Revelling in Bandon

12/18-24/11 Diggin' our . . . digs, we saw the foggy morning give way to some unexpected blue sky!  Our place on the beach was tiny but there's just the two of us so we don't need much space, just a view.  With the weather turning out so nice, we decided to scope out a small ride for Lisa's recovery.  We had internet access so we used Google Earth to plot a route for our ride the next day.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/135431332#.TvuphT7Z4bY.blogger

I always wanted to visit China Beach.
Hey, where's Dana Delany again?

China Beach we stopped for a quick look and snapped a picture.  The temp was a cool 48 degrees but the sun helped.  We brought all our cold weather gear (including lights) but found that the weather was so decent, we really didn't need everything.  Still, we geared up for the worse and were glad in the shady parts of the ride.  The wind was only around 6 MPH but in the shade, it made us glad we had our winter gear on.  You can always unzip and/or take it off, but if you don't have it, you suffer.



Apparently there are other ways
 to "ride" in Bandon.



Lisa and me at Seven Devils.



 We had such a good time riding the little Beach Loop Dr. loop that we planned a ride to Seven Devils State Recreation Site.  We took a day to scope it first.  Having reconnoitered it, we knew there was only one serious climb, the one to get out.  It was short so we figured we'd be able to handle it:

We were jazzed that Lisa was doin' so well.  Her major complaint was all about not having enough fat on her tush.  Her muscles had atrophied since her weight loss and treatment.  "Well, that's what we're doin' this for," I told her.  She troopered on!  That's what I love about her.  She enjoyed the ride non-the-less and we planned a few more to boot.  We lost our internet access for a couple of days so planning the next ride proved to be a gee whiz affair.  After that killer climb up Randolph Road from North Bank Road, we were glad we reconnoitered East Beaver Hill before we decided to head east then north:







Team McCoy chillaxin' after ridin' the
East Beaver Hill - North Bank Loop.

Some might've thought that bringing our plush Roubaix's down to Bandon would've been all for naught.  I too, was skeptical.  In fact, we had originally planned to bring our single speed Langsters.  What folly that would've been!  We gambled that there might be some weather worth riding our premium bikes in.  Little did we know we'd have a whole frickin' WEEK!  THAT, my friends, is what I call a Festivus for the rest of us!  Hope you all had a Happy/Merry ____________!!!

Travelling to Bandon

12/17/11  We headed out.  Lisa's last treatment was the 15th and we had planned to celebrate during winter break.  Although Belize was not to be, we chose a Pacific Northwest venue for our celebration, Bandon, OR.  The road to there consisted of many, many, many miles of road tripping, but in the end, it was well worth it.

Walker Pass had all of what we expected, a little bit of everything including some misty mountain hop.  When we left Port Angeles, it was overcast and kinda foggy.  But as we headed east, round 'bout Sequim, the sky poked through and we decided that 101 'round Hood Canal should prove to be quite scenic and it did.

From there, we headed onward along I-5 and the sun came out to greet us on our journey.  Traffic was relatively light.  We plugged in "Das Contraption" -- which is our iPod plugged into the 12V plug AND into the tape player -- and jammed to our favorite travel jams.  We had left PA at about 9:20 AM so we would end up in Bandon by about 6-ish PM.

Along the way, fog happened.  The funny thing was, we hit fog south Centralia all the way to Portland but Portland was clear and 55 degrees.  With our bikes loaded and locked onto our racks, we were pushing a lot of air and it had a marked affect on our gas mileage.  Fully loaded with two bikes on top, we were lucky to get 30 MPG at 70 MPH.  Just goes to prove, weight and wind resistance cost energy.  So, gotta lose weight AND gotta wear even tighter gear.  The one sorta requires the other 'cause who needs to see a shrink wrapped blimp?

All in all, we made fairly good time.  We stopped in Springfield for food but didn't find anything that fit our mood.  Nonetheless, we ate at a cafe and motored on.  We fueled in Roseburg and remembered the last time we had made it to Roseburg.  We had vacationed in Bend the summer before after Lisa's back surgery.  On the way home, we headed to Crater Lake and failed to fuel before entering the park.

After circling the lake, we headed west to Roseburg but were running low on fuel.  It was an interesting trip as we watched the fuel meter drop one bar at a time.  Again, we were fully loaded with bikes locked and loaded.  Luckily, the road to Roseburg is all downhill, complete with elevation markers delineating each thousand foot drop.  I purposely drove at around 45 MPH just to conserve fuel.  We made it to a town just east of Roseburg and fueled up with mere vapors in the tank.

We made to Bandon as planned.  It was dark and we were road weary so we unloaded the Prius and headed to the Steakhouse we saw at the turn off of 101.  It was Saturday night and they had the football game on so we ate, watched a bit and called it a night.  Welcome to Bandon.

Losing Heart . . . Getting Lost in the "Zone"!

12/6/11  -  I don't remember the date.  I don't remember . . . but I do.  I don't wanna remember . . . but I still do.  I can imagine what . . . it must've been, what I call . . . the "Zone".  We riders, we've been there.  And that's what scares the shit outta me most!  WE have ALL been there!  The day is what it is, be it rain and wind and/or harshness, or, just a calm bliss-ness for which we eternally strive.  The funny thing is, in the end, it doesn't/didn't and wouldn't matter anyway.  Once we've committed, we become quite titillated just to be riding.

The day was ordinary.  So ordinary actually.  No fog, no wind, no weather to even speak of.  That wasn't the problem.  But, then again, maybe that's exactly what it was.  When every day blends into every other day, some of us tend to get complacent.  We lose ourselves in thought.  We get into the "Zone".  Unfortunately, it's not the "zone" of "situational awareness" (SA).  Yeah, sometimes, as cyclists we're in another type of "zone", the one where we can hear and feel and see everything around us but I'd call it the "Urban Zone" or the "SA Zone" or the "Zen Zone" or something else.  This other "Zone" of which I speak, is the "Self Zone" or the "Bubble Zone" or, dare I say it, the "Nirvana Zone".

Once ensconced, it feels for all intents and purposes like a bubble.  Safe and secure like when Ma or Gramma wrapped us up in swaddling and loving arms and blessed bosoms.  It's a place we all (all of us, everybody) strives to return to.  It's something in our psyche.  We can't escape it because . . . we once knew it and now that it's gone, well, we want it back.  But, now that we've grown and life has had it's terrible way with us, mostly because we've had our terrible way with life, we seem to have lost what once was so simple to have.  It's all but gone now.  And, we want it back, fiercely!  But once innocence is lost . . .

Well, when I ride, I never quite get there, but I get damn close.  And, every now and then, I get dangerously close.  Every now and then, I couldn't tell you what happened the very last two miles I rode.  Sometimes, it's even longer.  Time disappears.  Space, evaporates!  It's like I slipped into a wormhole!  I could've ridden across a busy intersection without even looking for cross traffic, survived, and lived to wonder just how I made it across without ever having remembered crossing at all!  Fucking SCARY!  Trouble is, it's true.  I've been there.  No drugs involved, I swear!  It's just some sorta phenomena I can't rightly explain at the moment.  It's kinda like a "runner's high" but different somehow.  Science will back me up, I'm sure, as soon as I do my due research, etc.

I can't explain what happened that Sunday.  September, 11th, 2011, Marian Byse, 65 years of age was struck and . . . killed by a vehicle while travelling east on US Highway 112 across from Elwha River Road.  I knew her.  I remember giving her an honorary 2009 Cascade Bicycle Club Summer Bike League Champions t-shirt in the parking lot of the Port Angeles YMCA just for her persnickety tenacity at such a ripe age.  She was so humble and grateful, she thanked me for inspiring the lot that earned the title.  In reality, anyone who ever saw her ride, were the ones inspired . . . by her.

There's still a hole in my soul from the loss of Marian.  It's taken me till now to write about it.  It still HURTS!  Weeks ago, I called the State Patrol to inquire about how the investigation was going.  They were very good about getting back to me and told me that it appeared that she was in the shoulder, or there abouts, and witnesses said she just turned into traffic.  In other words, it appears that she just turned, as if to go onto Elwha River Road, without checking her six (rear).  And, apparently, a vehicle travelling eastbound struck her.  Marian died thereafter.  She was 65.  The driver of the vehicle was female and 65.  No alcohol was involved.

The last I ever saw of Marian, she was riding eastbound on Power Plant Road.  Lisa and I were tooling about on a drive and took a detour here and there.  Then, on the way back home off of 112, we took Power Plant Rd.  As we turned the corner and headed east bound, we saw a cyclist up ahead.  Based on the size, posture, gear and riding style, I knew right away it was Marian.  She was wearing that over sized electric yellow bike jacket and riding full in the lane, elbows out, hunched and pumping pedals at full steam but travelling at almost a walking pace.  Power Plant Road is so narrow, it doesn't even have a center stripe.  As a cyclist, riding in the lane on a road this narrow with a speed limit of 35(?), in the lane is the safest place to be.  It affords the maximum visibility for drivers.  We slowed as we came up on her and passed and waved.  Little did we know that would be the last time we'd ever see her.

She'd been hit before, back in February of 2010.  Riding eastbound down 8th St. near A St. right before the west bridge.  I hate that section of 8th St.  It's busy.  People are driving out of or onto A and B Streets and having to deal with the main uptown arterial traffic.  Cars are often parked on the side of the street.  As a cyclist, we can get up to traffic speeds of 20-30 mph going down that 8-9% grade.  At that grade and speed, stopping or avoiding a collision if a driver misjudges or doesn't see you, is nearly impossible.  And, staying close to the side of the street is dangerous.  Drivers have trouble seeing cyclists close to the curb and tend to overlook them, especially when line-of-sight blocking cars are parked along there.  As I recall, a young kid driving a red pickup coming northbound out of A St. and turning eas bound onto 8th St. or just trying to cross 8th St. didn't see Marian that Friday.  That time she was actually lucky.  She came out that accident with broken bones.

One year and 7-months later, after having recovered and rehabilitated from the 8th St. accident, it happened again, this time on a Sunday on Highway 112.  I rode by there that Monday.  It wasn't much of a detour for me.  The scene was empty of life.  The sun was shining with just a gentle breeze and an occasional vehicle blasting by at 55-60 MPH.  Fluorescent orange spray paint on asphalt marked various . . . articles, bike parts, bike wheel locations, impact points, skid marks(?)--I really didn't see any skid marks--etc.  It was a somber occasion.  I tried to imagine what exactly happened.  She wasn't wearing any ear buds listening to music and such.  Could she have just tunnel visioned to the oncoming traffic from around the bend and just . . . forgot to check behind?  Or, could she have been deciding whether or not to take Power Plant Road OR Elwha River Road and just made a hasty decision at the last minute to take the latter?

I wondered about the driver of the van.  Was she somehow distracted?  Was she using a cell phone or day dreaming?  Was she speeding?  Traveling at 55-60 mph, even non-distracted drivers would find it difficult to avoid colliding with something or someone turning right into their lane of travel.  I rode on from the fatal scene to the ever busy US Highway 101 Junction.  I rode home on 101.  Don't know why, I just did.  I couldn't find the "Zone" that day.  But I wondered, if Marian had.  She may have been in "it" and just neglected to check for traffic.

She didn't wear a mirror that I know of.  It's so easy to turn from the shoulder into the lane to take a left onto Elwha River Road without looking behind because of oncoming traffic.  Without a left turn lane there's no safe place when your on that bend in the highway to check for oncoming traffic as your on the inside of the curve.  The sight lines don't allow much room for error.  There had already been two other vehicular accidents in the last year in close proximity to this location.  'Wonder if they'll ever fix that?

Meanwhile, we'll miss you Marian.  (I miss you Marian--that well aged, bent, campy ridin' style on that well aged mountain bike frame.)  Wished I was ridin' with you instead of past you as I so often did on Edgewood Dr.  Might've been able to . . . might've . . .

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Marian-Byse&lc=6784&pid=153625595&mid=4811249

Life Turns a Page

In early June, my wife Lisa was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in her right breast.  It was early on set Stage 1 and we've been on a roller coaster ride from hell since, but it's been better than it could've been.  I decided to blog about it with Lisa's consent so that I could direct folks to the rather detailed story thus far.  Please refer to my new page "Lisa Locomotive" on the right hand side of this blog in the "Gears" section.

5 Miles 800-ft. of Climbing, What's the Big Deal?

Well, all I can say is that we survived.  The Tour de Victoria seemed like an average ride for us looking at the pre-ride profiles and distances.  Uh . . . guess again!  Here's what we didn't know:

The green line is the elevation. This graph depicts the ride to, up and over and after Munns Road.  Notice the number of times the tan/gold line (percent grade) crosses the 10% line on the graph.  Yeah, EXACTLY!  There were a handful of 10% plus climbs and about three 15% climbs, and oh AT LEAST TWO EIGHTEEN PERCENTERS!  We've done similar climbs before, Little River Road for example (10% - 13%), but never so many in succession.  It was nothing short of brutal!  What's more, the course was timed from about mile 34.5 to about mile 37 (not exactly sure).  They told us we were at the top when we crossed the top of the Munns Road climb.  Then came a couple of asphalt walls to the tune of 18% at miles 38.5 and 40.  It's a wonder our hearts and lungs didn't explode!

Ryder did this segment in about 7:32 (min:sec) at a rate of around 17.76 mph.  We did it in 21:00 (min:sec) at a rate of about 6.37 mph.  Yeah, we weren't even gonna see him or former Vancouver Canucks Captain Trevor Linden for that matter.  However, we actually did see AND ride with our favorite Victoria radio station (100.3 the Q: http://www.theq.fm/) morning show host, Ed Bain.  In fact, we conversed with him along the route periodically as we all rode at about the same pace.  Here're the stats for the two timed sections:

Munns Road Climb
		mph	Place	Min	Sec		Name
3.6	km	17.76	1	7	32		Ryder_Hesjedal
2.23	mi	6.46	484	20	42		Randall McCoy
		6.37	487	21	00		Lisa McCoy
		6.42	485	20	50		Ed Bain
		12.91	45	10	22		Trevor Linden

Waterfront
		mph	Place	Min	Sec		Name
12	km	27.76	2	16	05		Ryder Hesjedal
7.44	mi	14.38	706	31	03		Randall McCoy
		14.38	707	31	03		Lisa McCoy
		13.95	761	32	00		Ed Bain
		26.21	22	17	02		Trevor Linden

As you can see, we didn't improve over time like Trevor Linden did.  To be frank, we were wasted after Munns Road.  It rained on us too.  But, after we got south of Sydney, about 5 - 10 miles or so, the weather let up and the sky opened and our feet that were floating in our shoes began to dry out a few more miles down the road.  All in all, it was a spectacular ride.  It was also our first Gran Fondo (timed event ride that's NOT a race).  We now know where we stand compared to some of the top athletes of the world.

We enjoyed our stay at the Parkside Resort & Spa (http://www.parksidevictoria.com/) and were sad to leave but we have to earn more greenbacks to pay for all this fun and fury.  We came back on Sunday morning and bumped into Mike and Kathleen Hales of Hales Brewing (http://halesbrewery.com/) riding their bikes up Lincoln Street of all places.  We dropped into Peaks Pub (http://www.peakspub.com/) for a cool one or two with the Hales' and had them over for some pool.  What a way to end the weekend.  The jury is still out on whether we'd do the Tour de Victoria next year or not.  Time will tell.  For now though, we've plenty of riding to do.  We'll keep you posted.

Tour de Victoria

Well, it's been awhile.  Let's just say I've been a little busy of late.  Where do I start?  Let's see, February was my last post so March and April and May updates are in order.  So in February, I hovered, weight-wise, around 210 - 215 lbs.  NOT GOOD damn it!  How did this come to be?  Well . . . I know; too much!  It's what we Americans do, TOO MUCH!  Too much eating, too much drinking, too much layin' around and doin' nothin'!  But I thought I was ahead of the game?  I thought, riding through the winter would be the way to avoid the seemingly inevitable weight gain.

Not so much.  I'd even been playing racquetball twice a week as well as indoor soccer.  But, then it happened.  Too much happened.  During a regular season indoor game, as goalie, wearing knee pads, elbow pads, shin guards, I ended up dropping to my knees with all of my 200-plus pounds to block a shot.  It turns out, I bruised the bottom of my right (and to some degree my left) femur where it connects to the knee.  Oh, and I bruised the back of my right patella and have a frayed meniscus.  Yeah, kinda put a damper on things.  To make a long story short (right) I ceased and desisted all "plant and twist" activities.  Translation:  no racquetball and no soccer of any kind.

So, how did I deal with the weight issue if I had to quit activities that constituted burning of about 2K-3K calories per week?  Answer: "Ride lots!" - Eddie Merckx, "Just ride!" - Bruce Phillips  So, Lisa and I decided we'd get up an hour earlier in the morning and extend our morning commute.  We literally live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  How could we NOT ride along the waterfront every morning and enjoy that beauty on a daily basis.  Honestly, we're missing the point if we don't!

Now she's putting in 10 miles a morning and I'm doin' about 20.  It used to be about 3 and 8.  So this is a good thing.  I've already lost nearly 15-lbs.  We've also been pretty good at doing weekend rides of at least 30 - 50 miles or more.  Oh, and we've scaled back our caloric intake during the week.  You know, less wine and beer an' stuff.  Anyway, when you're putting in nearly 20 - 40 miles a day, ya get results!  Currently, I'm sporting about a 200-lb. frame (my body not my bike).

Tomorrow we float!  It was a spendy decision, but . . . hey, ya only live once.  We signed up for the "Tour de Victoria" (http://www.tourdevictoria.com/).  Probably the coolest thing has to be the fact that we can download the course into our new Garmin Edge 800s.  I'll be posting my rides later, but you can access them through http://www.connect.garmin.com/ and selecting the "Explore" tab and "Activities".  You can enter "Port Angeles" in the "location" box and filter the results to show just the "cycling" activities.

So, I promise to take lots of pictures and post them . . . when I get a chance.  Meanwhile, Lisa and I'll be on our first new 140 km (86 mi.) adventure in beautiful Victoria, BC!  Seriously, I can't wait!  My bike Kandi just came out of the shop with a new rear hub, front derailleur -the original of which was somehow mysteriously bent and a new, much needed, chain.  Still, I feel I won't be coming anywhere near Ryder Hesjedal.  Lisa and I have ridden with Frankie Andreu and if his thighs/quads are any indication, the pros and former pros are a different species altogether.

Oh and BTW, did I mention that we'd also be riding with former Canucks captain Trevor Linden and current radio announcer Ed Bain of 100.3 the Q?  Yeah, maybe we'll be able to catch up to one of them.  In any event, just riding with a healthy, smiling Lisa (Locomotive) is plenty for me!

Counter Cog TV Goes Online! Report: Status of ODT East and West of Dry Creek Bridge

So last summer, I bought an HD Hero camera that takes pictures and records video and audio from http://gopro.com/.  I started taking videos of my rides with the idea to post them into Google Earth as YouTube videos the whole world could access.  The files were HUGE, like 4Gbs huge for each 30 or so minutes.  So I thought I'd just store them and later, come winter, I'd have more time to work on posting segments of these videos.  Things got busy and before you knew it, winter thundered into existence (only we don't get a whole lotta thunder in these parts).  Now the days are getting longer but the weather is still a crap shoot.  I've actually videoed my commutes in the dark, fog, rain, and frozen bliss.  I don't know that people will wanna see all of that but I also have some of our event and trail rides that I'm pretty sure people will wanna see.

Currently, you may have noticed a YouTube gadget parked to the right of my blog post section.  It's under a new counter I just installed that for some reason has a different count than my hit counter.  I think it counts each page/blog post viewed instead of just each time someone views this post.  Anyway, I've directed the YouTube gadget to my channel, "Counter Cog TV" by RandallCamPA.

With the advent of the Dry Creek Pedestrian/Equestrian/Bike Bridge being installed this past December and since this opens a new route for my commute to work, I've decided to post these videos first.  These videos are not audio swapped with music because the camera was mounted to my handlebars and the transference of sound from Jack-Jack (my single speed all weather commuter bike) I felt it would provide additional information as to the roughness of the terrain via the audio.  This spring, the Peninsula Trails Coalition (PTC) and their generous volunteers will be working to prep the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) along this segment with the blessings of the City of Port Angeles (eventually). 

I encourage you to view these 3-5 minute videos and rate them as "Like" (please).  I've been trying to get them onto Google Earth and I think there's something to do with ratings that gets them posted for all to see.  Anyway, as you can see and hear, this portion of the trail is NOT road bike ready by any stretch of the imagination.  Mud, puddles, mud puddles, giant puddles of mass destruction, exposed buried rock sections, a bizarre access point from the end of Milwaukee Way and 10th St. where you actually have to use some one's gravel driveway (which was built in the right of way) and navigate around a berm AND a rather unfriendly gate at Milwaukee and 18th (watch out for the barbed wire) are just a few of the impediments along this route.

If you haven't had the chance to use this trail and cross the new bridge, be sure to bring a mountain bike or cruiser bike, don't forget to bring shoes you don't mind getting wet and muddy and your sense of adventure.  If you fall over, you may want to bring a cell phone with GPS capabilities as some of these puddles--did I mention that these are "giant puddles of mass destruction?", they are--could swallow you whole.  Also, the ultra mud laden segments just before and after the bridge are seeded with hay to keep one from being sucked into the mire.  Still, some sections are rather swampy especially during and after significant rainfall.  In fact, bringing along some rope with a grappling hook may be a good idea too.  Rider beware.

I'll continue to report on the progress of this trail section and work on my video editing skills.  Additionally, I'm anxious to post the video I captured on he inaugural Hurricane Hill Climb as well as STP, RSVP, Rapsody and other rides we did this past summer.  So stay tuned bike fans.  Don't miss each exciting video post on your favorite station, "Counter Cog TV" by none other than your favorite blog poster RandallCamPA (a.k.a., The Man from A.T.A.P.A.).