Friday, September 11, 2009

Comment: Have A Great Ride


Dear, dear Cycle Oregon folks... it's been a long road since this Blog was set up in July, but not as long as the road you'll be taking tomorrow! What a polite and interesting group you are... I had fun with the questions and the comments and especially with how nice everyone has been, here and in the Cycle Oregon forum.
We've had tons of "hits" on this Blog, and we've had web traffic from almost every state, including Alaska and Hawaii. We've also been visited by viewers from countries like Australia, Italy, Brazil, and Japan... and of course our neighbors to the north, Canada.


Here's to a good time, a great ride, meeting new friends, and exploring new places... Thanks again for visiting the blog, the River Canyon Press Cycle Oregon page, and most of all... thanks for visiting us in "The State of Jefferson." (Remember to send us a few pictures or comments when the ride is over... we'll post them here to share with everyone.)


Good luck!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Comment: Yreka Welcome Mat Is Out As Well

Here's some info on the planned events for Cycle Oregon participants during the Yreka stop, as per the Siskiyou Daily News.

Quoting fom Mike Slizewski's article, "Cycle Oregon activities in Yreka include shuttles from the fairgrounds to downtown Yreka. They will run from 12:45 p.m. to 6 p.m., and there will be four pick-up and drop-off locations, according the Yreka Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jill Harris.“A map will be handed out on Sunday at the chamber booth,” Harris stated in a press release. “Shuttle service is a fundraiser for Madrone Hospice, and the charge is $5 per person.” Ringe Pool will be open from 1-6 p.m. for cyclists to swim and/or shower. A fundraiser for the Yreka High School swim team, cost is $3 per person. Photographs will be taken by M&M Photography at sculptor Ralph Starritt’s local icon, the Yreka Miner. This is one of the shuttle stops. Yreka Mailbox will be set up in the Yreka chamber office with U.S.P.S. flat-rate shipping available. Harris also stated that the following businesses will be open from 1-6 p.m.: Klander’s Deli, the Village Grind (free WiFi and a 10-percent discount for Cycle Oregon), Surroundings, Natural Selections, Siskiyou Gallery & Frame (10-percent Cycle Oregon discount), Miner Street Antiques, Capp’s Speakeasy (local beer and wine-tasting, and featuring Granola Girl products), Celestial Dreams, New Traditions Dulcimers & Woodcrafts, Hospice Heartisans, The Shoe Shop, The Audacity entertainment café (live music), Liberty Arts gallery (current exhibit is local Indian art), Dave’s Clocks (no sales tax for Cycle Oregon), Tasty Q (State of Jefferson items and local food products), Black’s Home Furnishings (mining display), Shoppe Serendipity, MacGregor’s Gifts, Grogg & Book Emporium ($1 books and Lee Morris woodcarving demonstration, free “grogg” for Cycle Oregon), Winterburn’s Lighthouse (50-percent off everything sale), Ming’s ($9 Chinese buffet per person), and Sister Chic."

For the full text of the article go to SiskiyouDailyNews.com.

Blogger note: If you get a chance while you're in the Main Street area, stop by the Siskiyou County Courthouse at 311 Fourth Street. Go through the front door and to your immediate left (unless someone moved it) you'll see the biggest display of gold south of Alaska. It's been called "The Million Dollar Gold Display," but the value may be much more than that now. It's a great way to see the different forms of gold (placer, nugget, dust, etc.) and yes... it is real.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Comment: After The Ride

After the RIDE, feel free to send pictures, comments, and heck, even poems (normally I'm very touchy about poetry) if you have them and we'll post them here... kind of a showcase for everyone. We'll keep this up for a while after the ride is over.

Send your material to the River Canyon Press at publicrelations@rivercanyonpress.com and we'll try to get them on the blog site to share with everyone else. The lawyer is making me say a bunch of legal junk about the submissions, but my summary is: Your stuff will be on the internet, we aren't paying you for it, and we have no control of what happens to it after we put it in the blog. There, that's done. Don't submit your invention ideas, the secret Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe, or a map of where the gold is buried in your backyard... everyone will see it.

Question: Oregon Caves Shuttle

Anonymous asked, "Is there a shuttle available to visit the Oregon Caves while we are there?"

I've called around, and unless the Cycle Oregon folks are planning to provide one your options may be limited. (Update 9/7/09: There may be shuttles to the Caves... see the Cycle Oregon Forum posts here.)

I love the Oregon Caves. The place is thick with history, and if I had a magic wand the Chateau would be my personal writer's retreat in the mountains... but until I find that magic wand I settle for one of the old fashioned rooms (no tv, no phone) and sharing the place with everyone else staying there that night. It's one of the places I'd encourage my out-of-town friends to see...

Out of the box idea... A Day 6 "Layover" Adventure: What if you and a few friends prearranged a car rental in Grants Pass? Some companies will even come and pick you up. The drive from Grants Pass to Cave Junction takes about 35 minutes (30ish miles), and then the drive from Cave Juntion to the Oregon Caves is about another 30 minutes (20ish miles) (windy mountain road). Take a backpack with a picnic lunch, and after the Cave tour you can hang out in the forest above the cave (where the tour ends) and picnic...There are two paths back to the base from the end of the tour, and I usually take the longer one. You can also see if the Chateau is serving lunch (or dinner). If it's a really hot day, there is a creek fed pond behind the Chateau that is perfect for feet dangling or even more... but the water is very cold. Ask the Chateau staff for a mini-tour of the building, or -- if you have a group going with you -- call ahead and ask if you could arrange a group tour of the caves and the Chateau. In the past the staff has been delightful and amenable to requests.

I always, even in hot summer temps, bring a sweatshirt as a backup IN the cave... can feel very cold... 44 degrees, I think, all year.

Once you leave Cave Junction for the Oregon Caves, there are no gas stations and no stores.

Here are some car rental places in Grants Pass. I haven't used them. If you're a Costco member, try to book through their "TRAVEL" tab on Costco.com. I've found great deals there once in a while...

Enterprise Rent-A-Car - Grants Pass - http://www.enterprise.com/
1325 Ne 7Th St, Grants Pass - (541) 471-7800

Discount Rent-A-Car - 1470 NE 7th St, Grants Pass - (541) 471-6411

Budget Rent-A-Car: Grants Pass - 825 NE ""F"" St - http://www.budgettruck.com/
825 NE ""F"" St, Grants Pass - (541) 471-6311

Oregon Caves Information:
National Park Service -- http://www.nps.gov/orca/index.htm
The Chateau at Oregon Caves -- http://ivcdo.projecta.com/sectionindex.asp?sectionid=2

If you miss it on this trip... think about putting it on your list of things to do when you come back.

Hope this helps. Drive safe. Have fun!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Info: Lake Selmac Welcome Mat Is Out

Here's some Lake Selmac area information, from Mark, courtesy of the Cycle Oregon Forum at http://forum.cycleoregon.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=598 for those who may not have seen it:

"I've been involved with planning the community booth at Lake Selmac, and I wanted to let everyone know some of what we'll have available for you there. As you ride over the hill from Happy Camp, you'll descend into the Illinois Valley, the gateway to the high Siskiyous. The Siskiyou mountains are a biologically and geologically unique ecosystem, and we wanted to share our excitement about being in such a special place. In addition, the Community Information booth is being sponsored by the Illinois River Valley Arts Council, which for several years has developed a unique program of bringing the Arts into our local schools through our Learning Through Art program. At the Community Information Booth we'll have extensive information about the Arts Council and our programs. Also, we've teamed up with the Siskiyou Field Institute to present information about all the specialness of the Siskiyou Mountain region."

"Here's some of the specific things we'll have at the Community Information Booth:Free wine tasting courtesy of Bendock Estates Winery from 6 to 8 pmWe'll have a laundry service available. Bring your laundry to the Community Information Booth before 8 pm (of course, earlier is better!) and we'll have it laundered and folded and available for you to pick it up by 6 am the next morning. A local laundromat, the Brown Barn Laundry in Cave Junction, is teaming up to provide this service. They are very familiar with washing and drying cycling clothes. Cost is $9 per load.We going to have a raffle with two dynamite prizes. One prize is an overnight for two at the Caves Chateau and Oregon Caves, plus dinner for two at the Chateau Dinning Room, and a Caves Tour. In addition, if you want to bring your bikes to ride either up or down the hill from the Caves (a beautiful 8 mile hill, or 20 miles from Cave Junction all the way to the Caves), we'll help arrange car or bike shuttle for you. This vacation can taken when you choose.The other prize is two nights lodging for two at Deer Creek Center, the home of The Siskiyou Field Institute (and John Wayne's old ranch), and two days of courses at the Siskiyou Field Institute (SFI). Lots in info about SFI and their wonderful selection of classes will be available at the Community BoothTickets for the raffle will be only be sold at Lake Selmac on the day the Cycle Oregon is there. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20"

"We'll have two shirts available: One is a wonderful embroidered shirt we're making in conjunction with a local business that specializes in embroidered clothing. It will have an outline of the high Siskiyou Mountains and a Cycle Oregon souvenir message. The other shirt, a T-Shirt from SFI, will feature a silk screened image of the Darlingtonia, an insect eating plant found in the Illinois Valley and widely in Siskiyous.We'll have a couple of postcards available, and if you want to send a card to someone, fill it out and we'll mail it for you the next day!We'll have an Associate Membership available to the Illinois River Valley Arts Council. Associate members are kept up to date on our programs, especially our unique effort to bring the Arts in the schools and make up for the budget cuts in Arts education that our schools have suffered.Siskiyou Field Institute will also offer memberships in various categories. Cell phone reception is pretty limited and the Lake Selmac campsite. We're working with a local computer company to try to provide a wireless internet signal at the Community Information Booth. If this works out (we need to do final testing yet!), we'll have a free Internet Cafe and the Community Booth, and also if you have a laptop or other device, the signal will be available to you to check email, etc. And of course, we'll have some great food vendors with scrumptious goodies, and some special marketplace folks including displays of human powered vehicles.Mark R"

Good job, Mark R. !

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Comment: DEET

Anonymous added, "WARNING: I've heard rumors that the amazing DEET molecules don't play nice with lycra/spandex/cycling clothes. So unless one wants to chance putting on a "how come that guy's clothes are disappearing, mommy?" show, be VEWWWY COWFULL when applying DEET ("Dis Enzyme Exposes Things") on or near your cycling duds...or maybe it's just another urban legend. Might be fun to find out..."

Wow. Had no idea. I guess if you're riding faster than the mosquitos can fly, then you only have to worry about the little monsters in camp... Or, if the DEET does dissolve your shiny riding clothes, you might want to think about some really good sunblock too.

On a side note: For those of you I've seen training in the area, good job. Hope you're enjoying us!

Comment: Another Wi Fi Spot

Anonymous added, "Blondies' Bistro also has free Wi-Fi (and Great Food), downtown on 5th & G St. 541-479-0420" in Grants Pass. Here's the website: http://www.blondiesbistro.com/page/page/5905570.htm