Oregon Tech Doc

Just came back from an unexpectedly lengthened vacation. Last weekend I flew to Albuquerque for a surprise 40'th birthday for Gary. Also an opportunity to get to know his wife better and see Geoffrey (now 4 years old). Except for slow icy drive to airport arrived uneventfully, all planes on time, etc. Had a great sunny 45 degree weekend. Relaxed and ate lots of NM chili! Rented a Prius so got the opportunity for an extended test drive.

Unfortunately ice and snow at Portland airport worsened over the weekend and many flights were canceled. Everything appeared a go upon take off. During first leg to Salt Lake City my second flight to Portland was cancelled. Spent the night in Hilton near airport. No change of clothes. Purchased toothpaste in gift shop.

Everything seemed a go for the next morning. Flight left late but did leave. On final approach to Portland they "waved" us off and diverted to Seattle. Upon landing in Seattle Delta announced plan to return plane and passengers to Salt Lake. Since this seemed like a big step backwards I elected to get off the plane (bag was going back to Salt Lake no matter what I decided). Found a hotel near airport and called Dean and Deborah. Deborah elected to put chains on Volvo and come rescue me (her idea). She had icy roads until Washington and then was smooth sailing. Dean and Christine picked me up in Seattle's icy roads and we found a great Thai restaurant. Returned to hotel for nice conversation and Deborah arrived safe and sound.

Next day headed down to Salem. Uneventful roads through Washington. Got worse in Portland. Stopped at Portland airport and successfully retrieved bag and car. Bag was coming off carousel just as I walked up! The first flight from Salt Lake was just arriving. We thought we were home free when traffic began to slow south Portland. They were closing I-5 for plowing. Initial report was 20 minutes, then stretched to 2 hours. Following that there was a truck accident. Needless to say after sitting on highway for over 3 hours and not really moving we elected to head I-5 north and find hotel. Roads getting very icy at this point. Today finally got down to Salem almost three days late. Used chains for half the drive then roads eased up. Still very cold and icy but melting some here in Salem. Currently worst storm in over 20 years!

Glad to be home.

1000.95 miles

Nov 15, 2008
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Beautiful clear, crisp, Fall day today. Needed 36 more miles to hit 1000 miles for all of 2008 and got just that. Previous highest mileage year was just over 500 miles. Ended up with a flat tire at 37 miles and didn't bring patch kit or extra tube so needed rescuing.

Fall colors and rainbow reflection on dew of grass field were highlights today. The holiday season is beginning. Many of the larger Christmas tree farms use helicopoters to transport trees off the field. The harvest of Christmas trees is beginning. Passed several trucks recieving trees being carried by helicopter from fields.

Looking forward to a few more rides this year if weather cooperates.

Fall Kett ride

Oct 23, 2008
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Buena Vista Ferry

Had some time off work this week and took the opportunity to take Kett trike for a spin. Went over some familiar ground to cross on the Buena Vista Ferry. Total 37 miles. Last ferry ride of the year. Buena Vista ferry closes in winter. See ya back in the spring!

Bike in Independence park

Kett trike was definitely slower than two wheel Torelli but much better on the back. Tough climb up back of Liberty but did make it home in one piece. Legs are going to be sore tomorrow.

Covered Bridges metric century

Sep 6, 2008
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Had a great ride today. About 65 miles passing the line for a metric century. Warm, fall weather couldn't have been better. Highlights included exploring two covered bridges around Scio, Oregon. Funniest moment included a tree falling across the road when we were just about 100 yards away. Someone was working with some heavy construction equipment and oops knocked some treest into the road. Able to walk around the tree with bikes. Cars had to wait a little longer.

Getting ready for full 100 mile ride (statue century)!

Pino in the countryside

Aug 3, 2008
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After spending most of Saturday making final adjustments to the bike was able to head out Sunday for rides with kids.

First ride with Brian lasted 18 miles. Both of us enjoyed immensely. Brian noticed power lines and different street textures.

Second ride with Shannon lasted 25 miles. Looped through Aumsville and Turner. She counted dogs sighted. Shannon was larger but she contributed more pedaling power.

Overall heavier weight of the bike put greater demand on legs, while slower speeds put less demand on the heart. Looking forward to many more rides to come.

Who ya gonna call?

Jul 27, 2008
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Ghostbusters (Widescreen Edition)

Fun introducing the next generation to the great flicks of the past. Watched together as a family. Lot of fun and a great flick. I remember quoting the lines for years in junior high when this came out! Kids laughed at all the right parts and Brian is a little nervous about the return of Zuul!

Whatever you do, don't cross the streams!

Pino tandem biking fun

Jul 26, 2008
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The Pino has finally arrived after waiting 6 weeks (had to come from Germany). This is a special tandem where front rider is recumbent and rear reader is upright and steers. Very adjustable in the front so can accomodate both kids and Deborah in front position. After a few test rides around the block and nearby school yard headed out with Shannon for a ride into town. Total ride 9.8 miles. First ride with Shannon into quiet city streets. Tomorrow a ride with Brian!

Fun in the Summer Heat

Jun 28, 2008
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Mobile

We've been watching the robin's eggs for a couple of weeks and they hatched earlier in the week. Two first and third later. Never seen a nest so close before. Just located in tree against side of house near back sliding glass doors.

Another pool for the kids today. Couldn't find our previous one and remembered later that we had loaned it out. This one is bigger anyway. Trying to keep cool. Expecting 90 degrees tomorrow also!

Netflix home video box

Jun 21, 2008
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Roku Netflix player

Released a few weeks ago we took the plunge and ordered. A great deal for those already subscribing to Netflix. The box is $99 and streams videos from your instant queue at the netflix site. For no additional subscription fees you can watch as much as you want as long as you maintain your netflix subscription.

Movie content: Only a minority of content from the site is currently available. There are about 10,000 titles and should only improve. Will be interesting in future to see how close in time DVD release and downloadable content will be available in the future.

Video quality: Looks great! Is dependent on a quality reliable internet connection. Quality looks equivalent to standard definition DVD.

Setup: Very easy. Worked flawlessly. Connected to home wireless network without issue.

All in all a very pleasant experience. A great way to facilitate watching downloadable content on your television. Many have created rental and streaming on the computer. This is the first I've used that did a great job with the television.