Sunday, October 2, 2011

The last post...

It's Sunday evening, October 2, 2011. I can't believe September is done and October is here. Most of you know by now that I met the challenge!

The total for the month was 615 miles!! We had a sweet celebration at school with my team teachers and students. They ran after me as I biked around campus and we had cupcakes to further celebrate!

Here are some interesting facts from my month of biking.
1. Total miles - 615 miles
2. Average mph - 11.5 mph
3. Probable amount of biking time - 55.5 hours
4. Amount of money saved from gas - $113.78 (if I got 20 miles to the gallon in my truck and if gas costs $3.70/gallon)
5. Number of work days it rained in September - 2 days
6. Number of people who pledged - at least 20 people (I think more)
7. Amount of money raised if everyone sends their donation - at least $1200

Thank you all for your support, your cheering, and most importantly - your donation to Deaf Teen Leadership Camp! Because of your donation, more Deaf students will be able to attend or a few more Deaf facilitators can be trained. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Until next year??
:-) Donna

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Total for today: 21 miles
Total for the month: 594 miles!!

That's right. Tomorrow, when I am halfway to work, I will hit the 600th mile! I plan to stop, take a picture of my odometer, and upload it to facebook as soon as I can. My class is also having a little party and I'll take a lap around the parking lot to celebrate! Wahoo!

Don't forget to RSVP if you are planning to attend our donut celebration!! I mean I will eat all the Krispy Kremes we buy if no one comes... But I'd hate to eat them in front of you while you are drooling wishing you had RSVP'd.

Tomorrow, I'll also post my top 10 reasons or good things about biking to work everyday. Should be worth a read!

Tomorrow's the big day!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

For the short and sweet of it...

Totals for today: 21 miles
Totals for the month: 573 miles!!

For those of you who are interested, Shawn and I will be having a celebration on Friday night at 7pm. We plan to have a spaghetti dinner, but more importantly, we will have a Krispy Kreme and Wine feast. Please let us know if you plan to stop by for donuts and wine and if you'll be coming for dinner! So much to celebrate!

This morning, it was definitely fall! The atmosphere was dampened in sound by thick fog. Through the bike headlight, you could see the molecules of water dancing around. The sunrise happened so late, I was practically at school before the skies lightened at all.

The ride home was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!!!! The skies were clear - not a trace of pollution. The sun had just dipped past the horizon as we crossed the bridge and it still lit Mt Hood so you could see the intricate lines of snow craggling down the mountain. I don't think "craggling" is a word, but that's the only way to describe the snow-covered mountain top.

For those of you at WSD, I plan to have a short ceremony (not sure the time - I'm checking with folks now) to celebrate the actual 600th mile. Hopefully the event will be complete with photos and an eventual mention in the Columbian newspaper.

Stay tuned for the BIG finish...

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Oh, yeah!! So close!

I took the LONG way home (34 miles) along with my 10 mile trip to work makes today's total: 44 miles.
That's right, David Martin! I know you already have that check ready!

Total for the month: 552 miles!!!!

Three days left and only 48 miles to go.

Tonight, I took I-5 home to Vancouver Ave. I had no idea so many bikers used Vancouver Ave. We were like traffic! Bikers were everywhere! I took the Eastside Esplanade to the Springwater Corridor Trail past Oaks Park and then to the I-205 bike path. From there, I biked down to Clackamas Town Center and then turned around and biked home. Whew! It was a gorgeous day and night for a ride.

It's definitely fall here - dark in the mornings and getting darker earlier and earlier in the day!

Here's a picture from my ride back home.


Doesn't this make you want to bike home?

Monday, September 26, 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

It's official!!! Total for the month: 508 miles!

Today, I rode 25 miles tacking on a few extra miles on my way home. If you pledged money for 500 miles, get those checks ready (made out to Deaf Teen Leadership Camp) and send them to:

Deaf Teen Leadership Camp
c/o Cispus Learning Center
2142 Cispus Road
Randle, WA 98377

Today was the FIRST day it rained on my way to work! Yes, it's true. Portland went an entire month without rain. It rained yesterday (Sunday) but I didn't ride. The ride today was refreshing and cool as was the ride home.

The end is nearing and I have 92 miles left for those of you who challenged me to 600 miles. It will be a challenge, but I'm up for it! Stay tuned for the finish!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

What a Saturday!!!!!

Yesterday was Saturday, September 24, 2011. We are in the home stretch with 5 days to go in September. Can she do it? Will she make it to 600 miles? Will there be donuts at the end of her rides ever? These are questions I know you are dying to know the answer to!

Yesterday, Shawn was invited to read some of his poetry at St. Johns Independent Bookstore with Leah Stenson, Jon Seaman, and Dave Jarechi (I hope I have spelled all those names correctly). We decided to bike on over that morning. What a gorgeous day to be outside riding a bike in Portland today. I'm not sure how we managed to get there without having a hill to climb, but we did. All the way to St. Johns and no hill.

The poetry was beautiful by everyone! Leah read poems based on many of her travels. Shawn read poems about life and love, Jon read poems about family, and Dave read poems inspired by his adorable 5-month old who was in attendance.

The bike ride home was just as lovely. Ok, one bridge was out and Shawn and I had to cross a train trestle to get to the other side, but every bike ride is an adventure, right?

We biked along Marine Dr until we got to 33rd where Shawn headed home. I kept going and finally made it to Blue Lake and then turned around.

All told, my total mileage for Saturday: 43 miles!!
Total for the month: 483 miles!!!!

Today, I took a day "off" and Shawn and I went kayaking on Sauvie Island. Beautiful! We were on the water about 3 hours paddling along the canal. We saw one deer, at least 5 herons, 4 beavers, so many fish jumping out of the water, houseboats, geese, I could go on and on...

For your viewing pleasure, here's a photo from our ride yesterday.

Friday, September 23, 2011

End of the Week - Friday, 9/23/2011

I know it's been a couple of days since I updated my totals. For those only interested in totals:

Total for Wednesday, 9/21/2011: 21 miles
Total for Thursday, 9/22/2011: 21 miles
Total for today, Friday, 9/23/2011: 22 miles
Total for the month: 440 miles!

For those of you who need more reading material: read on!

Wednesday was the most beautiful ride for many reasons. For one, I didn't want to get up and ride. Monday and Tuesday there were brutal head winds biking up I-205. I wasn't sure I had it in my to do it again. Once on the bike, the sky started to reveal itself in purples and pinks. Mt. Hood was an incredible shade of gray shadow, crisp and clear. Biking over 205, the sky looked like a fleece blanket folded down to reveal the sky that was slowly brightening as I rode. There was NO wind - somebody loves me!

Another friend of mine, Ginger, bikes to work twice a week. When I saw her, the first thing she said was, "Wasn't it a BEAUTIFUL ride this morning??" I love it!

Thursday was another beautiful day in the morning. Friday was peaceful and I felt strong. I love those days.

In retrospect, I wish I'd taken a photo every day at the same time as I leave the house. I think it would be fascinating to watch how lit the skies were at the beginning of the month and how dark it is now when I leave the house. If the skies are clear, the sky is black and the stars are still shining when I leave.

Here's that gorgeous picture of me and Shawn as we biked home together one day. See how happy you could be if you biked to work??