Just a quick note to say that I decided to put the pictures from the Canada trip online. I uploaded them several days ago. I was planning to write captions before making the slideshow live... but that's quite the undertaking, and some people probably just want to see the pictures anyway. Maybe I'll get motivated to eventually write the captions.

Click here to see the photos on EsoShow

I am way behind in reporting my bicycle statistics on my blog. Of course, no one cares about this in the slightest aside from myself. In fact, this is yet another boring feature or series of posts to add to an already boring blog. No one cares about random numbers such as these. Oh well. I'm writing my blog more for myself than for others (I know, selfish), so if you are not interested in this sort of post, just don't read it! :) That said, since I'm so far behind, I'm going to attempt to catch up right now by writing briefly about all of the past rides - with some, there's nothing to write.

Saturday, August 3, 2008

Fanno Creek Trail/Greenway Park With Mom

This was one of my first rides after a renewed interest in riding bikes. Of course I was already riding my bike to work quite regularly. After buying the bike computer and other accessories, I believe this ride with my mom was the first. We set out to find the continuation of the Fanno Creek Trail. Previously, my wife and I had never found the continuation and had gone only as far as Woodard Park near Pacific Highway. My mom and I read a sign posted at this end that directed us to the continuation, which can be found on Main Street in Tigard. From there, the path continues for quite a distance, with a number of offshoots I have yet to explore. My mom and I also reached yet another end to the trail, this time with no sign to direct us to the next segment. See photos from the ride on EsoShow

Sunday August 3, 2008

Monday, August 4, 2008

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
& Thursday, August 7, 2008

Fanno Creek Trail/Greenway Park With Mom and Dad

My parents called to see if I wanted to go on a bike ride. This was the first ride I went on with both my mom and dad... perhaps even ever?... at least since I was a child or something, I think. With little time to make plans, we resorted to going on the Fanno Creek Trail again, along with the newly discovered extension.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
& Thursday, August 14, 2008

Friday, August 15, 2008

Sunday, August 17, 2008

This ride is in addition to the Springwater Corridor ride with my mom earlier in the day. This 8.46 miles was accrued by riding to and from church in the evening after I got home from my parents' house.

...PHEW! Finally caught up!

Friday Night With Marcus and Tammy

Friday night I hung out with Marcus and Tammy. We went to Performance Bike Shop and bought a bunch of stuff for Marcus' new bike. He has been wanting to get a bike for a while now and just got it for his birthday. He has expressed interest in going on some rides with me, so I've been encouraging his interest in the whole bike culture (with the very limited knowledge and experience I have). As usual, I couldn't help buying something too, and ended up picking up a wedge pack that fits below the seat and a new water bottle rack (my old one was quite rusted). I needed a place to put a spare tube in case of flats.

After the bike shopping, the three of us stopped by Chipotle to get some dinner and went back to Marcus' place. After watching an episode of The Universe, Marcus and I set to work (and I mean work) at installing Marcus' new bike components. For some strange reason between the two of us we didn't have enough brain power to operate his new bike pump. I'd never had a bike with presta wheels and tubes, but figured it couldn't be too hard to figure out. We spent over an hour trying various things to get the pump to work, with no success. It was nuts!

Saturday Afternoon With Marcus and Tammy

Friday night Marcus and I agreed to get together Saturday and go on a short bike ride. He, Tammy and I went to lunch at Carl's Jr., and went back to Performance Bike Shop to return some things he purchased Friday. Marcus asked the store clerk to see if he could figure out how to use the pump that we spent massive time trying to figure out. He couldn't operate it either, so Marcus returned it. It's likely the pump was defective because there's really nothing complicated about using a bike pump.

Marcus and I set off on a very short bike ride. The purpose of the ride was primarily so Marcus could test his new bike. He also wanted to see if he could make it up the hill by his apartment, something he'd have to succeed at if he was ever going to ride anywhere starting out at his place. It was a ridiculous 100° or more outside, so we decided to do just that - try out the hill. We rode down about a mile, turned around, and rode back up. Aside from the sweltering heat and resulting mega-sweat, the hill was not unrealistically challenging.

Saturday Evening With Jim

Immediately following my short bike ride with Marcus, I set off for Jim's house. I had called him some days prior to arrange a time to get together. His Saturday was pretty open after work, and I was looking forward to hanging out all week (don't get to see Jim that often). Jim bought some Microsoft points in order to buy a video game he thought might be fun for us to play together on the Xbox 360. The game is called Braid. It is an extremely unique, fun and challenging puzzle side-scrolling platform game.

Braid's graphics and gameplay are classically faithful to the old pre-3D monster graphics games. This classic video game era will probably always be my favorite period (certainly with the most memories associated), and the action platform genre is also my favorite. Braid is essentially the most ingenious idea for a game to come along in at least a decade... possibly ever. The primary defining feature of the game is an ability to "go back in time" at any moment. If you die, simply press a rewind button and continue off wherever you want. There are endless puzzling possibilities availed by such an ingenious (and obvious - why didn't someone already think of something so awesomely basic!) game feature. Right from the start, both Jim's and my brain were completely challenged. The game's idea is so unique that at first it seems my mind was bending just to attempt to fit into the reality where such a thing as reversing time is possible. It's so against all that's ever been done in video games, that it can almost make a person go crazy trying to grasp how to solve the puzzles. Lots of fun!

As the night got late, I decided to tell Jim what's going on my life (actually, that is the primary reason I called to arrange a time to hang out). I hadn't talked to him since the big event and as one of my forever best friends, I obviously needed to tell him. Of course I didn't really want to relive all those emotions again... but what can you do, eh? Such is life. Still struggling, still hoping, still alive (at moments, just barely). Ironically, Braid (the video game described above) follows the dreamlike quest of a seemingly regular person who is caught up in an odd fantasy world. He recounts a story of a lost love, his Princess. In many of his words, I felt a sadness similar to what I'm going through right now. While most people would simply enjoy the game for its action and puzzles, I was intrigued by the plot as well. It is really well written and seems to reflect some sort of true story.

I'm very thankful I've been able to spend more time with friends lately. God answered this prayer in abundance, and I haven't had huge periods of time where I'm sitting idle. Those idle moments are when I get sad, reflecting on all the incredibly difficult things afoot. For those praying, thank you, God bless you, and please continue! Pray also continually for my wife, whom I love. It may end up getting worse for me before it gets better... but I know that God is with me. I just wish I didn't have to feel so alone in other respects... crowds can't cure an emptiness it seems only one specific person can fill. Yet that person is gone... and may never come back... so I need the immense grace of God and seemingly impossible comfort of His Spirit, lest I fall into the swamp of sadness.

Neverending Story: one of the best movies of all time
(only the first one - the sequels suck!)
Atreyu trying to coax Artax into overcoming sadness.
In the Swamp of Sadness, sad thoughts
cause a being to sink to their death.

Today my dad called, inviting me to come over for a barbecue lunch. Good company (any company is good about now, but Dad, Mom, Grandpa and Grandma are about as good as it gets!), no need to cook or buy food, something to do... could I possibly resist? After lunch my mom came up with the idea of going on a bike ride. Unfortunately I didn't bring my bike, but my dad was generous and let me use his (also sacrificing his ability to go).

My mom and I parked on the east side of the Willamette, near OMSI and headed south on the waterfront path. The path joins or becomes the Springwater Corridor just south of downtown Portland. I'm amazed that such a trail exists. I've gone on the Springwater Corridor before, but a number of years ago. Back then it didn't connect with the eastside waterfront path (which also didn't exist back then), and I simply rode it to and from Gresham. The segment between Sellwood area (where it starts going east) and the eastside industrial district is gorgeous! I've simply got to go back there and traverse the entire new-to-me path - from downtown all the way to Gresham. Talk about an awesome trail! My mom and I went out about 4.5 miles out and turned around... I didn't want to be late for church at 5:00, otherwise we would have gone farther.

Here's my (Dad's) bike computer stats from today's trip.