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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2019)
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Scottie Wisdom&Faith Jean Russell Nave PHOTO BY RICHARD SANDNESS Gravel riding, also called gravel grinding or adventure riding, is exploding in popularity — and Sisters is the perfect spot for it. Children with Scotties Cyclists travel on gravel for adventure rides When my Scotties and I were doing a lot of read- ings to children of the Harry and Lola adventure books throughout Central Oregon, I received a call from a Head Start program leader in Bend. She invited the Scotties and me to read to her group of about 30 youngsters. The day before the read- ing, she called me to talk about her students. She had several students that were shy and very timid with dogs. We agreed that the Scotties would stay on leash and that we would keep everything calm. The kids had a differ- ent plan. My approach to each reading was to bring the three Scotties 4 Harry, Lola, Bernie 4 into the room and introduce them to the chil- dren. I then offered kibble pieces to any child who wanted to feed the Scotties. This always proved to be a wonderful way to make a connection between kids and By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Bicyclists are taking to the gravel in big numbers. Gravel riding 4 or <gravel grinding= or <adventure riding= com- bines elements of road- and mountain-biking in distance rides over unpaved roads. <From a racing and orga- nized riding perspective, it9s blowing up,= said Casey Meudt of Blazin Saddles bike shop in Sisters. He notes that the august Cycle Oregon is offering a gravel riding option for the first time this year. With miles and miles of unpaved forest roads at our doorstep, Sisters is a natural fit for this particular cycling phenomenon. <We happen to be in the best place for that style of rid- ing,= Meudt said. Gravel riding is appeal- ing to families and riders of varying abilities. It9s not technical. <It9s not extreme, like mountain-biking can be,= Meudt said. <We9re actually seeing a lot of mountain-bikers Yet it9s also adventur- ous, venturing off the road- way into often wild and sce- nic country. And it avoids the potential for conflict with vehicles that is preva- lent on paved roadways and highways (see story, page 3). In terms of equipment, purpose-built gravel bikes resemble road bikes in con- figuration, with larger tires and the tire pressure consid- erably reduced. <It9s surprisingly effi- cient,= Meudt said. Some people simply ride a hard-tail mountain bike, although that doesn9t offer as many position options for a long-distance ride. Blazin Saddles and Sisters Athletic Club are partnering for a free <Get Into Gravel= two-part series. <We will discuss what this gravel riding craze is all about,= Meudt said. <The gear, the local rides and the tips and tricks to make for a better and more enjoyable gravel experience.= Get Into Gravel #1 is set for Thursday, May 16, 6 to 8 p.m. at Blazin Saddles. There is no need to bring riding gear. Sign up for limited gravel demo bikes available for dis- count for the Get Into Gravel #2 ride night. Call the shop to reserve bikes and sign up at 541-719-1213. Get Into Gravel #2 runs May 23 at Sisters Athletic Club, 6 to 7:30 p.m. The ride ends at SAC and Three Creeks Brewing Co. for optional food and drinks. Wet W e t Cob Co with Molasses Sale! Beaver Brand a nd d A blend of f l ey & corn, oats, barley a med molasses, steamed & rolled. Reg. $11.95/ bag, now on ly $ 8/bag! 40 lb. Bag Limited to st ock on hand 102 E. Main Ave. | 541-549-4151 549 4151 dogs. The way to a dog9s heart is through its stomach. After the treating and greet- ing, I would read a story and then kids could come back up and give the dogs another treat. Everything went as planned that day until after the reading. As soon as I was done with the book the kids mobbed the Scotties. Everyone wanted to play. The two shy students were right in the mix laughing, and then the children started to run around. Well, you can9t run around dogs with- out them wanting to run too. Within a minute, 30 kids and three Scotties were running rings around the room. Kids were even picking up their stuffed animals and playing tug with Bernie. Bernie was about 3 years old at the time and filled with energy. The youngsters had him running in circles, tugging toys and catching balls until everyone was exhausted. The classroom was pandemonium for about 10 minutes. The teachers and I couldn9t stop laugh- ing. Once everyone cooled down, Bernie received more hugs than he had ever had before, and the two shy stu- dents were the leaders of the group. 9 We later received a won- derful thank-you card cre- ated by and signed by all the students. The Head Start leader said the two shy stu- dents had even opened up after the experience. They couldn9t stop talking about the Scotties. Love: what a powerful emotion. My Scotties are four-footed walking exam- ples of what love can do. We have had many wonderful book-readings; this was just one of the best examples of the power of Scottie love in action. Think about the love fill- ing your heart. Wouldn9t you enjoy finding new ways to share that love with Scottie-type enthusiasm? Our schools, churches and charitable organizations are always looking for volun- teers. When you give with a loving heart to others, like my Scotties do, you receive back an even greater amount of love. You can make some- one9s life wonderful. Just open your heart and open a new door. Someone needs your extra love and I9ll bet you would enjoy more love in your life. Give and you will receive. John 15:12 says: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Have a story idea for The Nugget? We’d love to hear it! Send an email to editor@nuggetnews.com