Good things come in threes, so they say

September 2, 2023

One good thing: Sauvie Island

So what is this - the fourth time this month we’ve biked out to Sauvie together? It might even be the fifth, and that’s not counting the day Rachael went out there on her own.

We bike together all the way out there, and then stay together for the first few miles on the island. After that we go on our own, with me following Rachael’s good suggestion that I bike up the east side for a change while she continues on with her standard ride out to the end of the pavement on the west side. If we can get the timing right, we’ll meet up before getting back to the bridge and then ride home together.

That doesn’t happen though. I misgauge how far up the east side to go before turning back, overshooting by about a mile. As a result I’m still two miles from the junction we might meet at when she passes through. We consult on the phone at that point, but she’s hungry and would just as soon head home and get to lunch sooner rather than wait for me to catch up. And so she does, which is fine - it’s still an excellent ride.

Tenth Avenue, and the Ritz-Carlton skyscraper. I shot this on my way to morning coffee, with my iPad.

I’ve taken to looking up at the top of snags to see if there’s anything noteworthy up there. Sometimes it could be something unusual like a woodpecker. More often than not though it’s apt to be a starling.

Here’s an unequivocal example of three good things. Unless you’ve got the point of view of a fish, I suppose.

A composite of our two rides. I rode the spur up the east side of the island, and Rachael rode the left.

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Another good thing: the Vaux’s Swifts are back!

I’ve had the Vaux’s swifts in the back of my mind all year, hoping that they’d arrive in Portland on their way to their wintering grounds in Central America before we leave for Spain. I’m in luck - they started arriving a few days ago, so after dinner we head over to Chapman School to enjoy the show. It’s the first time we’ve been here for this in at least six years.

The swift migration is a big deal in Portland. They pass through the city on their way south in the fall and again in the spring on the trip north. When they’re in town they somehow find their way to the chimney at Chapman School, as they have for decades. Just on the numbers, this chimney is one of the most important stopovers on their migration path. In the fall they start arriving in late August, with their numbers gradually swelling for several weeks before tapering off and ending by early October. Right now there are several thousand in town, and by the peak there will be somewhere near fifteen thousand.

They put on a thrilling show each night when they start congregating about a half hour before sunset. It’s a remarkable phenomenon to watch, as a few start showing up high in the sky and the numbers gradually grow until the sky is filled with birds. They swirl around the sky in gradually swelling groups, repeatedly approaching the chimney and then disappearing off into the distance.

And then, suddenly it’s time. Thousands of them gather together into a bird cloud and start diving toward the chimney and then swirling up and away again in dramatic eddys and pinwheels. and then some of them start disappearing as they drop into the chimney for the night. This goes on for about fifteen or twenty minutes, until only a few stragglers are still swirling around, like the last kids that won’t come in to go to bed. It’s fantastic, much better than the best fireworks show.

It’s also a heart-warming social and cultural show. Started around six the audience starts arriving, spreading out blankets and breaking out picnic baskets. Tonight there are several hundred folks sitting up here on the hill, watching the sky, chatting with friends, and watching their kids playing around. And it’s a pretty quiet night, still early in the migration. At its peak, as many as 3,500 people will be out here to witness the show. It’s the sort of scene we don’t see enough of in America, and it reminds me a bit of folks of all ages sitting or milling around an Italian plaza in front of the cathedral at the end of the day. And they’re totally into the experience - a big cheer goes up when the birds get serious about retiring for the night, and there’s another cheer and a round of applause at the end.

The Chapman School chimney is one of the most important stopovers on this fall migration. The numbers here are greater than almost anywhere on the route.

We arrived pretty early, about an hour before sundown, and got a good seat. At peak migration there may be as many as 3,500 folks out here watching the show.

When we arrived the only bird around was a Cooper’s hawk, patiently waiting on the top of the chimney for dinner to be served.

The hawk is somewhat intimidating. When the swifts start drifting in they keep a healthy distance.

It’s a perfect evening. Even without the birds it would be fine enough to just sit and wait for day’s end.

A third thing: my left knee

It’s true. Good things do sometimes come in threes. But then, so do bad things; and sometimes, like today, it’s a mixed bag. There’s nothing magic about the number three. It’s just an integer.

I had my video appointment with Doctor Park yesterday to discuss my knees. He asked a few introductory questions and then wanted to have a look at the knees before turning to the x-rays. They look like this:

Sorry, Steve! This would have been a good excuse to model my new underwear but I didn’t think of it in time.

Other than that unsightly 13 year old scar, I think they look pretty good! He agreed, and then turned his attention to the x-rays, starting with the right knee. “The right knee really looks pretty good” he says, making allowance for the unavoidable fact that it’s been on the job for 76 years now.

The left one is a different story. He looks and then immediately starts laughing and exclaiming. “Oh my gosh, it looks terrible! There’s nothing left! It’s bone on bone!” I wish I had an audio clip to include here because his reaction was so immediate and emphatic.

So at least now I know. I’ve got severe osteoarthritis in my left knee, the legacy of an energetically lived life I suppose. It’s interesting that the left one is so much worse than the right though. I wonder if the repair of my ruptured quad tendon contributed to its deterioration.

The discussion turns next to treatment options. A full or partial knee replacement is one, but that’s a last resort solution. Recovery and rehab is a lengthy process, and I’d be out of commission for touring for at least a half year, if not longer. It’s not something I’m ready for, and I’m glad to hear Dr. Park doesn’t advise it at this point either. He thinks a better plan for now is to try cortisone shots to see if I get enough relief to make things manageable. This sounds good to me and to Rachael also, who’s been listening in. I especially like the fact that something can be done immediately and that it won’t make things worse to defer surgery indefinitely.

So that’s the plan. The good doctor has time in his schedule to shoot my knee next Tuesday, and then we’ll see how it goes. Surprisingly, I find that I’m feeling comforted by this outcome. It’s nice to have a diagnosis and a plan. I’ve been feeling just a bit like an aging lab lately, but it’s comforting to remember that Shasta still had years of life and spark left in her when she first started showing a hitch in her giddy-up.

I passed this news on to friends and family and got back many kind words of sympathy. All were appreciated, but I especially want to remember and share with you Jen Grumby’s touching contribution:

A thank you letter to Scott's left knee:

Dear Scott's Left Knee,

Thank you for the approximately 837,952 miles through which you have supported Scott and His Right Knee.

That's probably about 31 Million pedal strokes!

And how many miles of hiking!

You've been a Good Knee!

And now I hope that the pre-Spain cortisone shot helps you to continue the good work of a Cycle Touring Knee with some significantly reduced pain.

To you, Scott's Left Knee, and Bruce's Elbow, and all of our collective human joints .. we tip our hats and say, "¡Muchísimas gracias!"

¡And buen viaje en España!

Un abrazo grande,

Jen

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2023 Bird List

183. Vaux’s swift

Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 243 miles (391 km)

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marilyn swettWe were camping recently in Woodward, WA and I really wanted to bike on Sauvie Island, but it's a pain to load the tandem into the truck and drive to the start of a ride. It looks like an area where we would enjoy riding. I hope that the cortisone shots help your knee pain and that you can continue to tour.
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8 months ago

Rich FrasierEverybody's knee should have a friend like Jen.
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8 months ago

Rachael AndersonTo marilyn swettIt is a great place to bike and there’s a large parking area and bathrooms.
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8 months ago

Rachael AndersonTo Rich FrasierHow true!
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8 months ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesDodie here-poor you and your left knee. I had cortisone shots in both knees when they first became bad, then switched to Synvisc, an artificial lubricant, since they were also bone on bone. Things only seemed to work for about 2-3 years and then The pain was too severe and I opted for surgery. It took 6 months from the first surgery, rehab, the second surgery and rehab before we were back touring. My rehab was all on bike, trainer and on road, 3 months for each knee from surgery to let's go on tour. With only one knee you should be able to squeeze it in between Schengen zone tours. Hope things work out well and best of luck with upcoming tour in Spain.
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8 months ago

Patrick O'HaraSorry to hear about your knee. Hopefully the shots hold you for awhile. Great aerial bird vid!
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8 months ago

Kathleen ClassenWhat an astonishing video. I have never seen anything quite like that. Someday I would like to see it in person. Portland isn’t that far away. I hope the chimney is a protected site. I assume it must be.

Your knee is another matter. I wish you the best possible outcome from the cortisone shot. And always remember my motto, motion is lotion (although I am sure that doesn’t really apply to bone on bone situations). I am saying a big grateful thank you to my knees right now.
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8 months ago

Jen RahnTo Rich FrasierThanks Rich!

Scott's Left Knee is a good role model for all human joints. A hard worker and loyal companion to its happier and more cartilage-rich counterpart on the right side.
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8 months ago

Jen RahnLove the video of the swifts!!
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8 months ago

Carolyn van HoeveYes best of luck with the steroid injection Scott! Loved Jens Ode to your left knee.
Looking forward to following you in Spain. We are heading off to Frankfurt tomorrow and abuzz with excitement.
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8 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Carolyn van HoeveFlying out tomorrow! Have a safe flight and a wonderful tour. It looks like you could be in for a spell of fine weather.
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8 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraThanks, Patrick. I’ll be interested to see what the impact is if any, and how long-lasting it is.
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8 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Kathleen ClassenI was really pleased at how well the video came out. It really works better than still shots, which at least with my camera can’t focus quickly enough. It really is a terrific show, and this is still well before the peak. The numbers should be considerably larger by mid month before it starts tapering off.

You don’t need to come to Portland to see the show though. They need tall, open chimneys (their natural habitat in hollowed out trees is disappearing), and Chapman School is just one of a series of them up and down the coast. I first saw this event down in Salem t North High School 40 years ago, and Jen says they show up at a chimney in Salem too.

There’s a website that tracks these sites, at least the ones where bird counts are maintained. I don’t see any up in Canada, but maybe it’s too far north for them to have concentrated along the flyway yet: https://www.vauxhappening.org/data/2022.html

I’d love to see the show down in the Bay Area, at McNear’s Brickyard. Last year it had the highest single night count, with over 70,000 birds. Hard to imagine.

And thanks for the well-wishes about the knee. I’m pretty optimistic. Even a modest improvement would help.
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8 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesThanks for the information and words of encouragement, Dotie. I’m anxious to find out how this shot works out and how long the effect is. It won’t surprise me if I resort to surgery some day but I’d like to push it out as long as possible. We have other plans.
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8 months ago