Tour of the Washington Cascades book

2014 Tour of the Washington Cascades by Curtis Corlew | Make Your Own Book

I've just ordered an 82 page book of our 2014 Washington Cascades Tour with Adventure Cycling. Mostly it's photos and text that appeared in this blog. That makes it sound easy, doesn't it? But the reality was something else. I gives me even more respect for the people who do this sort of work professionally.

 Insider geek insight: I was going to use MyPublisher They offered me a free book because they took forever to print my "Kate Wolf Festival" book. That book had no text, and wasn't too hard to make. This book, with a reasonable amount of text, was a pain in their MyPublisher program. So much I gave up and tried Blurb's Booksmart. I finished it, but when I went in to fine tune the text it was a nightmare.

So I did what I should have done in the first place. I used Adobe's InDesign, a real page layout program that I've used a lot and even taught. For some reason I thought using the canned templates and programs MyPublisher and Blurb offered would be easier for something "quick." I was so wrong. So I basically built the book three times. Here's hoping I got right, because unlike this blog where I can change misspelling, print is forever. You can buy my book on blurb, but you'd be crazy too. It's not cheap, and really, do you care? If you'd like to see it though, let me know. I'll be happy to show it off.

Good-bye! Good-bye! Good-bye my trusty steed

My bike is starting its reincarnation journey at Delta Scrap in Oakley. After a brief service involving a thumb print I was given $1.56 and sent on my way. The bikes ultimate destination remains undisclosed. Perhaps it will return as another bike, or a beer can. Both would serve to make this world a better place.

Cyclist death trap?

Is this for real, or permanent? The entrance to eBART in Antioch at Hillcrest (by highway 4) has the bike lane that goes straight splitting the dual right turn lanes. This is how you'd ride a bike to get to the new eBART station. It's the only way. Crazy. Any cyclist going straight, because they wouldn't be getting on the freeway, would be smacked by the cars that must turn to get on the freeway. Who thinks this is a good idea?

Commuter Curtis vs Truck

First off, I’m OK.

During my bike commute on On Thursday December 2, 2015 I was in a collision with a truck. Miraculously, I am only badly bruised, though my bike is totaled. The driver stopped, and helped me get my bike out of the road, but the left scene before the police and ambulance arrived. It’s hard to piece together exactly what happened.

My shoulder hurts enough right now, and has limited mobility, so I won't be riding too soon. And it's going to play havoc with my tennis game.  But I'm not dead! Just a few inches more and I don't think I'd be typing this.

Jim McFarland of the Wheel Peddler Mobile Bike Repair came by and pronounced the frame bent beyond use or repair, as well as noting most components were also wrecked. 

I'll be bike shopping soon. Who am I kidding, I’m bike shopping already. I’ve also added up all the extra broken pieces and it comes out to more than I would have thought. Panniers, a rack, and fenders add up quickly.

I hope to be commuting again soon. Right now I’m planning to be on my fixed/SS bike using a back pack or messenger I guess. It's not my favorite way to transport my things, but at least I'll be on the bike.

After my emergency room visit I got a ride to the college before my classes started. I told my students I'm ordering a shirt that says "Hit by truck, got to class on time. Tell me your excuse again.”

I've had a lot of support and love from friends and Facebook. Thanks to all of you for helping me through this.

Right now I just want to put this behind me — at least as much as I can what with the need to replace my bike and accessories — and heal so I can ride again.