The afternoon of Christmas Eve found me and my bike at the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area. Even though I didn’t see any wildlife other than birds, having this 1,788-acre tract within easy reach is one of the benefits of living in the Albany area.
Autumn visit: Return to E.E. Wilson
Written October 26th, 2016 by Hasso Hering
If you’re looking for a little solitude close to home, the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area northwest of Albany is the place to go. And if you take your bike instead of driving, you don’t have to worry about the $10 parking permit the state wants you to buy before leaving your car at any of the areas […]
Wider shoulders: Maybe next year
Written September 23rd, 2016 by Hasso Hering
Another bike-related update: We’ll have to wait at least another year before Benton County restores the wide shoulders that disappeared from a section of Independence Highway last year. And yes, it does matter to everybody on the road.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News, Videos
Tags: Benton County Public Works, bike safety, highway shoulders, Independence Highway
Tags: Benton County Public Works, bike safety, highway shoulders, Independence Highway
Let’s hear it for bike racks
Written August 19th, 2016 by Hasso Hering
While the weather is nice, getting around town on a bicycle is easy and fun. And all the places where people on bikes usually go might want to consider whether there’s a handy place for riders to park their wheels.
Along a bikeway: Whimsy or what?
Written August 5th, 2016 by Hasso Hering
Riding west on the new bikeway alongside Highway 34 the other day, I saw this little plastic doll resting against the base of a Pacific Power pole and didn’t think anything of it. Then I came to the power pole next in line.
Riverside bike route: Not so fast
Written August 2nd, 2016 by Hasso Hering
ODOT completed a million-dollar separated bike path along Highway 34 last fall. It’s supposed to be part of a safer bike route between Albany and Corvallis. Linn County had hoped to start this year on its part of the deal — wider shoulders along part of six-mile-long Riverside Drive — but there’s been a delay.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: cycling in the mid-valley, Higway 34 bike path, Linn county roads, ODOT, Riverside Drive
Tags: cycling in the mid-valley, Higway 34 bike path, Linn county roads, ODOT, Riverside Drive
A little smoke on my ride …
Written July 23rd, 2016 by Hasso Hering
On my ride Saturday, I could smell smoke from a long way off, which seemed a little ominous in the middle of summer when open burning is not allowed. Then I got closer and realized the fire, in a pile of grass straw, had been put out but was smoldering still.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News, Videos
Tags: Albany Fire Department, straw fire on Bryant Drive
Tags: Albany Fire Department, straw fire on Bryant Drive
Benton roads: What’s coming up
Written June 23rd, 2016 by Hasso Hering
Road maintenance may not be the sexiest subject. Still, the handful of citizens who showed up for Thursday night’s “community event and open house” on Benton County transportation came away with useful things to know.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: Benton bike lanes, Benton county roads, Benton Public Works
Tags: Benton bike lanes, Benton county roads, Benton Public Works
Enjoying summer’s first day
Written June 20th, 2016 by Hasso Hering
There are lots of ways to observe the first day of summer, I guess. But I figure one of the best is to make use of the county roads in Oregon’s mid-valley for a leisurely ride on my bike. So that’s what I did on Monday morning.
We road users have a sweet deal
If Oregon legislators propose an increase in the gas tax this year, as part of a package to keep up with the need for highway maintenance and construction, they won’t get any complaints from me. An accounting from OReGO showed me that I’m getting a really good deal, in my opinion, for using our roads.
Tags: gas tax, OreGo, Oreon transportation package, Road user tax