Lariat

I was haning out with some Montana cowboys over the weekend and was treated to some impressive lariat work. Man, it was really something to watch! My old man would have loved to have seen this.

We were sitting around the fire at night listening to one of the old cowboys play guitar sing cowboy songs when they found out that I play guitar.. They asked me to play and brushed it off for a while, but then the guy with the lariat said in a very calm voice, "I don't mean to be obnoxious Don, but I'd Iike for you to get your guitar and play us a song.."

Well I figured from the tone of his voice I'd better comply or I might find myself at the end of his lasso!,..and the last time I saw a cowboy with a lasso, a bull lost his um,. bullhood,. Then I got roped and the cowboy said Don's next!

Gitane Team

Here's a picture of my 1970s Gitane Team that I got a few years ago. I collected parts for years and finally got a nice frame. Since this is bicyclelog, I thought I'd focus on bikes for a while. I've been nostalgic about cycling in Missoula and a simpler time in my life, when most summer days were spent riding my Stella 10 speed. I don't ride this Gitane very often but it's always a pleasure when I do. I'm going to have to take this bike to Missoula and go for a ride I guess.

***

I've been calling this a Gitane Team as it has a decal that says Racing Team on the chain stay. Clearly the bike came equipped with campy record as the frame came with a campy bottom bracket and also a campy headset. Also I could tell that it had the campy top tube cable clips as the paint was slightly faded in those spots, and so I put the exact same clips back on. Also has a campy end bolt. But back in the early 70s the Gitane lineup was from Grand Sport, Interclub, Tour de France and the top of the line campy record equipped bike was the Super Corsa. And of course they had some bikes below the Grand Sport too.

Anyway, this bike is a mid 70s and I suspect that even though this bike had full campy, it would probably be called a Tour de France, or a Team not a Super Corsa. It does not have campy dropouts on it. It has the funky honey comb rear dropouts that I used to think were so cool.

Flathead Lake bike ride

My friend and I rode up the west side of Flathead Lake in Montana on Saturday. I used my old French Stella bike that I used to ride back and forth from Missoula to Flathead all of those years ago. It still works like it used to although modern bikes are a lot easier to ride distance on. Feast your eyeballs on this picture of me as you won't see a lot of pics of me on bicyclelog. Gosh, I really should ride more.. Just look at that road!

Here's a picture of my cycling friend Salvatore. He did most of the work while I sat on his wheel as we rode into a strong head wind. Thank you for the nice pulls Sammy!

A pic of Salvatore as we approached our destination.

The view of Flathead Lake from our destination was pretty nice to say the very least.

Schwinn Traveler

Here is the latest addition to the bicyclelog family of bikes. A 1964 Schwinn Traveler. It's a single speed with a coaster brake. I found it in Craigslist. "You have enough bikes Don!" I can hear them say.. Well I just couldn't resist. Plus it's "coppertone" (the Schwinn name for this color of gold) My favorite bikes have all been yellow or gold.

Anyway I wanted a regular bike that I could just jump on and ride without getting too serious and still be comfortable on. Unlike my beach cruiser this bike fits me more like a traditional road bike so I can cruise at about 14-16 mph and go quite a ways in comfort on it. Since I bought this bike, it's the only one I've been riding. I have a rack to put on it and I'm going to get a great big lock so I can go to the store with it and stuff like that.

"You're just trying to justify it Don!" I can hear them say.. Actually I'm just trying to find more ways to make cycling a bigger part of lifestyle

Daisy daisy

Queenie said that she liked daisies. I've taken hundreds and hundreds of daisy pictures. (I'm really not kidding,.) but I've never been that happy with any of them. Finally I got one that I think works. I guess you have to try hard to make some things work.

Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat pictures

Here are more wildlife pictures from Glacier Park. This Bighorn walked past us while we were eating our lunch.

There were many Mountain Goats along the trail, and the one below stopped to take a look at me.

We saw a black bear along the shore of Lake McDonald but we didn't get a picture.

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Wild Horse Island Trees

There's something magical about Wild Horse Island that makes it one of my favorite places. My favorite place perhaps.. Well, I haven't exactly been to a lot of different places,.. I've never been to Greece or Italy,. but I love being on and around Wild Horse Island. Here's a picture of some trees on the island.

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Vacation in Montana

Well I've been on vacation in Montana. Not something I do a lot of in one stretch. Plus I've had a dear blogger friend to share it with, and that makes it all the better. We went boating in the canoe sailboat and motor boat, took in a play and went for a hike in Glacier Park. And of course we took lots of pictures.
My new sporty car worked well, but now I'll have to drive it back to work in the salt mines..

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Wild Horse Island sunset

Here's a picture of the sun going down behind Wild Horse Island. I didn't know what else to call this post. I like to cruise in the shade of the east shore of the island at the end of a warm summer day. There were some unusual clouds in the sky.

Planet Flathead

I always feel like I'm on the edge of the planet at Flathead Lake.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

Stella 10 speed bicycle

When I was growing up my parents gave me a series of bikes. Some new and some used. My first speed bike was a hardware store 10 speed made by Nishiki under a different brand. The first time I shifted the gears on it I was hooked on cycling and realized the potential. I rode that bike on several distance rides, including to Flathead Lake and back from Missoula several times, a trip of 100 miles in one direction. I used to look down and see my shadow like this for hours upon hours.

I had several mechanical breakdowns with that first speed bike including the Shimano rear derailleur just falling apart out on the highway miles from Missoula. I rigged it so it would stay in one gear and rode 40 or 50 miles like that, but that was the last straw. (I haven't been a big fan of Shimano since actually) I think I was a 7th grader at the time. So my dad took me to Braxton's Bike shop in Missoula and bought me a decent French 10 speed bike. This yellow Stella SX6 10 speed. They supported me in my distance cycling and I think they were worried about my bike breaking down. This bike never let me down.

I had been wanting a Gitane as that was the cool bike to have at the time, but Sam Braxton took a look at me and sold us this Stella instead. I remember I didn't have much choice in the matter. It was yellow though, and yellow was my favorite color, plus it was French and a little more exclusive than a Gitane actually. Braxton said that I'd grow into this bike and it would last me for years. Those words have proven to be true. It fits me perfectly all these years later and is still a pleasure to ride. I think about Sam Braxton every time I ride this bike. There's a little white sticker on the top of the seat tube that says Assembled by Braxton Missoula Montana.

I have made a few changes to it and of course it's not my only bike, but it's pretty much the same as it was. I got a longer stem and new bars. I wore the wheels out and had Dennis Sparrow build a new set way back when. And I mowed lawns for a summer to buy that Stronglight 99 crank at the cost of $75, quite a bit of money for a crank back then. I think Stella was named after the builders wife, but it means star and I like the star in the crank. Notice the old school Christophe toe clips.

That crank has a 45 tooth "small" ring on the fron BTW. That makes Sunny Slope Hill out of Polson a bit of a pull on this bike at the end of a long day.

Boathouse picture

From outside of the bubble to inside of the boathouse.. Here's a picture from inside of my boathouse... It's sort of a boathouse still life. Those outboard motors have been still for years. A guy can't have too many outboards in my opinion, working or not...

The one on the top is a Johnson and the one on the bottom is a Sea King.

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Dayton Montana and Flathead Lake

Dayton Montana on Flathead Lake. Wild Horse Island is on the right. They just put a few more horses on the island for people to see when they go for a hike there. Until this winter they were down to one old horse. It was a one horse island. I saw it a while back and he didn't look that wild, but you have to have wild horses on Wild Horse Island. There are Bighorn Sheep and Mule deer on the island as well as other wild animals. I guess they could call it Wild Animal Island the next time they run out of horses...

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

Tourist Season in Montana

A bumper sticker I saw in Western Montana. I took a chance getting this picture actually. I'm sure I looked a little like a tourist standing there with my camera...

Sailing on Flathead Lake

I had my first sailing of the summer on Flathead Lake over the weekend. It was pretty good as nobody was on Big Arm Bay. There was a lot of pine pollen in the water and I love that as it reminds me of my youth. There was also a lot of drift wood. Here's a picture of what I saw looking forward of the Hobie Cat with Chief Cliff in the distance.

Here's a picture looking up at the rig. You can see that my mainsail isn't downhauled enough causing the horizontal wrinkles. I have a hard time downhauling the main with my new sails. Plus I started pointing up into the wind as I took this pic causing the tell tails to flutter up. (the little ribbon in front of the triangle on the sail) It should be flying straight back if the sail is in proper trim.

Here's a picture looking aft with Big Arm in the distance. There wasn't much wind but I was moving right along on my Hobie 16. Hobie Cats are much faster than other sailboats and it makes them really fun to sail. Plus you can blow by very wealthy people in expensive yachts. That makes me feel good as I only spent $500 for my old Hobie. :)

Boating to Wild Horse Island

I made my first boat trip of the year to Wild Horse Island. Sailboats were returning to spend the night in Skeeko Bay.

I beached the skiff for a while and fished from shore. Everything was just as I left it except now all the plants were green and the island had a wonderful smell. I could hear a grouse drumming somewhere on the hill. They flap their wings to call a mate.

Pine tree in bloom

I noticed a pine tree in Montana that was in bloom. Soon yellow pine pollen will be floating in Flathead Lake and the other northwest mountain lakes. It's an image I've known my whole life, that yellow stuff floating in the lakes and sometimes it can be seen at a distance floating in the air above the trees.

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Here's a picture of a woman stand up paddle boarding on Flathead Lake. Kind of captures the weather situation on Memorial Day in Western Montana.

I guess stand up paddle boarding is the answer to sitting down in a canoe or a kayak if you want to paddle.

I like to windsurf, and also enjoy the canoe, so I guess I can relate.. It's sort of interesting to watch anyway, and I'd much rather see this than someone on a personal watercraft making endless circles.

Washington State Line Bridge

They are closing and tearing down the old "state line / Spokane River bridge" between Idaho and Washington. It's the old bridge over the Spokane River that people used to use to get into the state of Washington from Idaho and and places to the east. Now people come in from the west on I-90. The old bridge still served as a secondary way into Washington State and also a way across the the river for people like me who live in Washington but work on the other side of the river or just want to get on I-90. I've ridden over this bridge on my bike for several years.

I imagine all of the people who stopped here in the old days before the interstate came through to take a photo as they made the journey to Washington and the west. This used to mark the entrance to Washington State. There's a small place to park.

It says; "Spokane River Bridge Eastern Gateway to the State of Washington and the Spokane Valley" And on the other side of the road it says; "Spokane River Perpetuatiing the name of the Indian Tribe Spo-Kan-EE Children of the Sun".

Commuter Dog

This bumper sticker reads, My money and my kid go to the University of Montana.. It seems that everyone and their dog are stuck in traffic these days.

I rode my bike to work today. I need to get used to it because of the traffic congestion. And actually it was nice. It's going to rain the rest of the week so I have to decide about that still. At lunch I rode the bike over to a sandwich shop drive through. Did you know that some fast food drive throughs won't allow bikes..? It's not the customer image they want I guess.

So I was going to ride down to the river and eat my lunch but I decided to go to the park instead. My mp3 player was locked up so I just sat there on a bench by a softball diamond and looked at a chain linked fence while I ate. I had a "Russian" sandwich, but I don't know why they call it that. It was pretty much just a turkey sandwich with some roast beef also.. Is that what they eat in Russia?

As I sat there a guy showed up on the field with a soccer ball. Great big field and one guy with a soccer ball. I was thinking, it's too bad he doesn't have anyone to kick the ball back and forth to. Then another guy showed up. Soon there were a whole bunch of guys, who came from all directions and they set up goals and started a game. I sat and watched from behind the chain linked fence, and for a while I kept score.

Finally I decided to move out from behind the chain linked fence to get a better view. So I sat with my back against a tree and watched the game. Each player had his own body language, but there was one guy who seemed to be a natural for the sport. A short guy who seemed to always be in the action and making goals. His movements were fluid and smooth as if he'd been playing soccer his whole life. (or football, call it what you will)

Finally I looked at my watch and got on my bike and rode back to work. Don't these guys have to work? I thought as I left.. Are there that many people who can just go to the park and play soccer in the afternoon? Perhaps they are all stay at home Dads and get babbysitters while they play..

I took pictures of the guys playing soccor but the Commuter Dog picture was better. I feel just like that retriever when I drive my car home from work these days.

Flathead River

The Flathead River in Montana. I'm always driving up and down this section and sometimes I'll stop and take a picture. It's extra effort BTW as this time I had to climb over a barbed wire fence to get this shot..

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Schwinn cruiser

Here's a picture of my Schwinn cruiser bike. I got it out of the woods and repaired it so I wouldn't exactly call it a beach cruiser, it's more of a timber cruiser.. It began life as a three speed probably in the 60s. The wheels didn't come on this bike but they were also in the woods. They are the old 26.5 size (or something like that), so I had to special order tires to fit them. Anyway they are different than modern 26 inch tires. I rebuilt the coaster brake which was stuck, and packed the hubs. I bought a new chain, new Schwinn pedals, and put a 70s road bike saddle on it. I can't deal with old cruiser saddles.

People say, "don, you should paint it." But I like the way it looks. Kind of has that relic look going on.. Well it's time to go for a ride on it.

Bike to Work Week Spokane

Another bike to work week in Spokane. This is a picture of the traffic leaving the comunity where I work at 5:00 pm or shortly there after. They've allowed all of this development both housing and business with little or no thought to the traffic problems. There is only one lane to get on the freeway going westbound. There are road closures and bridge closures everywhere. No matter what they do to repair and build to accommodate cars it's never enough.

To top that off they built this expensive pedestrian bridge over the freeway in exactly the wrong spot forcing people to cross traffic just to get to it at the intersection you see in the distance. As a result I never use it with my bike and just cross freeway on the one lane with the cars. The last thing anyone needs is a cyclist trying to get across the intersection here at this time of day. It's just a huge mess.

It is better to cycle for me though. With this much traffic it takes me about the same amount of time to cycle as it does to drive. Since I've been riding my bike to work I've only been hit by one car driven by a lady who turned into me head on. She said she didn't see me.

Oregon Grape

Here's a picture of some Oregon Grape that my Dad planted. I don't know who's bee that is. I think it's a young bumble bee. There were lots of bees on the Oregon Grape and it was hard to get the picture I wanted as they kept moving around. You can click on the picture if you want to see it bigger.

It was a beautiful day in Montana and Idaho today. Warm in the sun, and yet cool. I drove through the forest after a spring shower with the car windows down and the smell was wonderful.

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Elmo Montana

Here's a picture I took of my morning canoe ride on Flathead Lake. I'd say canoe trip but it wasn't really a trip. I canoe along that shore next to those trees. Sometimes I'll beach the canoe and look around on the shore. I was the only person on the whole bay,.. the whole lake maybe. I don't really understand that. You'd think there'd be lots of people who'd want to be out on the lake when it's like this. On the other hand there's no shortage of people driving back and forth on the highway that goes around the lake..?

I really am outside of the bubble..

Canoes and vacuum cleaners

I don't know how I lived so long without a canoe.. When I'm at Flathead Lake, I just want to be out on it. I can't really explain it. It's not like there are fish I want or seals or anything like that. Canoes are like bicycles for the water. Click on the picture to get the Don's eye view.

And on the subject of vacuum cleaners,.. How could she possibly think this is a good vacuum cleaner I thought as she complimented me on my wind tunnel. It's plastic.. She never worked in a motel I guess. I have one just like this she said, and I love it. Really,. I thought. I'm not a big fan of plastic vacuum cleaners, and this plastic vacuum cleaner is totally substandard. Well I didn't say it but that's what I was thinking while I let her borrow my wind tunnel. And yet I'm sure her place is much cleaner than my place is. There's little doubt about it.. Just because you have good taste in vacuum cleaners doesn't mean you have a clean place.

I guess it's like guitars. Just because you have a nice guitar, it doesn't make you a good guitar player... Vacuum cleaners are exactly the same. So I guess if you suck, then buy a cheap guitar.

I really just wanted to talk about vacuum cleaners but I needed a reason to throw in my canoe picture. So I made it Canoes and vacuum cleaners, but I probably should have made it Vacuum cleaners and canoes. Vacuum cleaners don't make the best pictures.. I've tried.

Got snow?

Well I guess I'd better give up on skiing for this season as I'm sort of running out of snow to ski on. Unless I go to Mt. Hood for race camp that is.. I think I got well over 40 days in this year but I lost track after 30 and it wasn't even a good snow year. I guess I should just let it go... Time to jump on the bike. This is bicycle log after all,. but it all came and went far to fast.

Flathead Lake picture

Here's a picture of Flathead Lake that I took this morning as I chatted on the beach with my neighbor. We were talking water pumps and stuff like that. Now and then I turn and take a snapshot. How I wish I could enjoy this view all of the time like he does.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

I have Montana on the brain right now..

Go green

On the subject of mowing.. I had my canoe sitting on the grass out back for a few days and needed to move it to mow. It left this impression on the grass. Since I work in the printing industry I'm big into impressions. I think it looks like a feather.

And with the return of spring comes the return of new colors to bicycle log. Go green!

The thing I like about snow

The thing I like about snow,. you don't have to mow.. I'm already missing ski season..

Flathead basketball

I noticed a basketball floating in Flathead Lake while I was out on my canoe. I think that's the direction it came from.

Triathlon Jones

I've noticed that Bicycle Log has been listed on the side bar of TRIATHLON JONES. So I'm going to return the favor and put Brett's site on my side bar. Man I wish I had his motivation!

Skiing and boarding pictures

It was windy on the mountain today. Second to the last day here, and what a great day to end the season on. It takes a lot more nerve to drop in like this than you'd think. It's much steeper than it looks.

Here we are making our way over to the cornice. That's Hans on the left. The wind was just blasting up the hill there. It was really cool!

Snowboarders getting ready to take a run, It was such a nice day and the snow was great!

My friend Stephen rocking a new full face helmet. I used to be able to beat this kid, but not any more!.. He's super fast in the race course. A national champion!

Moose balls

Only in North Idaho... I guess it could be worse. It could be skunk balls..

This was in a portable outhouse where I ski. (I voted for Obama BTW, and I'm very happy with my choice.)

Lookout Pass ski photos

I skied at Lookout Pass on my way to Montana for Easter. The skiing was free BTW, Thank you Lookout! I'm a lttle nostalgic about Lookout Pass. I've always loved skiing there. I took this picture while it was snowing Saturday. I removed the color and it had kind of a vintage look that I associate with the place. If you look around in the lodge there are lots of old photos, and I think that inspired me.

And here's a picture of the trees as you ride up the chair from the backside.


Here's a picture I took of the frontside chairlift at the top of it after the ski season ended a couple of years ago. I skied up alone on my back country skis and had the whole place to myself. Then I telemarked down. I've posted this picture once before but I thought it went well with this set so here it is again.

Chairlift pictures

Just when I was getting tired of taking chairlift pictures... Hey, I wanted to be on that chair! Well to get more pictures of course...

I asked this liftie if I could take a picture of her shirt. She scans your pass so you can get on the lift. It says, "my job is better than your vacation". I wanted to get a better shot of it so you could read it, but she gave me such a cute pose and smile I just had to go with the first one.