Cuckoo for Cross

Back in the day, autumn used to lend itself to a period of relative debauchery for competitive cyclists. It was typical for the lean-and-mean to gain a few pounds, stay up late and let all the rigors of training slide until after Christmas. Cyclocross has pretty much ruined the off-season and if it weren’t so much bloody fun, it would be easy to dismiss. And, for an increasing number of cyclists, ’cross isn’t an off-season way to stay fit—it’s the focus of their entire year’s training.

COTA is stoked to announce that several new trails in the Wanoga Complex will be open this fall. Due to a very productive trail work season, especially with the great turnout for the Steve Larsen and Bend Dental Group Work event last weekend in which 68 people turned up to work for four hours on these two trails, we have been able to complete a new trail, which is part of a link from Tiddlywinks Trail, over to Edison Snow Park. This new connector trail is called Kiwa Butte trail, named after the butte it climbs.

We’re not supposed to talk about Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa – unless remarking about the sudden and inexplicable change in Sosa’s skin color – because these are the guys we collectively decided, with the help of Congress, ruined baseball. Yet I doubt anyone could watch Baseball: The Tenth Inning, the continuation of bowl-cut filmmaking wizard Ken Burns’ PBS documentary following the history of America’s alleged pasttime, and not remember the absolute wonder that surrounded the 1998 homerun race.

 

This may be the year of the scorpion. They seem to be popping up everywhere around Central Oregon – bedrooms, kitchens, garages, backyards, woodpiles and gardens. The concerned mother who found one in her children’s bedroom and brought it to me to identify is typical of how most people react when they encounter scorpions and spiders: innate fear that it will harm them or their family.