PO Box 7286 • San Jose, CA 95150 • www.actc.org
The Black &
Blue Bottom
Almaden Cycle Touring Club, Inc.
July 2007
Russian River Rally Nancy Kenny & Pat Stenstrom
It’s July and that means it’s time for the annual ACTC Russian
River Rally in Duncan Mills. The club has booked campsites
109A, 109B, 110 & 114 from 7/20–7/22. All campsites are in
close proximity to restrooms with showers, one thing we do ask
in regards to camping is that; NO one parks their car in mid-
dle of the campsites. This will leave more area for tent set up.
Many people will arrive on Friday evening. This year we will
be having a spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings, instead of
our usual wine and cheese party. However, we encourage all to
still bring a bottle or two of your favorite wine or beverage to
share with friends at dinner.
Saturday morning, pancake breakfast with all the trimmings
will be served. There will be fixings for sandwiches available
after breakfast to prepare a lunch to take on your rides. Satur-
day night we have the group BBQ area reserved for a potluck
BBQ. Please bring meat for all in your party to grill, and a dish
to share with all. Charcoal will be provided by ACTC.
Sunday morning, we will have breakfast. Menu TBA. Many
people will ride into Occidental before packing up to go home.
Route sheets will be provided for rides of all abilities.
We also ask that all campers lend a hand with the housekeep-
ing and cooking as needed. It means a lot to have everyone
pitch in!
For more information on the campsites and directions on how
to get to Casini Family Ranch please visit their web site at
www.casiniranch.com.
For all interested in attending please RSVP by 7/16 to Nancy
Kenny (408) 244-4650, nancykenny@sbcglobal.net or Pat Sten-
strom (408) 227-8724, mylo-pat@sbcglobal.net. we need a head
count for grocery shopping. Thanks! Hope to see ya all there.
Tour Tested
Rick Madden
By the time this months BBB is delivered, I will have completed
my annual “big tour,” riding 23 days from Eugene, Oregon to
Laramie, Wyoming. This will be a solo 1,500 mile trip on the
Adventure Cycling Trans America route. You can read about my
journey on www.crazyguyonabike.com.
This week, preparations are being made. Equipment is being
pawed through, some of it being placed in the “take it and weep”
pile and other less worthy things left behind. One of the clothing
items that will be staying home will be my Jackson and Gibbens
(J&G) Touring Shorts (www.bicycleclothing.com). I purchased
these loose fitting shorts almost two years ago when Il Falco and
I rode the Pacific Coast route from Seattle. Adventure Cycling
describes these loose fitting shorts to be a big hit with the staff.
Frankly, if these shorts are a big hit, I have a bridge over the
Columbia River to sell them…
Not that the J&G Touring shorts are a bad product. They are
just, well, adequate and uneventful. On the upside, they are in-
expensive (about $37) and dry quickly. Most folks wouldn’t even
have an idea that you have cycling shorts on due to their relaxed
fit. Apparently, J&G developed these boxer style shorts for the
modest rider looking for an alternative to traditional form fit-
ting shorts. Rather than sew a pad to a lycra liner, the Touring
WEDNESDAY 4th JULY 8AM
Pancake Breakfast & Rides
First Congregational Church
Leigh & Hamilton, San Jose
NO MEETING ON TUESDAY NIGHT!
Continued on page 2
Bicycling with GPS
Harry Lichtbach
I’ve been using a GPS on by bike for five years, starting with a
Garmin eTrex Vista and currently with a Garmin GPSmap 60C
(larger display, also larger and heavier). Originally I wanted the
on-bike map, but as I become familiar with the capabilities and
limitations, my uses have expanded. I will share what I’ve learned:
the good, the bad, and the ugly. I wanted maps but I also wanted to
“know” where I was. I am a “map reader” so I know how helpful it
would be to have a “you are here” marker on the map. I also wanted
to be able to pre-plot my route on the map. Sometimes finding or
reading street signs is challenging and I hoped the GPS would be
a good replacement. Although the GPS will also tell me how far,
how fast, average, max speed, etc., I still kept my cyclometer for the
altimeter and cadence functions. Good thing I did because the GPS
satellite signal is very weak and easily lost in city “canyons” and
under over hanging trees (think San Felipe and Hazel Dell). The 60C
is more sensitive and although I’ve lost the signal, it reacquires it
quickly and the readings look reasonable.
Continued on page 14
Russian River Rally 2006