Hello All! I've been riding a lot, mostly around Seattle, this past year. A personal goal has been to ride my bike every day. One challenge I've taken on is "the 2 mile challenge". Basically it means drawing a circle on the map with a 2 mile radius around your house. Now any destination ( Library trip, Shopping errand, Neighbor Visit, Etc.) within that circle should be do-able on a bike. Another thing that has helped me is signing up for the Cascade Bike Club's Bike Everywhere Challenge for the month of May. Then I found out about the National Bike Challenge which runs from May through September. These are good ways to appeal to your competitive side, even if you're only competing with yourself. Well, after awhile my adventurous side kept pushing my to explore new routes. It's been fun. You see a lot, when you are out in the open, and going a bit slower. For several years I've done group rides like the STP (Seattle to Portland) or the RSVP (Ride From Seattle to Vancouver and Party). Now I'm more interested in getting off on my own. Last year I put my bike on the train and rode down to Klamath Falls, Oregon and rode my bike up to Crater Lake and the Rogue River country.
This year I decided to train down to Albany, Oregon and then pedal out to the Oregon Coast, then south to Reedsport, east to Eugene, and north through the Willamet Valley back to Corvallis and Albany.
Day one I got into Albany pretty late ( after 8). Nobody could point me to a bike route to Corvallis and light was fading fast. I found highway 20 ( good paved shoulders) and by nightfall made the 20 miles to Corvallis. I pedaled to the far side of town towards Bald Hill ( lots of trails out that way), found a secluded spot under some oaks, and spread out my bed roll. I travel light : no tent, just a 36 " pad, a garbage bag for a ground sheet, my down bag, and a poncho in case it rains. I pick rain-free months.
Early in the morning I pedaled off on Hwy 20. Shoulders still well paved and wide. Couldn't find any stores open in the AM after I left Corvallis. The traffic started to get to me, though most people gave me room. I took a side road to Summit -Nashville-Eddyville. It was a good choice: no cars, scenic, and fairly flat (It followed an old railroad line). Along a few mile stretch the neighbors had turned old bikes into yard art with different color paint and decorations. I took it as an expression of encouragement to cyclists. I've got an idea now what to do with my old junk bikes. As I pedaled I saw 2 wild turkeys and a doe with 2 fawns.
Back on the the highway, things were worse: almost no shoulder and speed limits way too high (55 mph) for what was basically country road. Oregon has lots of old covered bridges it seems everywhere you go. I passed the Irish Road Bridge and Chitten Bridge. Maybe good places to hide out if a storm hit. Finally I got to Toledo, a little town close to Newport, I found a store and tanked up on sports-drink and snacks. From now on, if I see a store, I make sure I've got 2 bottles plus water ( 3 liters total). Road ( 11 miles) along Yaquina Bay to Newport was flat ( oyster country) and scenic but from noon on the wind blows strong from the ocean up river. This last stretch is used for the local marathon.
I got to the Newport wharves and got coffee and ice cream. The barristas wore great shirts " Be Positive-Love Your Life". On a dock in town I saw maybe a dozen sea-lions barking and swimming around. I went to "Mo's" for chowder. Really good!
Getting across the long bridge over Yaquina Bay was hair-raising. I mentioned the wind. I made a mistake riding on the pedestrian ( a narrow strip about a foot above the roadway. Next time I'm going to stay on the road. They do have a good idea: there's a button for cyclists to push that alerts drivers that there's a biker on the bridge - hopefully they'll use caution.
From Newport, it's a short pedal (30-45 min.) to South Beach State Park. As a hiker/biker a campsite is $5/night (you're guaranteed a spot). This park has showers with free hot-water and a hospitality center with free coffee!
More to come...
Monday, August 29, 2016
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Back to Tegucigalpa 2015
Hola Amigos!
It's been so long since I've been back here and for Jane, even longer. The airport looks nicer. Nicer buses going to Flor del Campo ( not the old schoolbuses I remember). Astroturf on the soccer field... Still the taxistas at the airport are leery about driving to Flor. I learned later that there'd been some violent attacks on drivers in the neighborhood.
We found a driver who was very helpful... we had the approximate address for the mom of one of our old friends and he asked around, backing up and manoeuvering around some rutted and narrow streets.
It's been so long since I've been back here and for Jane, even longer. The airport looks nicer. Nicer buses going to Flor del Campo ( not the old schoolbuses I remember). Astroturf on the soccer field... Still the taxistas at the airport are leery about driving to Flor. I learned later that there'd been some violent attacks on drivers in the neighborhood.
We found a driver who was very helpful... we had the approximate address for the mom of one of our old friends and he asked around, backing up and manoeuvering around some rutted and narrow streets.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
San San Pond Sak
Saturday we went to our new friend Roberto´s church. He´s the president to the boatman´s assn on Bastimentos and an Elder in the church. The sermon was given by a youth group leader. it was a good word. about God´s People right after their first big victory. beating Jericho. The next challenge was the little town of Ai. Thinking they were pretty big stuff and forgetting their recent win was totally God, they said to themselves "we can beat them with one hand tied behind our back". " it's a little town, we'll just send 3000 soldiers". Well Ai kicked their butts. We fall into the same kind of thinking. We forget that living victoriously means keeping up our spiritual discipline( forgiving/confessing, praying, meditating ,etc), remembering that we are totally dependent on God, and following God's orders as best as we can.
In this little town ( no roads just one sidewalk that runs along the waterfront and another that runs up the hill) the evening hang out is a little park above the public dock. We sat with everyone else looking out to sea which was lit now and again by distant lightning. pretty quiet ... that is until the kids got 2 dogs worked up and a dogfight got going.
Sunday 10/6 up early. Goodbye to our "tree-house". As we approach the dock, Roberto's son pops his head out his window. "Heading out?" quickly we are led out to the boat and climb aboard. It's a 10 minute trip to Bocas town. from there we arrange a water taxi to the mainland. We are headed for the nature preserve of San San Pond Sak, which is managed by the environmental group Assn of AMigos y VEcinos de la COsta y la NAturleza or AAMVECONA. we negociate passage on a couple of diffierent buses through Chiquita's vast banana plantations.
When we arrive at the visitor center all is quiet. I'm hoping I was clear in my telephone communications, especially since it was all in Spanish. Soon a big canoe with an outboard pulls up at the dock. It's our guide, Erick.
In this little town ( no roads just one sidewalk that runs along the waterfront and another that runs up the hill) the evening hang out is a little park above the public dock. We sat with everyone else looking out to sea which was lit now and again by distant lightning. pretty quiet ... that is until the kids got 2 dogs worked up and a dogfight got going.
Sunday 10/6 up early. Goodbye to our "tree-house". As we approach the dock, Roberto's son pops his head out his window. "Heading out?" quickly we are led out to the boat and climb aboard. It's a 10 minute trip to Bocas town. from there we arrange a water taxi to the mainland. We are headed for the nature preserve of San San Pond Sak, which is managed by the environmental group Assn of AMigos y VEcinos de la COsta y la NAturleza or AAMVECONA. we negociate passage on a couple of diffierent buses through Chiquita's vast banana plantations.
When we arrive at the visitor center all is quiet. I'm hoping I was clear in my telephone communications, especially since it was all in Spanish. Soon a big canoe with an outboard pulls up at the dock. It's our guide, Erick.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
in Bocas del Toro
Hola Amigos!
Jane and I flew up to Bocas del Toro, an island group on the Carribean close to Costa Rica. Weather is great , mostly sunny and a welcome relief from Panama City which was pretty sloppy while we were there. Yesterday after flying in we were able to catch a bus to the far end of the island which interestingly is called Boca del Drago (Dragon´s Maw). It was anything but .... Calm water, just like a big swimming pool. When I have goggles on I think I can swim better, maybe it´s because when I can see where I´m going, I don´t tend to swim in circles.
Today ( 10- 3) I decided to rent a bike to get to wild beach that has no bus. I thought I was doing good when I got them to pump up the tires and raise the seat. Well ....30 minutes in the tire popped. you know a tire patch kit and a pump are a good idea to have along even if it´s not your bike. I was close enough to the beach ( 2 to 3 miles) that I decided to lock up the bike and walk the rest otf the way. Beautiful beach all along the way. When I got to my destination , it was as empty as the Washington coast on a rainy day in October, but it was sunny there was lots of powdery yellow sand , and the water was perfect. We need some coconut palms up our way. On my way back I got to my bike just as a pick up truck taxi was loading up 2 other guys and their bikes. they let me share and turned out to be a couple of Spaniards, Frank and his cousin. You know a flat tire doesn´t have to be a disaster...
When I got back Jane and I bumped into a couple in a cafe, Seth and Janelle Lambert from the Battleground WA area who are down here working with a friend Bobby Woods who is starting a work to assist indigenous people Ngobe-Bugle living on Isla Bastimentos to improve their farming so they can better support themselves. we had a good talk about their work and what we are doing in Honduras with our friends at Agros and Nuevo Amanecer. God´s people are all over doing good.Bobby´s blog is on www.woodupdate.com and his new website is aguadulce.org.
10-4 We left early on a boat to Isla Bastimentos. We arrived in Old Bank a small Afro-Caribbean enclave and went to a small guest house in a jungle garden setting. Beverly´s Hill.Like being in a treehouse we could sit on the porch and wait for the birds to com to us.Not just birds but tiny red frogs speckled with black spots which are famous around here.In some ways it was almost like home, we had chickens clucking and scratching about too.
Later Jane and I took off walking on a trail up the hill through the Jungle on our way to Wizard Beach. at the top of the Hill was the aptly named Up the Hill Shop, a colorful outdoorsy hangout where one could sit and read (there was a bookcase full of novels and nature books) and drink coffee or juice and eat brownies. I had a Mocha made with Coconut milk. Great! The brownies also made with coconut oil. Delicious! They grow their own Cocoa, Coconuts,Passion-fruit,etc..So fortified we slipped and slid our way down the hill to Wizard Beach. A Fantastic place! I really am going to have to learn how to surf...
More later amigos. Gilberto.
Jane and I flew up to Bocas del Toro, an island group on the Carribean close to Costa Rica. Weather is great , mostly sunny and a welcome relief from Panama City which was pretty sloppy while we were there. Yesterday after flying in we were able to catch a bus to the far end of the island which interestingly is called Boca del Drago (Dragon´s Maw). It was anything but .... Calm water, just like a big swimming pool. When I have goggles on I think I can swim better, maybe it´s because when I can see where I´m going, I don´t tend to swim in circles.
Today ( 10- 3) I decided to rent a bike to get to wild beach that has no bus. I thought I was doing good when I got them to pump up the tires and raise the seat. Well ....30 minutes in the tire popped. you know a tire patch kit and a pump are a good idea to have along even if it´s not your bike. I was close enough to the beach ( 2 to 3 miles) that I decided to lock up the bike and walk the rest otf the way. Beautiful beach all along the way. When I got to my destination , it was as empty as the Washington coast on a rainy day in October, but it was sunny there was lots of powdery yellow sand , and the water was perfect. We need some coconut palms up our way. On my way back I got to my bike just as a pick up truck taxi was loading up 2 other guys and their bikes. they let me share and turned out to be a couple of Spaniards, Frank and his cousin. You know a flat tire doesn´t have to be a disaster...
When I got back Jane and I bumped into a couple in a cafe, Seth and Janelle Lambert from the Battleground WA area who are down here working with a friend Bobby Woods who is starting a work to assist indigenous people Ngobe-Bugle living on Isla Bastimentos to improve their farming so they can better support themselves. we had a good talk about their work and what we are doing in Honduras with our friends at Agros and Nuevo Amanecer. God´s people are all over doing good.Bobby´s blog is on www.woodupdate.com and his new website is aguadulce.org.
10-4 We left early on a boat to Isla Bastimentos. We arrived in Old Bank a small Afro-Caribbean enclave and went to a small guest house in a jungle garden setting. Beverly´s Hill.Like being in a treehouse we could sit on the porch and wait for the birds to com to us.Not just birds but tiny red frogs speckled with black spots which are famous around here.In some ways it was almost like home, we had chickens clucking and scratching about too.
Later Jane and I took off walking on a trail up the hill through the Jungle on our way to Wizard Beach. at the top of the Hill was the aptly named Up the Hill Shop, a colorful outdoorsy hangout where one could sit and read (there was a bookcase full of novels and nature books) and drink coffee or juice and eat brownies. I had a Mocha made with Coconut milk. Great! The brownies also made with coconut oil. Delicious! They grow their own Cocoa, Coconuts,Passion-fruit,etc..So fortified we slipped and slid our way down the hill to Wizard Beach. A Fantastic place! I really am going to have to learn how to surf...
More later amigos. Gilberto.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
From Honduras to Panama
Hi from Panama!
Just finished a memorable week in Honduras. We were helping dig holes for power poles. The ground is hard, hard, hard. Not the job we were expecting, but important for the community. They need to assure that they have a reliable source of water for drinking and irrigation, which will require not just a well ,but electricity to run the pump. The government has commited to provide the equipment and we're providing the set up.
It's been hard for the people. bad weather, tough market , health issues, fewer hands (some young men have left) have made it tough to pay off the loans and the interest. The help they've been recieving from Agros is due to start winding down. We're trying to see how we can continue to stay with them thru the transition. I'm realizing that when it comes to commitments all of them have to consider the long term when we're talking communities and families.
No backing up now. our hearts are half in Honduras and half in Seattle. Our team has become a Fellowship of the Ring. We will continue talking and solution seeking and praying thru this next year.
It's rainy season down here and Panama is showing us what that means. Monsoon like rain has been pouring down all afternoon. Our bus was like a landing craft from which we waded to the curb. Jane and I are on our own now. We'll have a little more time for reflecting and I hope to set some of our thoughts and impressions down.
Til Later, Gilberto.
Just finished a memorable week in Honduras. We were helping dig holes for power poles. The ground is hard, hard, hard. Not the job we were expecting, but important for the community. They need to assure that they have a reliable source of water for drinking and irrigation, which will require not just a well ,but electricity to run the pump. The government has commited to provide the equipment and we're providing the set up.
It's been hard for the people. bad weather, tough market , health issues, fewer hands (some young men have left) have made it tough to pay off the loans and the interest. The help they've been recieving from Agros is due to start winding down. We're trying to see how we can continue to stay with them thru the transition. I'm realizing that when it comes to commitments all of them have to consider the long term when we're talking communities and families.
No backing up now. our hearts are half in Honduras and half in Seattle. Our team has become a Fellowship of the Ring. We will continue talking and solution seeking and praying thru this next year.
It's rainy season down here and Panama is showing us what that means. Monsoon like rain has been pouring down all afternoon. Our bus was like a landing craft from which we waded to the curb. Jane and I are on our own now. We'll have a little more time for reflecting and I hope to set some of our thoughts and impressions down.
Til Later, Gilberto.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Return to Honduras
Hola amigos! Yes we are returning to Honduras! We fly out of SeaTac on Friday. Jane and I are joining 8 friends from Bethany Presby. on a service team to support our brothers and sisters in Nuevo Amanecer as they continue their efforts to earn their own land and support their families by farming. We will be catching up on what's been going on as well as assisting with planting and irrigation projects. Assuring a stable supply of water for their farms and families is a big issue right now and we're working to raise funds for drilling a well.
I'm excited to see our friends again. It's been a year and a half since I saw them last. This is the first team Jane's been on, so she's a little nervous. I'm just getting things packed together. Sprayed my clothes to discourage mosquitoes. Nothing like a trip to the tropics to get you asking those questions " When was your last typhoid shot?" We plan to visit Panama later so we need a stronger anti-malarial... Who knew?
I will try to add to my blog while we're down there. Do send me your questions. I'll do my best to fill you in. We appreciate your prayers and good wishes.Til later!
Gilberto
Lamentations 3:22-25. God is good to those who wait on him.
Hola amigos! Yes we are returning to Honduras! We fly out of SeaTac on Friday. Jane and I are joining 8 friends from Bethany Presby. on a service team to support our brothers and sisters in Nuevo Amanecer as they continue their efforts to earn their own land and support their families by farming. We will be catching up on what's been going on as well as assisting with planting and irrigation projects. Assuring a stable supply of water for their farms and families is a big issue right now and we're working to raise funds for drilling a well.
I'm excited to see our friends again. It's been a year and a half since I saw them last. This is the first team Jane's been on, so she's a little nervous. I'm just getting things packed together. Sprayed my clothes to discourage mosquitoes. Nothing like a trip to the tropics to get you asking those questions " When was your last typhoid shot?" We plan to visit Panama later so we need a stronger anti-malarial... Who knew?
I will try to add to my blog while we're down there. Do send me your questions. I'll do my best to fill you in. We appreciate your prayers and good wishes.Til later!
Gilberto
Lamentations 3:22-25. God is good to those who wait on him.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Work of Listening
The next day I came with my work gloves and my broad -brim hat expecting to be out in the fields digging in the dirt but was called up by Frank (Paco) my team leader to visit some of the families. We visited one family who wanted to talk about some of their issues. They had started well, by great industry they had been very successful growing crops. The father was very energetic , a real farmer, and had passed that on to his sons. They had started out paying on their land, and then they had missed a payment even though they'd been making a profit on their crops. It looked like he was taking money that should have gone to land payments and put it into things that would enhance his production like paying a tractor to plow his land, buying fertilizer, etc... or spent it on family stuff. AGROS , not being a bank, depends on people paying back loans so they have money to help others in the community with projects and developing. They had to press hard, giving him a dead-line to pay the missed payment and the next one (with missed payments interest starts to pile up). They family was upset that a certain percentage of the next harvest was ear-marked for debt payment. "What will we live on?" "Can you get AGROS to lighten up". The family said the last harvest hadn't been that good, though AGROS had carefully evaluated the value of their produce. 2 things came up. One was that they were trying to help a daughter, whose husband had been killed, leaving her with 2 young children. The other was that our friend had borrowed money from friends. I was grateful for our friend Carmen who carefully worked to translate the whole story. I was thankful for Frank who is an excellent arbitrator/peace-maker.I felt like we were wrestling as we listened and prayed and asked questions and explained things.
We visited another home, that of the young woman who had died. They were ready to leave and they wanted their money back, which they'd put into the farm. They were angry and full of blame for those they thought responsible for their daughter's death. We listened ...and listened. Then Frank shared gently how the Devil's work was spreading lies. That's how he destroys people and communities. He spoke of Jesus, how his message was of how God loves us , forgives us, and calls us to Himself. That's how He heals and saves people and builds up communities. It seemed that just being there even when we had no words that God's Spirit moved through us. All through the week and even now our friends and the challenges they face there on the hard ground of Honduras move my thoughts. Sometimes it"s like a cement-mixer and sometimes like a fountain.
Each night as a team we discuss the events of the day. Sometimes I feel that this is when we really get to work as we express our hopes and fears for this village, this country, and these people. The sense that God is here, is very strong. We care, but He cares even more.
Til later, Gilberto.
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