showers and facilities and I didn't have to go out of my way.

On Friday, I started the climb into the Cascades. I thought I would make it to Detroit. It was not really a bad ride, just the end when you had to climb to Detroit Dam. Took good rest breaks in Stayton and Mill City. I enjoyed the ride until the end. Detroit is a resort little town that people come to for the lake. The RV park was junk, so I biked another 5 miles to Idanha where there was a nice, friendly park. I got a great campsite on the N. Santiam River (compared to I-5). In all, a 61 mile day.

I got up on Saturday and took my time packing camp. Stopped at the lone diner/store in Idanha where the cook gave me extra food for my climb up to Santiam Pass. The day was trudgery. It was about 40 miles to the pass and most of it uphill. The elevation difference was 3200 feet, total climbing just to Santiam probably close to 5500. I averaged just over 10 MPH going up. My total average at the end of the day (84 miles into Bend) was 13.3. So you can see I took advantage of the descent.

I'm trying to gear myself up for the next few days. There will be few places to hide from the sun, the terrain sure to be rolly tough, and the distances between places really far. Until then, I have one more night in Bend and I'm gonna enjoy it. See you in a few days!

Baron when we stopped for lunch in Mill City.


Broken Top and Three Sisters


Me and Baron

The Best Of: The Pacific Northwest

Tomorrow (Sept 18) marks exactly one month since I returned from the Pacific NW. I have had enough time to decompress and reflect on my Pacific Northwest Trip. Love that part of the country. The scenery is great, people are wonderful, food is excellent. Here are some of the superlatives:

Best Town (less than 100,000): Bend, OR – What’s not to love? Great city with everything I love: scenery, neat people, trails, mountains, clean, funky. Bend is sort of summarized in this blog post.
Honorable Mention: Eugene, OR and its cool university; Poulsbo, WA with its Norwegian flair; Florence, OR and its dunes and Old Town.


Best City (over 100,000): Vancouver, BC – the hosts of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver is cosmopolitan and diverse, trendy and funky. Downtown Vancouver is compact has neat neighborhoods like Yaletown, Chinatown and Gastown. How can you not like a city that has a huge park downtown, skiing and beaches within the metropolitan limits and Whistler with its world-class slopes and mountain bike trails less than two hours away?
Honorable Mention: Victoria, BC – walkable, quaint with great history and architecture; Portland, OR – bike friendly, lots of parks and home of Powell’s.

Best Drive: Rim Drive, Crater Lake National Park – every overlook reveals another perspective of Crater Lake and makes you just want to stop. The drive is scenic and spectacular.
Runner-up: Pacific Coast Highway between Brookings and Bandon, Oregon
Best Drive I didn’t drive: Pacific Rim Highway (Hwy 4) between Port Alberni and Tofino on Vancouver Island


Best View: Newberry Crater (with Pauline and East Lakes) from Paulina Peak, Newberry Volcano National Monument
Honorable Mention: Crater Lake from Wizard Island Summit; Bend from Pilot Butte (see photo above "Best Town"); looking up at the Redwoods.


Best Beach: Cox Beach, Tofino, BC
Runner-up: Secret beach near Brookings, OR

Favorite Mountain: Three Sisters, Oregon- Actually three mountains: South Sister, 10,363 ft; Middle Sister, 10,047 and North Sister, 10,085 are not the highest in the central Oregon Cascades, but together are awful pretty to look at when driving or from Bend. (note: Mt Ranier is still my favorite, I just didn't go there on this trip)
Honorable Mention: Mt Hood

Favorite Island: Vancouver Island- it has it all, a great city in Victoria, awesome National Parks, skiing and then best surfing in Canada.
Honorable Mention: Wizard Island, Crater Lake National Park

Best Coffee: Human Bean Coffee, Bend, Oregon

Best Coffee Shop: Townsends Tea House, Bend, OR – okay, they don’t serve coffee, but it’s a great shop that hangs great art on the walls and is a nice place to work or relax. Plus, the Kashmiri Chai almost makes me never want coffee ever again...
Honorable Mention: Dragonfly Coffee, Portland NW

Best Bookstore: Powell’s City of Books, Portland, OR – go get lost in Powell’s, it’s very easy to do and some time well spent.

Best Breakfast: Victorian Cafe, Bend, OR – the Warsaw was amazing!
Honorable Mention: Willie’s Bakery, Victoria, BC
Coolest Restaurant: Cornucopia, Eugene, OR - wonderful lunch specials
Best Norwegian Themed Restaurant: The Crazy Norwegian, Port Orford, OR- the best fish and chips!
Favorite Brewery: Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR- hooray Black Butte Porter

Best Single Place for a variety of food: Richmond Night Market, Richmond, BC

Best Hostel: Hostelling International Vancouver Downtown- Large, but comfy, clean and safe.
Honorable Mention: Olympic Hostel, Port Townsend, WA - Great location


Favorite Hike: Dutton Creek, Crater Lake National Park
Runner-up: Mirror Lake, near Mt Hood, Oregon; Wizard Island Summit, Crater Lake


Favorite bike trail: Tumalo Falls Trail, Bend, OR- the climb is made easy by all the waterfalls you pass; the downhill fast, twisty and fun.
Runner-up: Voodoo Trail, part of Phil’s trail system, Bend, OR

Best Boat Ride: Wizard Island drop-off, Crater Lake National Park
Runner-up: ferry between Nanaimo and Vancouver


Favorite City Park: Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC- with its beaches, aquarium, marina, views, hikes, Stanley Park has everything all within walking distance of downtown Vancouver.
Honorable Mention: Wallace Park, Portland, OR; River Park, Bend, OR; English Beach, Vancouver, BC


Favorite State Park: Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon coast
Runners-up: Tumalo State Park, near Bend, OR; Honeyman State Park, Florence, OR
(note: Oregon's State Park system is first class. North Carolina could take some notes).


Favorite Bridge: Lion’s Gate Bridge connecting North Vancouver with downtown Vancouver
Runner-up: St. John's Bridge, Portland/St. Johns, OR

Humbled

I like to pretend that I know what's up and I have things in control. Then I get humbled in the revelation that not only am I in not in charge, but the one who is really is pretty good at what He does. Actually, very good and nothing I can conjure really compares. Take for example this pass week:

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon:
I had a "Wow!" moment. Crater Lake truly inspires awe. I pulled into the first overlook on the north rim and was completely stunned by the view, about 1200 feet below me, of a 6 mile wide, perfectly blue lake lying in the middle of a caldera that formed 7,700 years ago when the summit of Mount Mazama collapsed. As you drive around the rim and stop at differnt overlooks, the walls of the caldera literally change colors before you as the sun moves across the sky. No wonder the Natives believed the lake to be sacred.

Redwoods National Park/Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California
So I am standing next to this tree who's trunk is bigger than my living room and who's top is towering almost 300 feet overhead and I am again humbled. Even as humbling is the beginnings of this tree, at least 700 years old, if not older. This tree has withstood earthquakes, snowstorms, fires, and the encroachment of man. Europe was suffering through the Black Death in its infant stages and it was a mere adolescent when Columbus sailed west. I cannot recall ever being amazed, much less humbled, by a tree until now.

In Bend

Sitting at Townshend's Teahouse. Drinking Kashmiri Chai... yum. This is my fourth day in the Pacific Northwest. Arrived three days ago, where Kate picked me up at the Portland airport. The flight from Seattle to Portland was short, but very cool. The pilot made a fly around of Mt St Helens. Not just a flyby, "Hey look out the window", but he actually circled the caldera and you could look down into the volcano from several different angles.

Kate lives in Northwest Portland in a great neighborhood. Her apartment is less than a block from a great park where we read and napped. On the recommendations of my friends, Lindsay and James, I am reading Jon Krakauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven". The book is really enlightening me to a lot of things I never considered regarding not just Mormonism, but faith in general. No matter what religion you are, fanaticism has a lot of the same characteristics.

I have had some good grub. I love food when I travel. We ate at Sushiville, near Kate's place where the sushi comes around on conveyers. I haven't been to one of those in years. Someone needs to open one in Asheville. Breakfast Tuesday was also near Kate's where Kate was being imparted Vulcan wisdom by a dangling Mr. Spock. This teahouse rocks. Another thing I need in Asheville. Breakfast at the Victorian in west Bend was delicious. Get the Warsaw, it has eggs, potatoes, sauerkraut, Polish sausage and is loads of yummy. Had an elk burger at the Deschutes Brewery last night. Parilla's across the street from Victorian's has funky burritos. It's like the Lucky Otter with more tatoos and one dollar PBRs.
Bend is a very good town. Mountain biking is first class and close to town. I rode Tumelo Falls Trail yesterday, about 16 miles round trip. The uphill took me pass no fewer than seven waterfalls and the downhill was fast and fun. The city is very bike friendly and has good restaurants and shopping. You are close to all sorts of things: volcanic stuff (Newberry National Volcanic Monument), skiing and snowboarding at Mt Bachelor, rafting on the Deschutes River, hiking and camping and, of course, endless miles of mountain and road biking. Portland is only 3 hours away and Eugene is about 2. And there are great towns nearby like Sisters, Redmond and Sunriver.
Last night, I was walking downtown looking for dinner and a girl walks by and says "Hi." I say "Hi" back and then we both turn and look at each other. It was obvious that we both knew each other. Turns out Kathy and I played Ultimate together in the Asheville League and she had moved to Bend last winter. It's funny how 2,500 miles away, in a city of nearly 80,000 people, I can randomly run into someone I know. We ended up going to meet some of her friends for dinner. Small world...

Oregon Bound

I am heading to the Pacific Northwest for 3 weeks. Flying into Portland. No schedule yet. There's so much I want to do. Eugene, Bend, Pacific coast, Crater Lake and Olympic National Parks, San Juan Islands, Seattle and Vancouver there's just so much to do. I'm taking my backpack and tent! If you've visited and have suggestions, leave them in the comments or email me.