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.
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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.
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