We just completed our first Cycle Oregon Weekend.  What a great experience!  See the video below.  Noah and Avery joined me on a 73 mile ride on Saturday, while Dove took Jadon and Zach on a 50 mile route that was every bit as beautiful, minus one great downhill run.  The next day we went out for a shorter 36 mile ride, and got all the way to the 32nd mile mark when Noah had a pedal fail. Fortunately, a support vehicle pulled up only minutes later to take Noah the rest of the way. 

There were several loops you could choose from - ranging from 20 to 100 miles. The support was amazing, the food was abundant, and the scenery was gorgeous.  It is a treat to see the Oregon countryside from a bike.  Water and food was offered every 10-15 miles, providing several opportunities to rest and refuel along the way.

I am looking forward to doing this again.  Hopefully, we'll bring along a few more people! :-)

Pictures of Saturday's Pre Classic.

We spent Saturday in Ashland celebrating father's day and taking lunch at Calahans. We stopped by the plaza to visit Marcus and take a stroll through the park before heading back to Eugene.  Wish we could have stayed for a longer visit!

Dad came up to Eugene this weekend and took Noah and me to the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.  Some of the more memorable moments included Andrew Wheating's win in the 800m (video below), the 1-2-3 Oregon finish in the men's 1500m, the 4x400 victory in the women's 400, and the laughs in the car as we talked about buying u-locks advertised by strangers on Craigslist. The skies cleared up Saturday and we celebrated the warm weather with some time on our bikes.

Here's a quick preview of my coast album.  more to come.

it's about time!  I finally got the pics from when I was a camp counseler at camp harlow onto my computer!  Now I can post them :) well, I hope u enjoy them!!

Don visits us at RPS.  Thanks for coming by today, Don!  Enjoy the pictures.

Noah and I went to the movies today with Jaden, Zach, and Chase.  We rode our bikes in from Springfield and saw "Percy Jackson - The Lightening Thief."  Movie was $1.50, hotdog and Icee at Target ran $2.75.  We all had money left over to do it again in a few weeks. :-)

Noah's mock trial was a lot of fun to watch.  Noah, Nicholas, and Garrett prosecuted the case. The witnesses were top-notch and the teams did a great job.  Though the jury sided with the defense, the judge awarded the prosecution with a win.  Good job Noah!

Happy Mother's Day! 

I spent the afternoon volunteering with the timing crew at the Oregon Twilight Meet.  This was the last home meet for a bunch of seniors.  The last race featured three sub-4-minute milers. 

The family just returned from seeing Pat Metheny play at the Hult Center.  It was an amazing show to take in, both musically and visually.  He uses his guitar and solenoids to send musical instructions to various instruments on the stage.  The result sounded like a large band, not 20-30 robotic instruments.  Inspired by his excellence, I bought a new Pat Metheny strap for my guitar.  :-)

Here is a video of the process.

Volunteered at the Oregon Relays as part of their timing team.  I have a field pass that says "Official" - so there you have it: I'm official.  Three videos below...

I had a chance to watch the Oregon - UCLA dual meet from the crow's nest high atop Hayward Field.  This was very cool (see the video below).   Track officals are looking for new volunteers to run the timing system at Hayward Field.  I was one of three participants who got to sit at the backup console and record race results as they unfolded.  As the backup timer, I wore headphones and got to listen to the race officials in real time.  It is a very efficient process.  I recorded race results for 400 hurdles and 5K.  I'll have another opportunity to learn even more at the next meet.  Stay tuned.

We saw Conan O'Brien kick-off his 30 city tour from the Hult Center here in Eugene.  It was a packed house. Reggie Watts got things started with his amazing voice talents.  I recognized him from a number of YouTube videos. He is a tremendous entertainer, but his language was a little much for me.  After a short break, Conan came out to a standing ovation.   It was his first performance since his Tonight Show finale, and he said it was the first show where people aid to see him perform.

Lots of music, video, a renamed bear, Andy Richter, and Triumph the Insult Dog kept the audience going. Writer Deon Cole came out for a stand up routine, and the band Spoon performed a number as well.  Jack McBiar from 30 Rock was a surprise guest who came out as part of a skit that mocked Chuck Norris' acting in Walker Texas Ranger.  All very funny.    

The show ended much as it began, with everyone on their feet.  I tweeted before and after, and saw my twitter profile on Conan's fan page at Teamcoco.com.    It was great to see the show first hand, before everyone else. 

Oregon men and women won the team titles over Texas A&M, Washington, Missouri, and Illinois.  Nice weather and fun pictures. Thanks Dad.