Sometimes a Bike is too Quick

 Recently, I had cause to stroll around Aberdeen, Washington. Normally, I ride my bike or in a car when I visit Aberdeen. Walking, however, showed me many items I would miss when on my bike.

Old and Tired Aberdeen

Seen while walking in an Aberdeen Alley

Gray's Harbor County, and Aberdeen, are some of the poorer areas of Washington State. Aberdeen bills itself as "the Lumber Capital of the World," but that really means its heyday was a century ago. Less well known is that Aberdeen was also home, back in the day, to perhaps the worst serial killer in US history, Billy Gohl. Between about 1902 and 1910, Billy may have killed over 100 people. His memory is immortalized in Aberdeen only through a bar/grill named "Billy's." His name does not appear on the walk of fame, described below.

Aberdeen Walk of Fame

Doug Osheroff, Nobel Laureate born in Aberdeen

The first star presented for your consideration is that of Doug Osheroff, a Nobel Physics winner that was born and raised in Aberdeen. As with Kurt Cobain, he achieved his fame elsewhere.

John Madden played football for a year at the local community college

I was surprised to see John Madden (of NFL fame) on the Aberdeen walk. John wasn't born or commonly associated with Aberdeen. However, as one discovers from Wikipedia, he played football for Aberdeen's Gray's Harbor College in 1956

There were many other stars on the Aberdeen sidewalks, some names more familiar and some less.

Aberdeen even has a Major League Baseball Player

For any loyal reader not familiar with Vean Gregg, he is a member of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame. The PCL is a minor-league, but Gregg also played well in the Major Leagues. According to Wikipedia, "Gregg's major league career record is 92–63 with a lifetime 2.70 ERA in 1,393 innings pitched and 720 strikeouts. He was the only pitcher in the 20th century to win 20 games or more in his first three seasons." While Gregg was born in Chehalis, he lived in Aberdeen after he retired from baseball.

I'd have seen none of these items on my bike or from the seat of a car.

Learning from a Non-Teachable Moment

This morning, I learned some things when I rode to get coffee. I didn't learn anything in particular from the ride, but rather from the fairly short wait in line at the drive-thru.

It started like this - I left for coffee here in Ocean Shores about an hour later than normal - at 7AM rather than 6. As a result, early-rising tourists were starting to line up.

As a result, I wound up behind a silver Chevrolet Suburban. Like many in line, the driver didn't think to turn off his engine while stopped. Perhaps he was afraid his engine wouldn't restart if he shut it off or maybe he was still a bit sleepy. Who knows? Anyway, it got beyond typical when his cigarette smoke also wafted back. It got even further beyond typical and created the "learning from non-teachable" when he tossed his half-smoked cigarette onto the curb near me close to the wooden siding of the coffee establishment in order to pull forward and order his beverage.

Not considering things fully, I inquired if he realized his cigarette was still lighted and if he wanted it back. As you might expect, the answer came back in the negative. Then I forgot about non-teachable moments and suggested he pick up his (expletive deleted) item. Before you knew it, his passenger came out of the SUV and said "I'll take care of the cigarette but don't cuss at my husband."

At this point, I memorized the SUV license plate number - something I should have done routinely.  This was my first learning from the non-teachable moment. I'll not repeat than number here other than to note the license plate holder was from Tacoma, despite the "Ocean Shores Cares" decal affixed to his back window. It's good to learn from such episodes to do something like routinely mentally noting licenses - just in case.

In my second learning I also learned that some people just think that we on bikes simply ought NOT to be in drivethru lines to start with, even if the walk-up lobby is shut due to a pandemic. Or perhaps they just don't think things through at all.

In my own defense, at least I had the presence of mind to not going beyond calling out that the Suburban shouldn't have been in the drivethru line either, and I also considered what I'd do if the Suburban backed up after getting coffee. Upon reflection, the notion that bikes should not be in drivethrus seems even more common than the notion that they ought not be on any kind of road. My third learning was what if the guy had a gun and even more anger issues? In other words, avoid escalation when dealing with a questionable stranger.

One thing I learned only after the SUV drove off - my barista noted that the SUV had an ash tray and if the driver was going to smoke in it he ought to use that ash tray. Golly, I hadn't thought of that as the passenger yelled at me about how bikes should not be in a drivethru.

Hmm...

Only a Fool and No Fool

A few days ago, I was headed north in Ocean Shores and, what to my wondering eyes did I see other than someone on a bike headed against traffic. Now, that is not totally unusual by itself, but the wrong-way dweeb had a dog on a leash running alongside his bike. I thought about yelling out, but then the missive "only a fool argues with a fool" took hold and I simply shook my head in wonderment about whether the guy would fall due to the dog diverting his front wheel, due to the dog darting toward a nearby dear just as oncoming traffic approached, or simply due to some other cause. In any event, it did not seem like a teachable moment. I consoled reflecting on how cycling is fun and safe, even when practiced by someone completely clueless.

Yesterday and today, I saw more intelligent actions. Yesterday, I came across a black bear about three blocks from my Ocean Shores house. The bear saw me shortly afterwards and took off, not wanting to tangle with an apex predator on a Schwinn Cruiser. Today, the same thing happened when I encountered a coyote just south of our local IGA Grocery. These two were no fools!

For the record, the bear looked well fed. The coyote not as much, but not emaciated either.

Lost, and Found Again

Brand New Pearl Izumi "Ride Thermal Lite" Gloves with Decade-Old Gloves a Saint Returned and my Orange Hat
While the Orange Hat is "Just a Hat," its Color Probably Helped Find the Gloves

Nearly ten years ago, in a post, here, I related how I bought a pair of good winter cycling gloves (Pearl Izumi Softshell Gloves) at a bargain price at the Hotter 'N Hell 100. Unlike the shoe covers I also reported on at that time, I've gotten almost constant use out of the gloves in colder weather. They're good from about 25 degrees (-4C for any Canadian friends that use French temperature units) up to about 55 (13C). Outside that range and things are either a bit chilly or a little sweaty. For $15 gloves (they sell for about $60 on Amazon), they have proved exceptionally durable and versatile. While they no longer look new, they remain in good overall shape, with only a some of the extraneous rubber non-slip dots falling off through the years. The gloves are a size too big, which turns out to be perfect, since they're easier to get on and off; pretty much mandatory at coffee stops.

Well, they WERE until all this Coronavirus stuff cropped up. You see, as things started to ramp up (while the NYC Mayor was still working out at his local YMCA), people got confused. Even I, grumpy as I sometimes am, elected to purchase groceries for an entire week rather than my usual every-couple of days routine. Well, to make a long story short, that entailed using a shopping cart, and I left my cherished gloves behind, along with an orange hat I frequently use to keep my head warm.

I rode back to see if I could find them, or if they'd been turned in. Alas, I was out of luck. I even looked in the store garbage can in case someone had taken it on themselves to dispose of items that might be contaminated. No luck there, either. Sigh.

Later, at home, I was resigned to purchasing another pair as much like the originals as I could find. I was somewhat dismayed to find the "non summer HH100 price" was $60. In an attempt to be frugal, I bought a pair of lighter gloves, figuring I could always use a liner with them. The cheaper Pearl Izumi gloves were still $20, and, as we will find later, work more in the 50-60 degree range.

The day after the new gloves arrived, I inquired one more time at the grocery store lost and found. Hallelujah! They had them and the mention of the orange hat helped them pick them out of the pile. For the remainder of my ride home, I put those new gloves in the pouch of my hoodie and thought kind thoughts towards every one and every thing. What can I say, I'm not grumpy all the time.

Still, the new gloves were not a waste of money. They do work in the warmer ranges of what we see in Ocean Shores, Washington. Now that we're headed towards May, I can see myself using them frequently. They are called "Pearl Izumi - Ride Thermal Lite Glove" and the blurb on Amazon claims "A top seller, these lightweight unisex gloves are ideal on their own when the weather gets cool. Or use them as liners under our P.R.O. Barrier WxB Gloves in truly cold temperatures." More importantly, the new gloves gave me hope for a brief period that Pearl Izumi made good "not quite so cold" gloves.

Well, they certainly ARE lightweight, but there is no noticable insulation on them. They're just another pair of non-waterproof, full-finger cycling gloves. While I've not tried it yet, they might work well as liners for my softshell gloves for those rare "really cold" Ocean Shores or North Texas mornings. We shall see. OTHO, such mornings also seem to work well with ski gloves.

Rise and Decline of Bike Share

Five Years Ago, Bike Share and Scooter Rental were Neck and Neck. Now Scooters FAR Outpace Bike Share

This is a fable for our times. It was just a bit more than five years ago that bike share programs really go going. I will use history from the Seattle Bike Blog (SBB) as illustrative of bike share.

The first SBB post on the subject was made on May 5, 2014. By August 25, 2014, the headline: 

"It’s really happening. Today, you can buy a membership for a Seattle public bike share system."

 Somewhat grumpily, I forecast, on July 29, 2014:

"They’ll later use our tax dollars to subsidize the bike share system when it fails due to their policies. Perhaps they’ll emulate NYC in outlawing large soft drinks and in arresting cyclists for imagined offenses."

 At this point, the system was run by Pronto, a subsidiary of Alta Planning. It used fixed bike stations and tried to work around the Seattle helmet laws in order to draw in casual riders who didn't happen to bring their own helmets along on the chance they might want to rent a bike. Before too long, this became a drain, leading them to charge for helmet rentals. On May 11, 2015, SBB reported:

"If you buy a 24-hour or three-day pass to use Pronto Cycle Share, you will now have to pay an extra $2 to check out a helmet."

It also became clear that the service area with bike stations was pretty limited, and, as a result, on June 8, 2015, SBB reported:

"...the biggest problem with Pronto is that the service area is simply too small to meet most people’s needs. And under the current business model, the system would expand slowly over time as more private sponsorship investments or city budget line items lead the way. It’s a plan that creates solid benefits for relatively little public investment, but it’s not a plan that can truly revolutionize transportation and low-income access to bicycling in Seattle. 

"That’s why the city has put together a visionary plan for a massive, fast expansion of Pronto that would increase the service area from five square miles to 42 square miles..."

Bike share was growing by leaps and bounds! However, cracks were beginning to appear. While Seattle proposed a massive expenditure to dramatically increase the size of Pronto, and (move in to management of Pronto as well), the Feds said "nope." By October 27, 2015, SBB reported:

"...the city still intends to move forward with an expansion. Mayor Ed Murray’s proposed 2016 budget includes $5 million for expanding Pronto. If that funding is approved by the City Council, the path forward really hinges on whether the city focuses on expanding the station area or on electric bike technology."

Scooters - Cheaper Than Ebikes, Faster than Pedal Bikes

Electric bikes - well that IS a new development indeed. Things went down a bit further, when, on February 4, 2016, the SBB post headline read:

"Pronto needs city buyout before end of March, how did we get here?"

And things continued downhill for the Pronto, station-based bike share. By October 10, 2016, SBB reported:

"Though it’s not final, Seattle has indicated that it intends to select a young Quebec-based company to launch an all-new electric-assist bike share system. 

"That means both Motivate, the current Pronto Cycle Share operator, and the existing Pronto equipment are out if the deal goes through. The city is now negotiating directly with Quebec-based Bewegen to finalize a deal."

Now, bikes were only a part of the solution if they were electric assist, though bike stations were still the fundamental backbone of the system. By October 20, 2016, the SBB headline read:

"Council faces a choice: Kill Pronto now or make lemonade out of the existing stations?"

There it was, bike share, at least if it wasn't "electric" was going away - and fast. In January, on the 13th, SBB headlined the final resolution:

"Mayor Ed Murray has scrapped his bike share expansion plan, ending the city’s efforts to create a new public e-assist bike system to replace the doomed Pronto system set to shut down March 31. This officially ends a frustrating era..."

And so it was. Bike share was dead in Seattle. A victim of inflexible docking stations, mandatory helmet laws, and bureaucratic meddling, just to mention three factors. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

On July 19th, 2017, SBB reported on the beginning of dockless bike share. Spin and LimeBike started operation and exceeded the old Pronto system ridership in their first week. They would have done better, but old city rules were still in place that presumed an "ease into the water" approach. The report of the death of bike share was greatly exaggerated. By December 15, 2017, SBB headlined:

"Bike share pilot’s daily ridership blows past Pronto’s lifetime totals, rivals both streetcars combined."

and, in that article, stated:

"...bike share services are already rivaling two streetcar lines that cost about $190 million to build is pretty incredible. Free-floating bike share services have cost the City of Seattle almost nothing. In fact, these companies pay the city permit fees. And at $1/ride, bike share is the cheapest way to get around other than walking or owning your own (not-high-end) bicycle. That’s far, far cheaper than other private mobility services, like car share, taxis and app taxis."

However, this was about the peak for bike share. Instead, the future looked like e bikes and scooters. On August 19, 2018, SBB reviewed the timeline. Notably:

"2018: Lime introduces 15¢ per minute e-bikes, Spin leaves town as it transitions to scooters and ofo leaves town as their China-based business begins imploding. Bike ridership in Seattle increases significantly, smashing bike counter records all over town. Uber-owned Jump joins Lime at the end of the year as the $1 pedal bikes disappear."

Lime Rental Scooter

Scooters are Getting Fancier

Which brings me up to the present. Recently, in downtown Dallas, I noticed scooters ALL OVER THE PLACE. All of them were electrically powered. There was not a single "regular" bike to be had. Things didn't look a whole lot different in Seattle. The story continues to evolve. As with bikes, it appears that many of the people who rent these electric scooters do not understand that they are really renting a small motorcycle and zooming along sidewalks and against traffic is really NOT a good idea. Perhaps our driver licensing system should start by ensuring that  prospective motorists understand that the rules of the road apply to ALL that use wheeled things on public roadways (sidewalks are also part of those roadways) and require people to demonstrate they can do so with scooters and bikes before they move up to more powerful vehicles.

But I digress. Over on SBB, they are arguing that the best thing to do is bring back the dock system, but spend a LOT more money and make the bikes cheap to rent. Somehow, I think most people want a motorized item that they can simply pick up wherever they happen to be. It's been 30 years since the Soviet Union fell...

After Renting, Many People Scooter Along the Sidewalk

Old Cars and Older Bikes

Rust Never Sleeps!

Yesterday, there was a "Show and Shine" car show at the Elks Club in Ocean Shores. Mostly, the cars/trucks were of the hot rod and rat rod and "newer Corvette" variety. However, in one truck, there was an ancient gem.

As the sign says, it is a rescued 1930 Elgin bicycle. The "late model" truck it rides in is aging gracefully as well. It is interesting to read the various stickers and bumper art in the photos.

I Have NO IDEA What Those Things that Look Like Roller Skate Wheels are!

The Bike Clearly Hasn't Been Fully Restored

I Don't Think These Came With a "Barn Find" ID Plate Originally...

Ocean Shores Kind of Place

Ocean Shores is a "different" sort of place. There's really no employment base other than the local government and businesses that cater to tourists during the summer. The most notable movie that featured Ocean Shores was "Safety Not Guaranteed." That low budget movie featured an eccentric time traveller - and our tiny local library has TWO copies. My favorite Ocean Shores book is entitled "The Ocean Shores Tourist Killer." It was written by the former editor of our local (what passes for) weekly newspaper. The library used to have a copy but they got rid of it. Apparently too many people checked it out.

My own favorite video on Ocean Shores is below. The phone booths at 1:50 are now where the IGA bike rack is. In that post, here, you can still see the conduit that used to power the phone booths. At the start of the video, you'll see that the sign provides directions to the "Unused Airport" and the "Former Library." The first remains the case. I've never seen such an overbuilt airport with so little traffic. It is amazing so much tax money has been spent on it. The city justifies it as "federal funding," but last time I checked, the Feds used tax money as well. My own suggestion for a cost saving was not well received (I suggested paying a limosine to sit at the nearby Hoquiam Airport on a 24/7 basis to provide free transport for anybody landing there that really wanted to go to Ocean Shores). As for the "Former Library," well, the City Council closed it until they realized that the local schools have no libraries and it was the only place students could check out books. Now it is funded by levies. More on that some other time.

And, before you think to ask, NO I'm not Checker Steve and I had nothing to do with the writing or singing of the song. I DID hear about it while visiting the local espresso stand, however.

ULTIMATE Driving Machine

BMW Isetta, Seen at Ocean Shores on April 28, 2018

Two versions of the ultimate driving machine are presented for your consideration. The second one might also fit in yesterday's "Rust Never Sleeps" post...

This Might be Considered a "Rat Rod"

Rebel Shame

Some of you may know that there's a fight going on right now in Dallas over the proposed removal of the Robert E Lee statue in Lee Park. There're a bunch of stories on the subect here.

It is less well known, except to my loyal reader, that the Lee statue is less offensive than other memorials that have appeared in posts from this blog. Notable amongst those, are posts here, here, here, and even here. At least the last was "just for the day" and used the common name for what I sometimes call "The War of the Rebellion." The offensive memorial sits a block from Dallas City Hall. I believe it is on Dallas City property and is administered by Dallas Parks and Recreation.

The memorial in Dallas  was moved there only in 1961. It is notable that three of the four corner statues had their main connection with Texas during the Mexican War. There is no mention of the other notables, such as US Grant or Sam Houston that also fought in that war. Most shameful is the lack of any mention of those that lived and are buried in North Texas that fought to preserve the Union. THAT lack is the true REBEL SHAME. Inscriptions such as

“The brazen lips of Southern cannon thundered an unanswered anthem to the God of Battle.”
and
“Confederate infantry drove bayonets through columns that never before reeled to the shock of battle.”

(among others noted here) seem to me to attempt to rewrite history in a way unconnected to any reality as an attempt to change things to a narrative of "The Lost Cause." And THAT is the Rebel Shame. I'm not sure most of that belongs even in a museum, any more than Holocaust Denier documents would.

IMO, worthy of a memorial a block away from Dallas City Hall would be something including the Sam Houston quote: "I wish no prouder epitaph to mark the board or slab that may lie on my tomb than this: 'He loved his country, he was a patriot; he was devoted to the Union.'"

Closer to my home, almost hidden amongst the Rebel monuments, is the fact that Old Doctor Colley, after whom Colleyville (where I live) is named, was a Southerner that fought to preserve the Union. THAT should be a source of Southern pride. If we want to talk about history, let us at least not leave Rebel Shame as the only voice. It took REAL courage to stand up for the Union if you lived in the South. 

"Old Doctor Colley" is the Second Name from the Top; With a Union Star

Colley Enlisted in Missouri in 1864

"Old Doctor Colley" and Wife

Lest you think this is limited to the South, the "Jefferson Davis Memorial Park" is located in Southern Washington State. It is within sight of Interstate 5. In its defense, at least it is on private land, though I cannot fathom why people feel they need to put up a monument to two milestones originally put up along old Highway 99, many miles from where the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was SUPPOSED to be. See the story here. 

Back around 2000, I clearly recall that the Blaine milestone still resided along the main border crossing into the US from Canada about five feet from the left side of the road, where you would have much time to contemplate its meaning if traffic was backed up. Look left and you see Jeff Davis. Look further left and you see the Peace Arch. Rebel shame indeed!

Spring Locals and Alien Invaders

Rhododendrons are the Quintessential Pacific Northwest Shrub and Flower

The Pacific Northwest has some of the most beautiful plants to be found anywhere. Besides obvious choices such as the rhododendron at the top of this post, even our evergreens have color not often appreciated or commented on.

Until They Turn Into Cones, Pine Flowers are an Attractive Yellow

These are Past Their Peak, When They'd Almost be Pink

However, we also have alien invaders. As you may see below, the lillies in front of the rhodie are not native. Ubiquitous also are things such as Himalayan Blackberries and Scotch Broom. The Scotch Broom adds a lot of color this time of year, as it grows in recently cleared areas. Blackberries also grow in clearings until local plants reclaim them.

Native and Foreign - Lillies in Front of a Rhododendron

Wild Invader - Flowering Scotch Broom in an Empty Lot.
At Least They don't have Stickers Like Blackberries, but They don't have Fruit, Either

Heck, as noted in my previous post, here, we've even got a few palm trees up here...

Cold Here Too

Only One Vehicle Dared to Brave the Cold this Morning in Ocean Shores - Who Says You Need 4WD?

Just as in North Texas, as noted here and (even better) here, bitter cold winter conditions have bedeviled Ocean Shores, Washington.

Dead Juniper in the Yard

Following a period in which the local lake froze over, we had a drought in the greenhouse that, combined with the dark and cold winter, wiped out all of the vegetation except some of the onions. What's more, the winter, combined with a reciprocating saw, wiped out our Juniper bushes in the front yard.

To top things off, we've got sleet covering up the landscape. As you can see at the top of this post, there's only been one vehicle going down our street this morning.

Still, like our hardy Texas cousins, we will replant and rebuild! Luckily, unlike California's Donner Party, the local grocery store is less than two miles away. Still things are looking up in Ocean Shores. We've actually got Internet at the house now. It's only 3Mbps, but that's still better than depending on cellular data.

WHAT We're Replanting in Ocean Shores

Getting Ready for a New Shed Door

Passing of Stan

Stan and No Mo from Historylink

In my post, here, I lamented the passing of one of my television childhood heroes, JP Patches. Last Friday, Stan Boreson joined him. For my loyal reader that isn't from Seattle, Stan Boreson held sway over KING TV, which competed mightily against JP. Still, JP and Stan were friends and joined together many times after they both got cancelled. Stan was a lot more musical than JP. Stan's passing was reported in the Seattle Times here and in the Everett Herald here.

While one my all-time favorites of Stan's was "I Don't Look Good Naked Any More." That song gloried in getting older. His classic was the King's Klubhouse theme shown below. I suspect that a local television personality that made fun of his own Scandinavian heritage is not going to show up again on television in our lifetimes.

RIP Stan. For now, his site remains up here. It has links to may of his classics. How can you go wrong listening to "I saw Hulda Kissing Uncle Sven" or "Yonson From Wisconsin?"

Even Ocean Shores Makes Bike Progress

Brand New Bike Rack at the OS IGA - Not the Greatest Rack or Location, but Securely Installed

Ocean Shores is an odd place. It's got odd ideas about bicycles, with benighted ordinances such as I recounted HERE. Despite my worries, I have not heard of the police tasering a six year-old girl for riding her bike on a local sidewalk and I've not been cited for violating the "extreme right" definition. Some local businesses similarly "just don't get it." One example was recounted HERE. I avoid patronizing such clueless spots. However, today's post is about neither sort of Ocean Shores oddity, but of two businesses that deserve a shout out. One case took a lot longer than I might have expected, and I might have pushed just a tad in the other,  but progress is being made even in Ocean Shores. Perhaps one day we'll even have a bike rack at City Hall!

EXAMPLE 1     The first example is our local IGA grocery store. As I recounted HERE, I was told by a store worker that "they" were the reason the store had no bike rack. However, the store manager told me in his email that they were ordering a rack. This was back in May. Apparently, the bike rack was ordered for delivery via covered wagon because the rack finally got installed week before last. It was a classic "wheel bender" rack that was placed closer to the building than optimum and as far from the front door as possible, but it provides a place for people to lock their bikes that is under the cover of the front roof. That is an advantage that my preferred location of locking to the shopping cart rack does not possess. It was also securely installed, unlike the "pretty" racks at the Colleyville City Center I recounted HERE. Kudos to IGA! My mom was shocked since she'd been asking for a bike rack at the IGA for several years.



EXAMPLE 2     The second example is our local McDonald's. Honestly, I don't go to McDonald's very often, but for some reason I did so yesterday. For much the same reasons as motorists (convenience), I used the drive-thru. Unlike my previous experience with the drive-thru, recounted HERE, I knew to look for an induction sensor which I had no trouble triggering with my bike. LIKE my previous experience, I was told that McDonald's does NOT allow cyclists to use the drive-thru. At least this time, they took and gave me my order.

Well, long-term readers of this blog know that I get GRUMPY about such things, as noted HERE. So, I rode home, printed off the email I received from the store owner (thank goodness I asked for and received one - phone calls leave no records!).

Well, the employee read the email but argued that it meant they should only serve people on 4-wheeled bikes. We didn't discuss how 2-wheel bikes were somehow less deserving of service than people on horses. After a brief stand-off, I suggested we resolve the question simply by calling the store owner, whose phone number was on the email. Almost surprisingly, the employee (a shift supervisor) agreed. During all this, I was worried that the worker bees' eyes were going to pop out, despite the civility of our talk.

To make a long story short, my bike is once again welcome at the Ocean Shores McDonald's and the shift supervisor sent an email to that effect to all the other store management.

Today, I took the "customer survey" and it is reproduced below.

God Bless Bike Mechanics

Interior of the LaVogue Bike Shop, in Hoquiam's "Historic LaVogue Building"

This last week, I was reminded that a bike mechanic is more than simply someone who knows how to turn a wrench on a fastener. He or she is someone that can get you back on the road, whether your problem was complex, or simply minor but irritating.

I decided to “multimode” by bike and bus into Aberdeen again, taking advantage of the “local knowledge” acquisition I did here on “Steve’s Day Out.” Well, as it turned out, I had problems of a different sort. My now venerable U Lock has been getting a little cantankerous lately, but still seemed to have a lot of life in it. After getting off the bus, I rode over to the nearby Walmart to see how THEIR film processing compared to that of Rite Aid. As it turns out, their film processing is both quicker and cheaper, though it is clear that the days of quick and good film processing are sadly behind us. Rite Aid has their film developing horse and buggy come by once a week while Walmart has twice a week service. Still, either of those are better than Tall’s “Camera” in Seattle which not only doesn’t handle film developing, but didn’t know of any place closer than about ten miles away.

To make a long story short, after completing my recon at Wallyworld, I rode over to Safeway in order to get groceries either not available at IGA, or with greatly superior value. Pulling up to their bike rack, my lock would not open. Golly! I tried again. Sheesh! Suddenly, it seemed I was 25 miles from home and on a shopping trip with a lock that wouldn’t open. While I felt lucky it didn’t fail with the bike locked inside at Walmart, shopping and a library visit now seemed out of the question. After considering options, I decided that the best option would be to ride over to neighboring Hoquiam and pay a visit to the only bike shop in Gray’s Harbor County.

Front of the LaVogue Bike Shop

The ride was uneventful, retracing a route I rode the week before, and in due time, I was at the LaVogue Bike Shop counter saying “I need a lock” as I plopped the frozen U lock down. The owner indicated that usually, the locks just needed lubrication and he tried that. Apparently, however, lube doesn’t help locks where the mechanism is falling apart beyond making stuff greasy. I indicated that the only thing it would be nice to save from the old lock was the cable which I use to attach the front wheel to the frame/rear wheel/bike rack combination. The owner stated he could probably get the lock apart and proceeded to put it in a vise until a potential customer diverted his attention. It is a wise bike shop owner that will ignore a bike sale in favor of hacking into a now-greasy lock.

U Lock in Happier Days

Still, I was not out of luck. The mechanic in the back of the shop inquired about the problem and I related how the lock was terminal, but I’d like to keep the cable or, if he couldn’t save it, to buy another to go with the new U lock. Being a guy with a golden touch, he cranked away on the lock and soon had it broken in two, with my old cable free to go with the new lock. In reply to my jesting “golly, if you don’t make it as a bike mechanic, you can always go into the business of breaking locks,” he said “yup, as long as I have a vise and a big hammer with me, I can break most any lock.” Well, perhaps a vise and a hammer is not the most subtle way to steal a bike, but I was reminded, once more, that bike mechanics are blessed. Anybody can adjust a working derailleur or replace brake pads, but fixing stuff not designed to be fixed is a talent not given to us all. And they DID sell me a new lock! I let them keep the key for the old one...

I Still Swear by the Combination of a U Lock and Cable

Steve's Day Out

Ocean Shores "Station" is Just a Covered Bus Stop - Aberdeen is Two Stops Away

For a while, I’ve been wanting to make a multi-mode trip from Ocean Shores to Aberdeen. Gray’s Harbor Transit has the very reasonable fare of $1 each way and the bus covers the trip in about 45 minutes, with no stops before it gets to Hoquiam and Aberdeen. That is far less than it would cost for gas alone if one were to motor the same distance and each bus has a two-bike rack on the front. Taking my bike on a bus rack is also something I haven’t done in the past. I found the bike rack pretty easy to use, but the beach cruiser tires did not fit the slots properly and the bike's wheelbase was also a bit too big. Still, it mostly worked OK and the bike didn't fall off the bus.

Oops. Wrong Library!

To make a long story short, I got off in Hoquiam, intending to visit the Hoquiam library. Lesson One: Make Sure the Library is OPEN on the day you plan to visit. No problem, since I got there at nine, I Googled the Aberdeen Library and found it would open at 10 and it was just after 9AM. Lesson Two: Sometimes, when you Google something, it finds something else as I discovered after reaching the “Spellman Library” at Gray’s Harbor College, which is in the middle of nowhere, though still “in” Aberdeen. While it was a nice library, I discovered that they don’t even have wifi for “regular” visitors, unlike the Aberdeen Timberland Library (which is a very nice library). Apparently it IS possible for "normal" people to obtain lending privileges at the Spellman Library, though it is difficult to get there on bike from the main part of Aberdeen. Across the street from the college is a traditional mall that's in the process of dying. One wonders why investors ever thought Aberdeen needed a mall in the first place. I'll avoid any speculation, but it isn't the sort of place you'd go except in a hard-core motor culture.

                         

Aberdeen Timberland Library is for Us "Little" People. Unlike the College Library, it Has Bike Racks Outside
the Front Door and also has WIFI for the General Public

After some shopping, and upon getting ready to board the bus home, I saw that Aberdeen has bike lockers provided by Gray’s Harbor Transit. Oddly, the same transit agency didn't see fit to provide as much as a simple bike rack at their Ocean Stores Station. Anyway, it was a fun day and I expect I’ll go back again before too long. Safeway has a FAR better selection of groceries than the Ocean Shores IGA and the Aberdeen Library is a big step up from its Ocean Shores counterpart as well.

Simpson Ave Bridge Across the Hoquiam River - Sign Requires Bikes to Use the Sidewalk
Bridge Was Closed to Roadway Traffic so that Didn't Seem Bad at All!

The Bridge Grate Shows WHY Cyclists are Required to Use the Sidewalk. It'd be Dicey Even for Motorcyclists

On my Ocean Shores blog, here, you can see some of the Aberdeen sights that motorists seem to miss. My own favorite is the rusty vintage truck, though the carved gargoyle is a close second.

Aberdeen Bike Locker Rules and Regulations

Loaded Up on the Bus and Ready to Come Home

Who are "THEY" Anyway?

Closest Thing to a Bike Rack at the Ocean Shores WA IGA

Of course, this post COULD be titled “I’m no more dead than Rantwick!”

Are "THEY" Canadians?

Seriously, this all started back in late April. I’d ridden my bike to the IGA espresso stand and was picking up some groceries while I was there. One of the IGA employees asked how I was doing and I gave my standard answer that included a desire for a bike rack. She replied, starting this whole thread; “We had one but they trashed it.” Hmm, who WERE these beings anyway? Initially, I wondered if she thought that cyclists trashed the rack. Not bloody likely since cyclists were the most obvious beneficiaries of even a bad rack. Before long, I wondered if a gang of Canadian thugs had trashed the rack during one of their cross-border raids. That seemed more likely, but still remote. Perhaps some militant motorists wreaked vengeance on any symbol of cycling. That theory was supported by my observation that somebody ran something big and heavy into the McDonalds bike rack.

Might THESE People be "THEY?"

Before long, the mystery deepened. In response to an IGA survey, the manager noted that they had ordered a bike rack. This was in the first week of May. Well, that rack still hasn’t arrived, so perhaps “they” intercepted it.

Perhaps Chandra Snuck up to Ocean Shores to be "THEY?"

I also heard about potential “they” scofflaws in the local news when I heard that motorists were zooming down shoulders in Seattle in order to pass stopped school buses, narrowly missing students that were about to board. Scary. However, as time went on, I realized that the “they” are almost all of us.

Might "THEY" be the Mormon Church?

Which brings me back to wanting a real bike rack at the IGA...