Author Archives: oregonmikeruby

Raging Fires and Heartbreaking Loss COVID-19 and civil unrest were apparently not enough punishment for my home state. On Monday night and Tuesday of this week, dozens of fires began raging in Oregon, fueled by East winds, hot weather, and some of the driest conditions the normally-damp west side of the state has seen inContinue reading “Covid Journal: 210 days in (117 protest nights), Fire Day 6”

Campaigns and Vaccines With less than 60 days until Election Day, it’s becoming more and more obvious that both sides are pulling out all the stops in their respective campaigns. Now, I’ve never pretended to be politically neutral; I’m a bleeding heart liberal and I’m not afraid to say it. But, that said, it doesn’tContinue reading “Covid Journal: 204 days in (101 protest nights)”

Bike Challenges, Bike Victories Well, I didn’t mean to, but I kind of skipped over August entirely. That’s probably all right, because news-wise it was not pretty. I won’t dwell on news in this post, unless you count my own personal news (which I don’t). In my home I keep three bicycles: a road bikeContinue reading “Covid Journal: 202 days in (99 protest nights)”

Secret Police Expand their Ops, but so do Protest Groups As I speculated two posts ago, the unidentified, unmarked federal police invading Portland, provoking/harassing/shooting peaceful protesters, and causing a stir with their uninvited violations of civil rights guaranteed under the Constitution, were just the Trump administration’s beta test for other large cities having Democrat mayorsContinue reading “Covid Journal: 163 days in (60 protest nights)”

The Legacies of “Discovery” and “Conquest”: Why the Columbia River needs a Name Change Amid all the protests, amid all the statue topplings, amid all the talk of equity, diversity and inclusion, and amid the removals of racially-charged and/or culturally insensitive symbols, mascots and names, one idea is now our charge: it is high timeContinue reading “Covid Journal: 126 days in (53 protest nights)”

Trump Escalates the Violence Using Secret Police National news outlets are picking up on the fact that the White House and its cabinet Dept. of Homeland Security have been sending armed, camouflaged officers to my town to harass protesters, against the wishes of state and local leaders. Video after video posted online shows civilians engagedContinue reading “Covid Journal: 125 days in (52 protest nights)”

We kept waiting. We kept waiting for things to get better–biologically, socially, politically–and they didn’t. I wish I could be more upbeat about it without lying. But things have only gotten much worse, at least for the good ol’ US of A. And there is no sign of things getting better for at least anotherContinue reading “Covid Journal: 118 days in (45 protest nights)”

In years past, every riding season (end of April thru mid-October for me, usually) I would register for 7-10 event rides, which are supported road rides of between 36 and 105 miles, include fully stocked rest stops at intervals of 8-20 miles with snacks/water/portajohns, and are generally a very good time. Yes, they cost aContinue reading “Road Cycling in the Covid Age”

The Gathering Storm: Change vs. Conservatism Today, about 14 weeks after I was first sent home early by my employer, the place where I live begins Phase One of reopening. It is also Juneteenth, and so my employer joined many others in giving its employees the day off…on top of everything we are experiencing summer-likeContinue reading “Covid Journal: 96 days in (23 protest nights)”

And now, for the first time in well over three months, an actual bicycling post: I have posted previously about high visibility…brightly colored and/or reflective clothing, flashing lights, etc. Many cyclists disagree with my stance that it’s a good idea to be highly visible when riding in traffic. Their argument, if I understand it correctly,Continue reading “Hi-Vis: no substitute for Hi Vigilance”