Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Larch Mountain- A GORGE-ous Ride!


Highlights: Vista House, Columbia Gorge, Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Wild Flowers, Waterfalls, Fourth of July Parade, Cute Towns
Climb: 25 miles, 4000 Ft
Start: Lewis and Clark Recreation Area (Troutdale)
Distance: 50 miles
Duration: 6 hours (includes pit stops and short hike)
Weather:  72®, Clear…..PERFECT!
Lowlights: No flush toilets at the summit, No water at the summit

Overall Impression:
Wow what an amazing ride. First you go through adorable towns. Then you climb through a shady green forest. We saw more bikes than cars and could ride side-by-side on the mountain. It also took us to one of the most notable places in the Columbia River Gorge Area: The Vista House. The summit was amazing! We could see four mountains: Hood, St. Helens, Jefferson, and Rainier. There is no running water at the top. So being the diva that I am, I held it the whole way back. I do NOT use pit toilets…GROSS!

The Women's Forum (You can see the Vista House in the distance)

View from the Vista House, the Columba River Gorge

The Vista House

Kayla riding around the Vista House

Kayla and I

Only three more miles to the summit! It was absolutely grueling.

The view from the top! Mt. St. Helens


Hot, sweaty, tired, worth-it!

Best Buds!

When we arrived at the picnic area, there were plenty of other bikers. It was nice to be in friendly company.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Cute Commute: Framebag.


This post is about my favorite piece of commuting equipment. My Retrovelo Frame bag. It is based on Swiss Military design and made in Germany. I get many compliments about it, when I'm on my bike or even at the salon. People tend to recognize the very high quality leather. Bikers like the ingenious efficiency. This bag has changed my commute! Worth every Euro!


Here is the company that makes it: RetroVelo



Here is where I ordered it from: AdelineAdelineNYC

Pics!

It will hold Zenbook+cord, Ipad, Galaxy Tab, ballet flats, a notebook, snack bag, file folders, ect..




Saturday, June 16, 2012

Bicycle Beauty Queen!


On this blog, I talk about myself... a LOT. I wanted to show some support for someone who inspires me: Rachel.

I know Rachel through school and we have worked on projects together. She is awesome. Rachel demonstrates a perfect balance between sweat/sweet, brains/beauty, and bicycle/evening-gown. That is all the I stand for here at Velo et Velour.



Help Rachel meet her goal and help needy children!!

"To raise awareness for both incredible organizations, I am embarking on a 150-mile bike ride from Corvallis to Seaside, OR and will go directly into competition for the title of Miss Oregon. I'm excited to do this because it not only allows me to represent Corvallis for the bike friendly community that it is, but this bike ride also exemplifies that the women who compete in the Miss America Organization are tenacious, strong, and active in their communities."

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Cute Commute: Springtime Snapshots!



A quick snap of some gosslings on the Willamette Greenway Path. I was headed from John's Landing to the South Waterfront. So much <3 !



With a matching mani, I am enjoying the many beni's of fingerless gloves! Woop woop for warmer weather!

"Gel" is not just a type of nail treatment. Its a great cushion for your palms!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Faire du Velo! Columbia to Springwater


Start: Gateway Park and Ride
Distance: 28 miles, Loop
Difficulty Level: Easy
Time: 2.5 hours
Pit Stops: Blue Lake Park and Gresham City Park
 
I recommend getting a book and a map of the Portland area. It seems archaic but it is less time consuming than navigating forums on the internet.


Impressions: There were definitely parts of this ride that a gorgeous. The highlights would be the Columbia River, Downtown Troutdale, Gresham City Park, and the Springwater Corridor. The suckiest part was riding through all the traffic in Troutdale. The directions provided in Road Biking Oregon were far too detailed (3 pages of bullet points!) so I stopped very frequently to check my barrings. I definitely want to repeat this loop, now that I’ve learned the route.





Here is my pared-down version of the directions:

-Start at Gateway Park and Ride, park in the garage

















-Cross the train tracks and head North on the 205 bike path
-Follow Signs for Airport way
-You will see a Home Depot, head East on Marina Drive
-Stop at Blue Lake Park if you have to pee
-Go under the I84, turn left on Frontage
-Turn right on 257th Drive, start climbing
-Follow signs for downtown Troutdale if you are a dirty tourist
-Turn right on 23rd St (this is the most confusing part, you will pass a 22nd and 24th and several other streets before you reach 23rd street
-Left on 242/holgate
-Right on Roberts
-Enter Gresham City Park, Find the Springwater trail and head West (right)
-Right on Foster
-North on the I205 until you reach Gateway Park and Ride

Gresham City Park
Gresham City Park




Thursday, May 31, 2012

Fresh Ink!



I got a new tattoo! Here is an explanation of the three components.


The Eye of Horus (The all seeing eye):



The eye has so many names, meanings, and nuances tied into the sun, moon, math, our senses, healing and protection. The beauty is that I can adopt the meaning into my life as I see fit. This is just one myth that I identify with:


Horus is the Egyptian sky-god, usually depicted as a falcon. In an epic battle, Seth (an evil force) killed Horus’ father, and gouged out Horus’ eye. The eye was broken into six pieces each can be drawn out separately and has a separate meaning (sight, smell, thought ect…) Then the eye was recovered and offered to Horus’ father to restore his life. The eye is often worn for protection and represents sacrifice and healing.

When I look at the eye on my arm I am reminded first of the sacrifices I have made and continue to make for my profession. I have delayed many luxuries in my personal life to go to school (not to mention all the student loans!) The Eye of Horus represents where I’ve come from.


 Also, it not only covers me with healing and protection but anatomically I chose the specific location based on this simple concept: an embrace. When I embrace people—my friends, family and patients—the hope is that I can also cover them with healing and protection.


The Laurel Wreath


Following sacrifice, I hope for achievement. Here is how the laurel leaves are used:

In ancient Greece Laurel was used to form a crown or wreath of honor for heroes, scholars, and poets. Laurel became the symbol of triumph in Rome as well as in Greece. The term "laureate" derives from this tradition. Some believe that "bacca-laureate", the name for the university degree of bachelor, owes its origin to this revered plant.

The idea of the leaves is that hard work pays off. It has already paid off, I have a bachelor’s degree in biology and I was just inducted into a Phi Lambda Sigma, a pharmacy leadership fraternity. Incidentally, Phi Lambda Sigma also uses laurel to represent the charateristics of its members.I’m nearing the end of pharmacy school. The laurel leaves give me hope for myself, that I can do anything if I work long/hard enough at it.

The Bowl of Hygeia


Hygeia was a goddess of greek mythology and her bowl has been adopted by the pharmacy profession:

 In Greek and Roman mythology, Hygeia, was a daughter of the god of medicine, Asclepius. She was the goddess/personification of health. While her father was more directly associated with healing, she was associated with the prevention of sickness and the continuation of good health. Her name is the source of the word "hygiene".

 Her bowl holds medicine and the snake wrapped around it represents wisdom. In pharmacy, this is an esteemed award given to pharmacists for exemplary community service. At last all the pieces come together. The reason why I’ve sacrificed and hope to achieve: for my community. This portion of the tattoo is on the inside of my left arm, close to my heart. Only visible when I flex my hard working muscles or open up arms to embrace others.




Overall

I haven’t quite decided which community I am going to serve. I am ok with that. With this constant reminder on my arm, I feel at ease. What I am doing for a career is less important than how I go about it. So that is my tattoo: sacrifice, achievement, community service. It is a compass to guide me and a stake to ground me.
I was awarded this for the work that I've done in Rural areas.

Phi Lambda Sigma Pin!
The mortar and pestle, which bears the letters of Phi Lambda Sigma, is surrounded by a wreath of laurel, symbolic of leadership and wisdom.  The date of our founding, 1965, appears below the mortar and pestle.  Our colors are green and gold; green, symbolizing strength, and gold, symbolizing fineness of character.
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Friday, May 25, 2012

Helmet Hair: The Princess Leia

I have always been a fan of Princess Leia. Ever since a young age people have jokingly called me "Princess Leia" or "Princess Leah" because our names are so similar. Some even say that Carry Fisher is my doppledanger. Incidentally Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie. Leia has some kickin' looks including the famous golden bikini. However I would like to draw your attention to the scene where our heroin is rocking a helmet.

Thats right! Leia on the Moon of Endor. This bad bitch keeps her head safe and her hair sleek with a wreath of braids.



















I also must give credit to Michelle Phan for making a tutorial of how to achieve this look.


But now for the real question: Does it actually hold up under a helmet? Here is my experience.

I braided my hair dry. I think a little damp, with a little product is preferable  for maximum hold and texture. Here is the best I could get it to look, pre-ride. I'm obviously not as good a Ms. Phan, my hair is a bit shorter.



As an after-thought, this look would be really cute with dangling earrings! Then I mashed my Lazer Helmet down on my head. This helmet has a really snug fit.




Oh! And by the way, the weather was much like the Moon of Endor--raining cats and dogs!


I arrived at school/work sopping wet. Peeled of my rain outter gear and changed my shoes. I had my friend take this picture of me. I think my hair held up really well. This picture is before I fussed with it., I secured the fly-aways with some hairspray and tugged at the braids to restore some of the volume. I was payed a lot of compliments on my overall appearance.


This is after the commute home. Ready to change into evening clothes. I had some nice texture in my hair from the braids. Princess Leia did too! Just add some product, teast the crown to restore volume and voila!