On the Bikes

We are gearing up for a bike trip around some of the local wine country next weekend. It's only about 19 miles, and Chris says it has no significant hills, but we haven't been on the bikes much recently. That was painfully clear to me when I had to walk the bike up a small hill on our bike excursion in Skagway. So we took two rides today, each about 5.5 miles, and we'll get out on the bikes tomorrow.

We stopped along the way at the Premium Outlets, where I bought some vented pourers that looked like they might fit my olive oil jar. That didn't pan out, so they were returned. Ken found some deck shoes that he plans to keep in the entry closet for quick trips outside.

We also stopped at a produce stand in Troutdale that sells local produce from four farms in the area. Just couldn't pass up the raspberries and blackberries, or the green beans, tomatoes, and peaches. We'll be eating lots of fruit.

We'll have to take my bike to a bike shop for repairs to the derailleur/shifting system (again--we've already paid two people to fix it, and it still won't shift properly). Ken found a shop called the Outer Rim that has great reviews and is on the way to Chris's place, so we're planning to take it over on Monday.


We both spent some time looking online for bike bags. We've decided to take the one we bought at Camping World back. It's too large for a rack topper, which makes it unsteady. Besides, although it's insulated, it doesn't have a rigid plastic insert, so it will definitely leak.