The Torrential Rain Ride

Wanda (my friend) invited me to go on a 30 mile bike ride around the city with her friend Amy along with one of Amy's friends. I thought it sounded like a great idea because, it would give me a great chance to see the city and discover it from the bike riders perspective. It was a little rainy so I decided to put on my best bike gear for the day, just in case we got a little rain along the way.

The ride started out spectacular. We rode from my house downtown to Amy's, then headed south along the river. It was a little cold, but once you got going and built up a sweat it wasn't too bad. After following the river down to Sellwood, we turned and headed east towards the 205. This is were the weather became a little bit worse. It started raining a little harder, but still it was bearable. I was staying dry, because of my gear and my sunglasses were shielding my eyes from water getting in them. Wanda and I found ourselves going a little bit faster than the other ladies, so we would stop every now and then to wait for them to catch up. It was no big deal, because we were just enjoying the ride. Even though we would stop from time to time, I felt like the ride was taking a while. I have done a lot of 30 mile rides and this one just seemed to be going extra slow. Maybe it was the fact that I was new to the area and really I had no idea where we were headed.

When we hit the 205, we followed a path along the freeway north. The weather actually started to get better and the sun came out. Our clothes had a chance to dry and I could feel the temp warming up. We were all the way out in Clackamas, which by the way is a horrendous place to call home if you live in Portland. The neighborhoods aren't the best, so I was happy to be in a group. As we were heading north, Wanda and I noticed this abnormally dark cloud ahead of us. I thought this might get interesting, but continued on the course that Amy had mapped out for us before we left. We were headed to the Columbia River, where we would then turn our direction again to head west. We continued on our path heading straight for the dark cloud. Just before we got to the river the rain started. It wasn't too bad at first, but gradually became heavier and heavier. By the time we hit the river, it was an absolute down pour. The other ladies weren't to far behind us but there was no place to stop out of the rain. So, Wanda and I made an executive decision to put our heads down and power through the rain. We laughed saying there is no friends in a rain storm (kind of stolen from the phrase, "There is no friends on a powder day"). Meaning you aren't going to wait around for someone, it is every man for themselves. Everything from my waist down was completely soaked. My shoes felt like their were puddles in them and they were completely numb from the cold. We still didn't stop, we actually kept pushing harder and harder trying to push through the storm. There was surprisingly a few more people out there. Wanda and I passed them with our lightening speed, but as we passed I made sure to say, "We must be crazy." I didn't even listen for a response I just kept going. The other girls were long gone in the distance behind us.

Finally the rain started to let up a bit and we left the Columbia heading south trying to find our way home. At this point all we wanted to do was get home and jump in a warm shower. We were pretty miserable and our happy faces weren't so happy anymore, except for the fact that the sun was coming out. I knew that we were still pretty far from our houses, because we were by the airport. Thank God Wanda knows the area because she weaved us through the streets back to an area that I was familiar with. All of a sudden the rain hit us again. It didn't matter at this point I couldn't be more wet and I was still frozen from the last burst of rain. We kept riding anyway, hoping that the stop lights would turn in our favor so we wouldn't have to stop.

After 4 hours of riding I made it home. I immediately jumped in the shower and stood there thawing for about 20 minutes. I was so tired, hungry and worn out from my body taking such a beating. I was also shocked that it took me so long to go 30 miles. I wasn't convinced. I went to mapmyride.com and mapped out the route we did. Turns out it was a little over 47 miles. No wonder!!! I informed Wanda and her response was, " We're pretty much rockstars!" That is the truth! We took a hard beating on a long bike ride and made it through. The other girls on the other hand, found a restaurant to stop at. Even though they were sopping wet, they had lunch and waited for Amy's parents to pick them up. I would have been miserable if I had to stay in my wet clothes like that. Overall it was quite an experience and glad I finished it. One I will not soon forget.

Picnics and bike rides

With the weather becoming so nice around here, I felt like this weekend needed to be taken advantage of. On Saturday, I went for a great run down Willamette Blvd. past University of Portland and back totaling a little over 5 miles. This is a great road to run on, because of the fantastic views of the city and the cute houses along the way. Then, Martina, Wanda (my friend), Susie and I packed some food and headed over to Council Crest Park for a picnic. Council Crest is a park situated above the city of Portland with spectacular views of both Mt Hood and Mt Rainier.

It has a very large grassy area and views almost 360 degrees around. We laid out a couple blankets and had a nice lunch of chicken wraps and salad with brownies for dessert. We enjoyed our time chatting, reading and just laying out soaking up the sunshine. In the evening Martina and I sat out on our front porch playing scrabble and hanging out. This was her last night here before she heads to Austria for a month.

The next morning I decided to ride my bike to Sauvie Island to meet up with Wanda and Andrew. From there we were going to ride around the island totaling about 25 miles. Sauvie Island is just north of Portland and is occupied by many organics produce farms. They have a corn maze, pumpkin patch, farmers market and many farms that you can go too to pick your own produce. I absolutely loved the ride and enjoyed seeing all the wonderful farms along the way. Going with people that knew the way definitely made the ride more pleasurable because I didn't have to worry about where I was supposed to go. Now I feel like I could do the ride whenever I want, solo or with friends. I will definitely be making more trips out to the island for a ride, the farmers market or the pumpkin patch in the fall (I am really looking forward to that).

Portland Spring

Coming from the dry high desert, I feel like Portland has florescent colors of greens, pinks, purples and reds. The flowers seem to amaze me every time I step outside. Really! I walk around my block with Wanda and every other house has beautiful flowered trees, bushes and gardens. Just this morning Wanda and I were taking a walk and these are the colors I was impressed to see.

The weather around here has been fantastic all week. Everyone keeps telling me that this is how the summers are around here (except hotter). I have to admit I am very surprised, because I didn't think Portland had blue skies days on end. Apparently it stays like this (most of the time) until the end of September. I already really like Portland, but with the beautiful days we are having and the spectacular colors, I am learning to love it here.

I have been taking Wanda for a walk twice a day since moving here. We usually go to a park near by called Pier Park and it is huge. Gigantic trees cover the park with all sorts of paths and playgrounds scattered throughout. At night this place would not be one to hangout (what park is), but during the day it is quite nice. Actually during the day I can see it being a little sketchy, but there is a large frisbee golf course weaving through the park. This means that people are walking throughout the park all day keeping it (I think) pretty safe. Frisbee golf is a lot like regular golf, but with a frisbee. You start at a tee off and throw the frisbee towards a basket way off in the distance and you count how many throws it takes to get in the basket. I enjoy watching the groups of people get into it. Next to the park is a community pool. As we speak they are getting it ready for summer and it should be open in a couple weeks. I look forward to swimming some laps and laying out by the pool.

I can tell summer is going to be a lot of fun around here. I will be very busy (news to come soon), but I always find time to live life to its fullest.

Moms on the Run

Since moving to Portland I have had to get used to my mom not being 5 minutes away. I have been fortunate enough for the last 7 years to have my mom in the same town as me and now I am going through the separation adjustment. We would see each other a lot, whether for lunch, a girls shopping afternoon, a bike ride, a skate ski day or dinner at her house. It was so nice being able to call my mom anytime to just see if she wanted to hangout for the afternoon. When I was in Reno I decided to stay a few more days, just so my mom and I could spend some time together. She is always so gracious, making me and Ben (my stepdad) dinner, having coffee ready for us in the morning and helping me with many different things.

On Mother's Day we decided to participate in the Mom's on the Run. So, we got our morning coffees and met up with the entire Kosach Family (minus Nik of course) at Reno High School. Moms on the Run is a local Reno race with the proceeds going to women with breast cancer. It has been going on for the last 10 years and has become a pretty big deal in Reno for Mother's Day. We (the entire clan) worked our way along the 5k course talking and enjoying the nice weather. I really appreciated the fact that my mom, Gail and Steve were able to chat and catch up. It has been something I have been looking forward to for quite some time. They have known each other for as long as I can remember and I think it is great that they are reconnecting through Nik and me.

It seemed like everyone and their mom was in town (literally). Steve and Susie (Nik's brother and sister in-law) were in town from San Fran and Susie's parents were also there from LA. Sam's (Keri's boyfriend) mom and aunt were also in town from Canada. On Saturday I was invited to the Kosach's for some of Susie's fantastic lasagna and caesar salad. It was so great to see Steve and Susie since I had missed them when I breezed through SF the weekend before. Then on Sunday after the race (while my mom was busy at work) I headed to Keri's for an even larger family gathering. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews were just to name a few. I have my work cut out for me remembering all of their names. We had a great time talking to Nik via Skype, then I mingled around getting to know each one of the family members better.

I left early so I could get back to my moms in time to make dinner for my mom. I cheated a little because I prepped everything before I left to Keri's and threw it all in the crock pot. Chicken, fennel, carrots, thyme, mustard and soy sauce were the main ingredients. It sounded kind of funny to me, but when we ate it later over some rice it was actually quite tasty. Dessert was Kahlua chocolate cake that I made the day before. Yummy!! That is a hard one to beat.

Mom I enjoyed every minute I had with you this past week. You are an inspiration to me with your positive outlook and spunk for life. Thank you for all of the wonderful things you do for me everyday.

Wandaroo and Cora too

I had just enough time to stop in Reno to visit with my fam, Nik's fam, pack up some stuff and head back up North. So, of course I decided that is what I had to do. Keri (Nik's sister) and Sam (her boyfriend) were so nice to have me over for dinner. Steve and Gail came along as well. We had a delicious dinner of BBQ chicken, salad, and veggies. It made me crave summer time, which should be just around the corner (crossing my fingers). I love spending time with the Kosach family, they are always so much fun and great company.

I brought Wanda along, because Keri and I have been wanting our dogs to meet for quite sometime. This was the perfect opportunity. Keri's dog Cora is a Boston terrier and she is a little ball of energy. She is funny, because she always acts like she is in a big hurry. Everything she does is in fast motion and she speeds around the house like she has places to go. She is the cutest little thing and like we expected our dogs got along great. Wanda and Cora were chasing each other around the house, playing and playing nonstop. I think poor Wanda out did herself a little because she barely moved from her bed the next day.

Keri and I grew up together. We had almost every class together from first grade until sixth and we were always in sports together. I remember multiple sleep overs at the Kosach house, birthday parties, sporting events and our own imaginary Broadway plays (Peter Pan). I have a lot of great memories growing up with Keri, so it seems so natural to be reconnected with a great friend again. Thanks Keri and Sam for the lovely dinner. I had a wonderful time.

Keri and me in 6th grade

Escape from Alcatraz

What do you do when you get back from a trip across the world? Well, I will tell you what I do. I turn around and drive 10 hours to watch my sister do the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. For some reason the jet lag and the drive did not intimidate me, so I hopped in the car with little Wandaroo and headed south to San Francisco. I guess the fact that my mom and sister would be in San Francisco was the real pull on getting me to go. I had not seen my mom for almost 2 months, so I was itching to be around her. I am definitely one who appreciates quality time and I for sure wanted to support my sis in this big event.

This event is a pretty big deal. The start of the race is on a large boat that stops basically at Alcatraz. When the race begins, the athletes have to jump off the boat into the cold bay and swim 1.5 miles into shore. There is a current in the bay so the swimmers have to swim in an L shape to avoid being swept farther down the bay. Sarah made her way out of the bay and headed to the transition area to change gear. She then got on her bike and rode around the city for 18 miles. Once done with the bike she put on her running shoes and ran along the beach for the last 8 miles. Finally coming through the finish line at just under 3 hours. We cheered her on many times as she would pass us by. The five of us (including Wanda) had a great time, planning where and when we would see her next. She would flash by in a matter of seconds and we would film and take as many pictures as we could. The weather was spectacular and it was fun hanging with the family in San Fran.

Sarah ended up finishing 11th in her age group. She trained and planned for about 6 months for this event and although she was glad it was over, she was so happy she completed it. Sarah I am so proud of you! You did an amazing job. I think the next one we will have to do together, I need to get back into the tri thing... maybe I should stop traveling first.