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Rambling Roads

  • A Hill Country Outing to the Welfare Cafe

    Number of comments: 2
    I meant to post this picture and these notes ages ago. October brought with it some weekends of stunning weather. I figured what better time to actually take advantage of having a convertible and drop the top, enjoy the weather and head out into the hill country? There are a [...]
    Posted: October 17, 2009, 6:15pm EDT
    by chas
  • Oregon, part 3 – Wine in the Willamette Valley (Lange, Domaine Drouhin, Panther Creek)

    The whirlwind trip to Oregon would not have been complete without a stopover in the wine country south of Portland. It’s hard not to enjoy an afternoon in and around the Dundee hills tasting wines. I’d been up there a couple times before and this particular visit didn’t disappoint. On [...]
    Posted: September 07, 2009, 3:48pm EDT
    by chas
  • Trip to Oregon, part 2

    The trip to Oregon in August had three components to it. The first was a stopover at Mt Hood, the 2nd was in Bend and the 3rd was a visit to the Willamette valley south of Portland. We spent a couple days in Bend. This is the second time I’ve [...]
    Posted: September 07, 2009, 8:34am EDT
    by chas
  • Runkeeper on the iPhone

    The capabilities of the latest phones are pretty amazing. I’ve been using a Blackberry for work but recently I got an iPhone for a project. In many ways I’m not sure I like it any better than the Blackberry. The large touch screen is definitely very nice but it’s heavier [...]
    Posted: September 05, 2009, 9:13pm EDT
    by chas
  • Sunset over the hill country

    Number of comments: 1
    I had intended to get a few more pictures and notes from the Oregon trip up here over the weekend but somehow I managed to find a million other things that needed to get done. But I liked this picture enough I wanted to post it today. Kem and some friends [...]
    Posted: August 31, 2009, 3:49pm EDT
    by chas
  • A Hike on Mt Hood

    Number of comments: 1
    Continuing with notes from the trip to Oregon, I’ve included below a slide show of some pictures I took on the hike on Mt Hood. We started at the Timberline Lodge. The long distance views are off to the south. If you look very closely you’ll see Mt Jefferson in the [...]
    Posted: August 25, 2009, 10:23pm EDT
    by chas
  • A Short Visit to Oregon, part 1

    We’re enjoying coffee on the porch of the Hillside Inn in Bend this morning. 53 degrees. We’re loving it. A welcome change to the heatwave we’ve been enduring in Austin. We flew in to Portland on Thurs and spent the afternoon out on Mt Hood. We drove up to Timberline Lodge [...]
    Posted: August 24, 2009, 1:05am EDT
    by chas
  • Back on the Bike

    It’s been a very hot summer. Ridiculously hot. Since mid June, triple digit heat nearly every day. Since the beginning of June, 19 high temperature records have been broken. The AC runs night and day. But thank God for AC – and fans. So there really hasn’t been much incentive to [...]
    Posted: July 19, 2009, 11:10pm EDT
    by chas
  • Better Camera

    Just to give an example of a what a better camera can produce in comparison to that previous post that was done via my phone, I’m posting this picture of the same Purslane out front. This picture was taken with a Panasonic Lumix G1. [...]
    Posted: July 19, 2009, 10:32pm EDT
    by chas
  • Front Enrty Flowers

    Number of comments: 1
    These Purslane I got for the pot on the front porch have really taken off. I think they like the hot weather. I’m trying this post from my phone, so we’ll see how it turns out. [...]
    Posted: June 27, 2009, 12:10pm EDT
    by chas
  • Reflections on Oahu

    We’re back in Austin now and have some great memories and fading tans. Before my memory fades too much, thought I’d jot down a few more notes on our trip to Oahu. It helps to have a bunch of pictures to look back on, and some local art as well. The [...]
    Posted: May 16, 2009, 11:46pm EDT
    by chas
  • More Beaches and Great Food

    We headed over to the windward side of the island and Kailua Bay. There we found a fantastic beach to while away the time on yet another beautiful day here on Oahu. Later we headed to a place multiple people had recommended for dinner and music, Duke’s. Duke’s is named [...]
    Posted: May 10, 2009, 9:58pm EDT
    by chas
  • Waikiki Beach – Fun in the Sun

    Yesterday was all about having some fun in the sun. Kem had made some reservations to do some sailing/snorkeling mid morning. We got a leisurely start and eventually made our way down to Waikiki beach. There are a bunch of catamaran sail boats that leave directly from the beach. No [...]
    Posted: May 09, 2009, 2:30pm EDT
    by chas
  • Some Hiking on Oahu

    Yesterday was our first full day of getting around Oahu to see a few things. We met up early with Jeff, Kem’s aunt’s nephew who happens to live here on Oahu and works as a geologist. He had some fantastic suggestions for us. And took us all out to a [...]
    Posted: May 08, 2009, 7:48am EDT
    by chas
  • Aloha

    We’ve arrived in Honolulu! It was a long flight from Houston and we were definitely happy to be off the plane. Kem’s mom had prearranged for us to have a greating and receive the beautiful leis you see us wearing in the photo. The flight was more than a little disconcerting. [...]
    Posted: May 07, 2009, 1:15pm EDT
    by chas
  • Cairns on Barton Creek

    Number of comments: 1
    One of the nice things about the location of my current office is its proximity to the Barton Creek greenbelt. When there’s time, it’s convenient to get out for a pretty good walk over lunch. Such was this case earlier this week. I was toting the camera along with me [...]
    Posted: April 18, 2009, 12:10pm EDT
    by chas
  • Out and About Easter Sunday

    The weather started off a little ugly on Easter morning around here. A line of thunderstorms rolled through very early. But as quickly as they rolled through they were out of here and by late morning it was just fantastic out. A perfect, crisp and clear Easter morning. So after a [...]
    Posted: April 13, 2009, 10:36pm EDT
    by chas
  • Turkey Creek Trail / 2009 Pedal Power Ride

    March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. Isn’t that how the saying goes? Doesn’t seem to work that way around here. We’ve had more than our share of really windy days in the last month and today was no exception. I saw [...]
    Posted: April 05, 2009, 10:37pm EDT
    by chas
  • Neighborhood Wildflowers

    Everything’s in bloom around here so I’ve pocketed the camera when I’ve been out for neighborhood walks recently. After the wild winds and rains of previous days we have a quiet and sunny morning here and I got this snap of some bluebonnets up the hill a bit from here. [...]
    Posted: March 29, 2009, 11:43am EDT
    by chas
  • Tired Squirrel

    I don’t know whether it was the warm weather this past weekend or what, but it sure seemed to tucker out the squirrels around here. Kem and I went on a long walk around the Town Lake Hike and Bike trail over the weekend and we encountered multiple squirrels sacked [...]
    Posted: March 11, 2009, 10:51pm EDT
    by chas
  • Jan Delk - Bike Friday rider

    Number of comments: 1
    I did the usual hilly loop from the house this morning. Down to Ski Shores and back. On many occasions while doing this route I have encountered an older woman riding along on her red Bike Friday. I’ll wave and say hi as I’m passing but today I found her [...]
    Posted: March 07, 2009, 2:09pm EST
    by chas
  • A Visit to San Antonio

    Kem and I did a short road trip recently down to San Antonio. It made for a nice change of pace. While it’s relatively close by, San Antonio always seems to deliver a little bit of feeling a world away too. We whiled away the time wandering through the King [...]
    Posted: February 25, 2009, 12:40pm EST
    by chas
  • Sure Seems Like Spring

    I managed to get out for lunch today and what a gorgeous day out there. Our dreary clouds and fog are gone and it’s all sun and warmth. Car said 81 degrees on the way back. Just outside the door of our office building is a Texas Mountain Laurel in full [...]
    Posted: February 18, 2009, 2:15pm EST
    by chas
  • Out Walkin

    I was thinking it’s been way too long since I’ve posted anything so I figured it might be time for a quick update. I’ve had the good fortune of being able to get out and enjoy some hikes and bike rides on January and February weekends. In particular, I’ve tried [...]
    Posted: February 16, 2009, 10:18pm EST
    by chas
  • Here’s to Hope

    Well I must say I’m glad to finally see BushCo moving on. The country seems to have been in a perpetual malaise under Bush - one that has only seemed to get worse in the final months of his presidency. Like a lot of other people, I finally have some hope [...]
    Posted: January 19, 2009, 11:09pm EST
    by chas
  • Some Fall Color ‘08

    Well can you believe it’s Thanksgiving already?! I blinked and November’s passed me by. By this time of year it finally starts to look and feel a little bit like fall here in Austin. Time once again for my annual search for something approaching fall color. Last weekend I got [...]
    Posted: November 27, 2008, 11:11am EST
    by chas
  • Livestrong Challenge - Austin

    The Livestrong Challenge comes to Austin next weekend. It’s the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s signature fundraising event. While it’s a whole weekend of activities the main thing is the bicycle ride on the 25th. The whole point is to raise awareness as well as funds in the fight against cancer. If [...]
    Posted: October 18, 2008, 5:05pm EDT
    by chas
  • Cycling Texas Again

    From Spain and France it’s back to cycling the roads of Texas. From now through spring is such a great time to get out and enjoy the back roads. Thought I’d upload a few pictures from a recent excursion. The weather has finally turned cooler and the last few weekends [...]
    Posted: October 06, 2008, 8:41am EDT
    by chas
  • Cycling up Alpe d’huez!

    From Spain it was on to Grenoble, France. Beth & family have moved there for work and as long as I’d made the trip this far, might as well pay a visit, right? So from Barcelona it was on to Lyon by plane and then a fast TGV train ride [...]
    Posted: September 17, 2008, 6:33pm EDT
    by chas
  • Cycling up the Spain Coast to Calella

    The ride up from Tossa de Mar to Calella has been my favorite of the bunch. The climbs were not massive, the scenery was nice and we made a couple of stops for coffee/food along the roughly 50 mile route. I’m not positive on the distance, but that’s what I’m [...]
    Posted: September 16, 2008, 12:36pm EDT
    by chas
  • Last Day: Another Girona Loop

    Our last day of riding was a tough one. Not that the ride was that tough, but my cold was in full swing. Jill referred to it as “The Grip” and that was a pretty accurate name. I brought up the rear since I was sneezing and otherwise honking my [...]
    Posted: September 14, 2008, 4:06pm EDT
    by chas
  • Biking Back to Girona

    In contrast to the cool and rain we’d gotten the day before, we woke on Saturday to some really fantastic weather. I was up early and down to breakfast as soon as they opened. No good reason - I wasn’t feeling too great. I snagged the picture here of the [...]
    Posted: September 13, 2008, 10:01pm EDT
    by chas
  • Calella de Palafrugell to Begur

    Our ride up to Begur probably turned out to be my least favorite. Mostly that’s because the weather wasn’t great. It was overcast and eventually it rained. We didn’t actually have that many miles planned for the 12th, but the first two thirds of it was pretty challenging. Almost right out [...]
    Posted: September 12, 2008, 6:48pm EDT
    by chas
  • 3rd day: Loop ride from Tossa de Mar

    Our 3rd day was an option day. You could pass on riding and just hit the beach if you wanted, or you could do a shorter ride with Jill, or you could do a longer ride with Chris. A couple folks did the shorter ride but the rest of us [...]
    Posted: September 10, 2008, 2:42pm EDT
    by chas
  • 2nd day: Girona to Tossa de Mar

    Unlike our first day’s warm up ride, this would be a bit longer ride today. I was up early and down for breakfast. Breakfast seems to get started kinda late here. Typically has seemed to be about 8:30. The same was true on Majorca - though they would start things [...]
    Posted: September 09, 2008, 9:35am EDT
    by chas
  • Intro to Girona

    Time to leave Soller. Enjoyed it, but now off to the heart of the cycling trip, the tour group meeting and starting in Girona. My flight was at 8:40 but I didn’t really know what to expect enroute, so I got up early. I’d made arrangements with Toni, the proprietor of [...]
    Posted: September 09, 2008, 1:59am EDT
    by chas
  • More Bicycling Majorca

    Sunday presented an opportunity to do some more riding. The weather looked a little dicey and the forecast called for some showers, but it didn’t look too bad. I saw some blue sky up there. I had the bike till the afternoon, and then I needed to return it. I [...]
    Posted: September 08, 2008, 11:31pm EDT
    by chas
  • Port de Sóller

    Number of comments: 1
    Friday was a day I just wandered around the area. I got up at a reasonable hour, but then fell asleep again and rolled out around noon I think. My internal clock is all messed up. For awhile, I just sat at one of the tables out front of the hotel [...]
    Posted: September 06, 2008, 12:00am EDT
    by chas
  • First Stop: Sóller

    My flight in from Geneva to Palma was also delayed due to weather. It rained in Geneva all day and as we got closer to boarding time, I noticed some flashes of light. Lightning I guessed - but I never heard any thunder. Anyway, everything came to a stop for [...]
    Posted: September 05, 2008, 12:30am EDT
    by chas
  • Arrived in Geneva

    The long leg of my inbound trip from Newark to Geneva concluded without any significant issues. Yea! And now I’m parked here in Geneva on a layover - having a coffee and a sandwich. Next stop Spain. The routing through Geneva is mostly a consequence of how I plan to [...]
    Posted: September 04, 2008, 7:25am EDT
    by chas
  • Headed to Spain

    Number of comments: 1
    I read this quote recently in something Beth sent me and liked it. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness and many people need it solely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one’s [...]
    Posted: September 03, 2008, 2:03pm EDT
    by chas
  • Relentless Heat in Liberty Hill

    I did an out and back ride this morning - with a bit of a loop at one end - from Liberty Hill to Bertram and back. 36 miles or so. I got up at the crack of dawn to make the drive out there. My attempt to avoid the [...]
    Posted: August 03, 2008, 11:10pm EDT
    by chas
  • The Seven - Maiden Voyage

    Number of comments: 1
    It could be argued I need another bike like I need a hole in the head, but indeed I have been spending the summer readying a new custom built machine. This time from Seven. This actually caps a year and a half saga to build up an S&S coupled bike [...]
    Posted: July 27, 2008, 7:18pm EDT
    by chas
  • Best Cycling Gloves

    Number of comments: 1
    My fresh set of cycling gloves arrived and was there on the doorstep when I got home last night. Apparently my Monday must be pretty uneventful if that was the highlight of my day but, hey, we live for simple pleasures, right? Ordinarily, I wouldn’t make much note of it, but [...]
    Posted: July 15, 2008, 7:51am EDT
    by chas
  • Cruisin’ Lake Austin

    As a change of pace, this weekend I reconnected with Scot. Hadn’t seen him in months. Kem, Scot and I headed out on Lake Austin on Scot’s boat. His daughter is off to camp and Scot has time on his hands. He’s had his boat in a slip down at [...]
    Posted: July 13, 2008, 5:08pm EDT
    by chas
  • Happy Fourth of July!

    Number of comments: 1
    I totally need to own one of these gadgets for my yard. As I was cycling with Jim this holiday weekend south of Burnet Texas we passed a house sporting one of these whirlygigs in the yard. With the stiff breeze we had today, old Uncle Sam’s wheels were flying! [...]
    Posted: July 06, 2008, 8:00pm EDT
    by chas
  • Whoa! Watch Out For That Hill!

    I must admit I think I chuckled out loud when I came upon this sign recently warning me of the steep downhill coming up. Someone has more signs than they know what to do with. [...]
    Posted: July 01, 2008, 9:32am EDT
    by chas
  • A Visit to Waterford Precision Cycles

    While I was in Wisconsin recently, I took a short detour and drove over to check out Waterford Precision Cycles. I had a custom built Waterford done back in ‘03 that I really love. I got the lugged steel RST-22. I thought I’d check out where it was born. You have [...]
    Posted: June 28, 2008, 6:21pm EDT
    by chas
  • Road Trip: Wisconsin

    My nephew graduated this spring but the celebratory event for friends and family was held this past weekend. Coincidently, Kem’s niece also graduated this spring and had a similar event on the same weekend. So we both took time for long weekends and headed north. Kem to Chicago, me to [...]
    Posted: June 28, 2008, 5:07pm EDT
    by chas
  • It’s 103 degrees, why are you running at 5pm?

    On the drive home today, the rush hour traffic crawled along Hwy 360 and the temp bounced from 103 to 105. Just another June day in Austin. It’s actually not an unusual sight to see someone jogging in the heat of the day around here - it’s a pretty fitness [...]
    Posted: June 16, 2008, 11:33pm EDT
    by chas
  • Texas Hill Country Cycling - Heat and Winds

    Number of comments: 2
    Is this summer hot enough for ya yet? Yeah, I know. As far as the calendar goes, it’s still spring. But we’ve already had as many 100 degree days as all of last summer so I think I can safely say it’s summer in central TX. Despite the heat, we’ve managed [...]
    Posted: June 08, 2008, 8:26pm EDT
    by chas
  • Sunday Morning Jazz

    Last weekend Kem and I rode the tandem down to Austin Java to grab a late morning breakfast. The weather was warm but ideal to get out and enjoy it. The week before we’d had some pretty bad storms in Austin and the bike route we took required that we [...]
    Posted: May 20, 2008, 12:00am EDT
    by chas
  • Armadillo Hill Country Classic & Mellow Johnny’s

    Saturday was the annual Armadillo ride out in Liberty Hill. We ride out there all the time, but this ride is always well attended and fun to go to. This year, the weather was just plain sultry. Thankfully the sun stayed behind the clouds till we were nearly done with [...]
    Posted: May 12, 2008, 12:00am EDT
    by chas
  • The CruiseLiner Tandem

    Kem has added one more bike to her stable of bikes. This time, a tandem. And it’s very cool. For around town cruisin’, it’s really hard to beat the fun you can have on this bike. We got out yesterday in the nice weather to cruise around west Austin. Went [...]
    Posted: April 13, 2008, 11:38am EDT
    by chas
  • Pedal Power Wildflower Ride 2008

    Yesterday was the Pedal Power Wildflower Ride out in Stonewall. Actually, it starts from the park at the LBJ ranch, but I guess that is considered Stonewall. The ride name is a bit of a mouthful to say so I just way “Pedal Power ride”. I love the 60 miler [...]
    Posted: April 06, 2008, 2:13pm EDT
    by chas
  • Easter Hill Country 2008

    I’m finally getting around to jotting down a few notes from this year’s Easter Hill Country Tour. Aside from a woeful fall that Kem had - which I’ll get to - the rides and weather were really great this year. For those following along, last year’s EHCT was largely snuffed out [...]
    Posted: April 06, 2008, 1:35pm EDT
    by chas
  • Good Riding in Bertram

    In contrast to that wet stuff of the previous weekend, it’s all sunshine this weekend. Seems like everywhere I go I’m seeing Iris and Daffodil flowers up. As if it weren’t otherwise obvious, Spring’s coming. In a quest to get ever farther away from traffic, so far this year several of [...]
    Posted: February 24, 2008, 11:24am EST
    by chas
  • Wet Weekend

    Saturday was cold, wet - raw. One of those days that’s mostly a good day to stay inside. In fact, took time to haul out the bread machine and fire it up to make a loaf of bread. Always makes the house smell good. Still though, felt like getting out [...]
    Posted: February 16, 2008, 10:38am EST
    by chas
  • Guardian Angel in Hayes County

    Number of comments: 1
    While we’ve had some wacky winter weather here in central Texas, it’s been warm enough to get out and enjoy the outdoors recently. On Sunday it was easily 60’s if not better and Kem and I wanted to find a ride with some rolling hills away from traffic but not [...]
    Posted: January 31, 2008, 11:04am EST
    by chas
  • Who Says Texas Doesn’t Get Fall Color?

    Number of comments: 2
    The last couple weekends I’ve managed to get out for a some bike rides, and last weekend I brought the camera with me. We finally managed to get a little bit of fall color around here. They took their sweet time about it, and there’s not a lot of it, [...]
    Posted: December 09, 2007, 11:53pm EST
    by chas
  • Rip Roarin’ Ride 2007

    Saturday morning was the Rip Roarin’ Ride in Liberty Hill, which is not too far a drive from here. 30 min give or take. The area is one of my favorites to ride for the rural scenery and low traffic. Thought I’d jot a few notes and post this picture [...]
    Posted: September 30, 2007, 4:56pm EDT
    by chas
  • It’s Fall!

    It’s Fall! Time once again for the round of fall rides in Texas. Last weekend was first one of the season for me and Kem. The Hill Country Challenge ride was last weekend in Burnet. Finally getting around to some notes on it. We chose to do the 64 miler. I’ve [...]
    Posted: September 23, 2007, 3:53pm EDT
    by chas
  • We’re not worthy

    Number of comments: 1
    I had meant to mention in the last post about a couple of people we happened across on the long weekend of riding in New Hampshire. Our little group was taking it easy and lapping up some ice cream cones when we saw a couple of fully loaded riders come [...]
    Posted: September 12, 2007, 12:59am EDT
    by chas
  • Moose Mountain Lodge: Bike Vermont tour report

    Finally getting around to writing up some notes on last weekend’s bike tour. K and I trekked up to New Hampshire & Vermont to do some biking over the Labor Day weekend. It was a fantastic weekend. I’ll find myself occasionally using the phrase “you pays your money and you takes [...]
    Posted: September 09, 2007, 11:09pm EDT
    by chas
  • Off to New Hampshire

    I’ve arrived in New Hampshire by way of Boston. On my way to Etna, NH and some rural road cycling this weekend. Amazingly, the flights went off like clockwork. Both out of Austin and out of Chicago, on time all the way. Can’t remember the last time that’s happened. Nice summer [...]
    Posted: August 31, 2007, 7:21am EDT
    by chas
  • Pease Park Picnic

    Pease Park Picnic - say that 3 times fast. Yeah, kind of a mouthful. Today was all about a leisurely ride through the tree-lined streets of west central Austin. We eventually landed for a quiet little picnic in Pease Park. Wasn’t really up for an all out workout today but it [...]
    Posted: August 26, 2007, 5:04pm EDT
    by chas
  • Dog Days o Summer

    Number of comments: 2
    The last couple weekends I’ve been riding the Bike Friday. Over the Labor Day weekend I’ll be doing a cycling trip up in New Hampshire and I figured the Air Friday would be just the ticket for the trip. While it’s not exactly the most flattering picture I’ve ever had [...]
    Posted: August 22, 2007, 11:41pm EDT
    by chas
  • Misty morning

    Amazingly enough, the rains have continued here in Austin. Is this July or what? This year we’ve already received our usual entire annual quota. Sunday the clouds parted for awhile though. The result was a bit like a sauna, but hey, at least the roads were dry even if the air [...]
    Posted: July 24, 2007, 9:59pm EDT
    by chas
  • Chicago for a change

    Been awhile since I’ve posted. Not much riding. Between a busy work schedule, some travel and - if the weather man is right - today is the 26th out of the last 29 days we’ve had some rain. If you’ve ever spent any time in the summer in Texas you’ll know [...]
    Posted: July 18, 2007, 11:47pm EDT
    by chas
  • Flashback - NZ tour ‘05

    New Zealand Tour Group - Wanaka, NZ

    The new PedalTours catalog arrived in the mail this week and had me longing for another tour in New Zealand. I had a great time there in ‘05. It had me digging [...]

    Posted: July 01, 2007, 4:52pm EDT
    by chas

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