H.Swift

Photo info: Shot the lede photo last weekend at the Cascade Classic Stage Race in Bend, Oregon. This little cutie girl was happy to be wearing Mara Abbott’s QOM jersey. Abbott let her borrow the jersey to wear in her kiddie competition!

Women and Bikes: Bring It

Oh man, if there’s one thing I love it’s seeing more women on bikes. There have been some super awesome events and happenings going on this summer that I’ve neglected to tell you about and for that I’m sorry. BUT there’s still a pretty sweet lineup of chicks+bikes type shit coming down the pipe.

This is what I know about. Got more? Hit me in comments so we can share the love.

And we are just rolling in the love, aren’t we? Yeah!

Kick Ass Events for Women at Bike N Hike

Erin over at Bike N Hike is doing a bang up job of putting together some cool resources, classes, rides and events for women. Check out the basic information below and feel free to email her for details and more information.

7/31-8/1: Summer of Trails  10am at the trailhead
Tour de Tillamook, reserve a demo bike ( there are a limited number available), ride the trails, get involved with trail work.  Check out our website to sign up for a bike.

8/3: Basic Repair Class 7pm
This is open to both men and women.  This class will teach the basics of changing a tire, cleaning your chain and other scheduled maintenance.

8/7: Novice Women’s Ride 8:30am
Please stay posted as we may have to cancel this ride

8/11: Ladies Night 7pm
We will recover some basic stretching, core strength and spinal flexibility for on the bike comfort.  We will also be discussing bike fit.  Refreshments will be served.

8/14: Summer of Trails 10am
Meeting at Sandy Ridge for a day of trail riding.  Please sign up on our website if you would like to demo a mtn bike.

8/21: Novice Women’s Ride 8:30
This will be a no drop ride that will leave from the Portland location at 8:30 am.  The pace of the ride is set by the riders that show up, we ride at the pace of the slowest rider.  Please make sure to bring a helmet and water.  The ride will last approximately 1.-2 hours.

8/24: Basic Women’s Repair Class  7pm
Women only are invited to learn to change your tire, clean you chain and to hear about other regular maintenance that pertains to your bicycle. (Portland location)

Update: Title Nine Series Canceled

Title Nine Cycling Series: Remaining Events

The Weekenders’ Cycling Series for Women is a series of clinics and rides designed for the beginning to intermediate bike rider. This will be an introductory course focused on getting women on their bikes and comfortable riding them! The series includes three consecutive Thursday evenings of fun off-bike learning sessions and three Sunday morning rides to put what you’re learning to the road.

Sunday August 1: Let’s Ride, Part 2. We’ll take a tour of Portland’s most popular bike avenues and paths within a 20-mile loop of the city center. We’ll
break into small groups in order to ride safely and talk about urban riding skills.

Thursday August 5th: How to change a flat with guest speaker Tori Bortman of Gracie’s Wrench. BYOW (Bring your own wheel). Learn hands-on how to fix a flat, and the equipment you need to carry with you on every ride.

Sunday August 8: Let’s Ride, Part 3. Ascending and descending skills are at the heart of safe and fun riding. Using the roads of beautiful Mt. Tabor we’ll teach the fundamentals of riding up and down hills safely and efficiently.

Related posts:

1. “Real” Women and What We Want from Cycling Gear
2. Cycling with the Sicilian: 5 Keys to Pedaling with a Partner
3. Tour de St. Honore Event this Sunday will Benefit the BTA

You better believe that when I’m quiet for this long there’s bound to be a crack in the dam forming.

Summer’s been like pow! Yellow rays and warm breeze and wrapped in sweat and light and heat and adventure. So the world lights up with long days and the people come outside and run around crazy-style like they’re let free after a long detention.

It’s madness and the manic suits me just fine. At least for the moment.

I’m in Love

The heat of days comes on strong and in the summer we get tanner and leaner and more beautiful. My head turns in a million directions and at the end I fall hard. Goofy style.

It’s a city crush. A town, really. A little town in the high desert filled with bikes and clocks that run a little slower. Smiling people who drink too much happy water. Rivers full of my favorite Veloforma cycling ladies. Crits that circumvent high schools or downtown blocks or little shiny neighborhoods. Kids in bikinis on sidewalks. Candy shops with double chocolate malt balls and those old-style root beer chewies that you just can’t find anymore.

Business meetings begin with smiles and hugs and end on river park benches.

I can’t tell you why it happened because who can articulate giddiness? Who can analyze elation?

Screw it. Just smile.

Portland’s powerful fierce and filled with smart kids and creative brains and culinary amazingness. But when I point my truck at the big mountain in the east and hang a right to meander south toward Bend, I get light in the heart region.

There’s just something about it.

And there’s more of that something in my future.

A Small Race in a Hexagonal Country

So, there’s this bike race. It happens in France, where – in case you weren’t aware – there’s a place where the women wear no pants.

Anyway, there’s this bike race and it’s full of superhuman boys who are arranged (muscularly speaking) to look like men. They pedal throughout the entire country, attempting to best one another over the course of days.

It’s amazing and very, very long. Every morning I wake up and follow them on a computer screen. I’m cheering, but they probably can’t hear me.

I like the large Norwegian and the one called Jens the best. After that, it’s a Romance Novel Model called Fabian and then a little boy-faced Frenchman named Voeckler. They climb with snaking motions and grace – or sometimes mash their way over cobbles in big gears with mouths agape. Some days they are monsters and other days they float.

Either way, it’s a thing to see.

For all of July, I’ll wake up just to see them move and celebrate and cry.

All Kinds of Summer Touring

I’m out of here. Which is to say that all year long I’ve been hoarding the days of August like some kind of secret treasure. The plan is loose and probably reckless: get on the bike and start pedaling. Stop to eat and sleep and dream and possibly identify cloud-animals in the sky.

Rumor has it my rig will be pointed North, with an eye on Canada. But, truthfully, only the bike knows where we’re going – and she’s not talking.

When I get back it’s cross season.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Related posts:

1. Dear Diary 003: Black Magic and Sharpee Pens
2. Dear Diary 001: Golden Streets and Lemmons
3. Dear Diary 005: Bicycle Grocery Avenger and Coming Home

Watch the Tour de France Live at The Globe Bar and Cafe

Ready to get your Frenchy time on?

There’s a new kid in town when it comes to watching the Tour de France and they’ve got everything you need for a solid morning (or evening) of spandex super-glory spectating.

The Globe Bar and Cafe just opened in SE Portland (2045 SE Belmont, near 21st) and they’re opening their doors early just for eager TDF viewers who are hungry for a nice omelet, fittingly French baguette with jam, hearty mug of coffee (Nossa Familia), glass of champagne or all of the above!

Join us Saturday (tomorrow! tomorrow!) at 8:30am to watch the opening prologue live (projected onto a huge 10′ wide screen). Bring an appetite (see specials below), your devil horns and that crazy maillot jaune fever. The Globe will open at 6:00am for early stages.

TDF Morning Specials

$5 Omelettes
$1 Baguette with jam
(More extensive menu available)

Not into the crack of dawn thing? Not willing to miss your team ride on Saturday? Have one of those pesky day jobs? No problem. They’ll be showing all repeats at 5:00pm.

TDF for Happy Hour Peeps

•    Evening showings will feature wines and cheeses representative of the region that the race is moving through.
•    OBRA Members who show their racing license receive $2 off their first drink! (Non-alcoholic drinks excluded)

Hope to see you there!

Check out the TDF viewing schedule at The Globe Cafe.

Related posts:

1. Where to watch: The Tour in Portland
2. How to Track Every Second of the 2009 Tour de France
3. Into the Great Outdoors with Team Columbia-HTC: TdF Mania

I’ll be in Bend shooting the final days of US Road Nationals this weekend, but if you happen to be staying in Portland to soak up the newly discovered sun, consider hooking up with Sorella Forte for a ride on Sunday. It sounds like it’s going to be loads of fun and they’ll be raffling some sweet prizes. All proceeds benefit the BTA. See the press release below for details.

CELEBRATE SUMMER CYCLING AT ST. HONORÉ’S FIRST COMMUNITY-WIDE CYCLING EVENT – TOUR DE ST. HONORÉ

Bike event benefits the Bicycle Transportation Alliance with free bike-tuning workshop, bike raffle, Sorella Forte recreational rides and finish line treats!

PORTLAND, Oregon (June 2, 2010) — Jumpstart the cycling season and help kick-off the 2010 Tour de France at St. Honore’s first family-friendly bike event, Tour de St. Honoré, to benefit the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA). St. Honoré has deep roots in the cycling community as one of the sponsors of Sorella Forte women’s cycling club, and live Tour de France coverage daily from July 3 through July 25th at both bakery locations.

To encourage even more cycling, St. Honoré has partnered with BTA, the Bike Gallery and Sorella Forte to host Tour de St. Honoré at the Lake Oswego location of St. Honoré from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 27th.  Members of the Sorella Forte team will lead two recreational rides – a 19-mile family ride around Lake Oswego and a 38-mile ride from the Lake Oswego bakery to Canby. Spaces for the rides are limited so reserve your spot online at www.sainthonorebakery.com.

“Bringing all our bike partners together to host this debut cycling event gives us a chance to promote cycling and give back to the cycling community,” said Dominique Geulin, owner of St. Honoré. “We have been sponsoring the Sorella Forte women’s cycling club for the past six years and are proud of their role in women’s cycling to enrich women’s mental and physical well being.” All the funds raised from raffle ticket sales will benefit BTA’s mission to make the greater Portland Metro area a better place for local biking communities.

Tour de St. Honoré Event Information:

Date:                      Sunday, June 27, 2010
Time:                     9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Rides start at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Fee:                       All activities are free and a donation to BTA is gratefully accepted.
Location:             St. Honore Boulangerie, Lake View Village, 315 First Street, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Raffle Tickets:    $15 per ticket or $50 for 4 tickets; Purchase tickets starting June 14th at all St. Honoré locations, the BTA office, and Bike Gallery Booth at the Lake Oswego Farmer’s Market.  Raffle proceeds will benefit BTA.
Cycling Routes:                There will be two cycling routes led by the Sorella Forte team. One route is 19 miles around Lake Oswego and one route is 38 miles round-trip from St. Honore in Lake Oswego to Canby. Reserve your spot at www.sainthonorebakery.com and sign a waiver.

Activities:

Free on-site bike-tuning workshop sponsored by the Bike Gallery
Trivia quiz and giveaways for all levels of riders by BTA.
Yellow St. Honoré tote bags and t-shirts for sale.

Raffle Prizes include:

(Drawing takes place at noon on Sunday, June 27th; winners do not need to be present to win)
TREK Allant 10’ or an equivalent model of bike provided by the Bike Gallery ($540 value)
Wine Country Bike Tour for Two by Bike Pedal Tour ($180 value)
GORE Phantom Lady Jacket 2010 by GORE Bike Wear ($170 value)
Nutcase Helmet (two winners, $50 value each)
Food Front Cooperative Grocery Gift Certificate ($25 value)
Year membership for the Bicycling Transportation Alliance
Baking class for two at St. Honoré Boulangerie (4 winners)
A case of Vitamin Water ($35 value)

About Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA):
The BTA creates healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safer, more convenient and more accessible. Since 1990, the BTA has worked in partnership with citizens, businesses, community groups, government agencies and elected officials throughout Oregon to create communities where people can meet their daily transportation needs on a bike. Bicycling transforms communities by reinventing transportation and offering solutions to the universal challenges of health, livability and the environment. For more information, please visit www.bta4bikes.org.

About Sorella Forte:
Sorella Forte – Italian for ‘Strong Sister’ – is a women’s cycling club based in Portland, Oregon. The club is open to all women who share a passion for riding a bike — ANY bike. We support women who want to race as well as recreational riders looking for others who want to ride on a regular basis. We have several Junior members now, too, which is very exciting! For more information, please visit www.sorellaforte.com.

About St. Honoré Boulangerie:
A neighborhood bakery and café with locations in Northwest Portland and Lake Oswego, St. Honoré features handcrafted French bread, pastries, and savories. The menu and décor reflect Dominique Geulin’s heritage growing up in his family’s boulangerie in Normandy.  Committed to using locally produced ingredients and sustainable flour, Dominique regularly visits with farmers to make sure the fruits and grains are the highest quality available. St. Honoré is located at 2335 NW Thurman in Portland, and 315 First Street in Lake Oswego.  Both locations are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. For more information please call 503-445-4342 (Portland); or 503-496-5596 (Lake Oswego).  Visit our web site at www.sainthonorebakery.com.

Related posts:

1. Where to watch: The Tour in Portland
2. “Bike Economics” Event will Showcase Women-Owned Businesses
3. Thursday Night: Me, You, Rex Burkholder and Awesome Wine

Yesterday’s Northwest Crossing crit in Bend was BANANAS – technical, fast and buzzing with energy from a seriously fired up crowd. There was a street fair with food vendors, face painters and even a ginormous inflatable “IronMan” bouncy room.

The Boys 10-12 group absolutely ripped out of the start gate with hometown hero Grant McElroy bringing the gold glory by only a wheel in the finishing sprint. Grant – you’re our hero! Portland salutes you!

In the Womens 13-14 group, Katrina Howard nailed her 8th stars and stripes jersey by riding straight off the front of the group, lapping the entire field, and then attacking them in the final lap so she could finish alone and post up in peace. Astounding.

And if that wasn’t enough, the Mens 13-14 group was even battier. Phillip O’Donnell and Daniel Park zipped off to open up a gap in the early laps, trading pulls like a couple of seasoned pro-tour riders. When they caught and lapped the field, they decided to sit at the front, dragging an entire chasing peloton up to the small group that had initially been behind them. And if that wasn’t weird enough, there was a HUGE crash in the final lap that took Park down.

With an entire lap on the field and a non-functioning bike, Park ran for the last quarter of the course, just beating a hard-charging peloton behind him to secure his silver medal. He pulled a sweet ‘cross remount about 4 feet from the finish line and crossed it on his bike, smiling through a mouth full of blood. Then he stopped and let me take an awesome photo of his bloody-mouthed grin.

No time for captions today as I’m running on four hours sleep and shooting out the door to shoot a day’s worth of time trials. You can see full results and more coverage at USAC’s website or browse hundreds of great participant photos over at Cascade Event Photography.

Related posts:

1. State Champs!!!
2. StarCrossed 2008: Cold, Wet, Crazy… Perfect
3. Cherry Pie: 1 Part Crash, 3 Parts Chase

If you’ve never seen a 10-year-old girl in pigtails climb out of the saddle like she is about to win the Tour de France, then your life is not yet complete.

Yesterday kicked off USA Cycling Elite, U23 and Junior Road Championships and the Paralympics National Road Championships in Bend, Oregon and, though these early groups (the youngest kids) aren’t the big name headliners who will draw crowds this weekend, they are the athletes who define this event.

They’re the next generation of cycling greats. They’re little people riding their guts out, getting nervous before the race, puking after, sobbing when they win (or lose), crashing in the first 2k and getting back on their bikes to finish the race. They’re the real deal and it was an honor to be on hand to watch the drama unfold.

And the para-cyclists? Don’t even get me started. You want inspiration? You want a good reason to never open your trap again to complain about anything ever? Come watch one of these events. Talk about the power of the human spirit….

Click through the slideshow below to view all the images. Click a photo once to reveal the description / information about the image. If you’d rather view these on Flickr, hit the “USAC Road Nationals 2010″ link on the upper lefthand corner.

Related posts:

1. It’s here! USA Cycling Junior, U23 & Elite Road Nationals
2. Masters Nationals is Coming to the Big, Beautiful Bend!
3. Cascade Cycling Classic Stage 2 Photo Preview

Is there anything better than watching Mt. Hood stand majestic and aglow in your rearview mirror as you head down 97 from Portland to Bend?

Yes.

Getting to Bend and photographing 10-year-old girls duking it out for a national championship. Which is exactly what I’ll be doing tomorrow morning.

Last year the media outlets I was working for weren’t interested in “the kids”, so I spent that time prepping articles and getting interviews done because the pace was hectic and there was never enough time. This year, I’m shooting for USAC and the US Olympic Committee (paralympics) and they do happen to care about getting photographs of “those kids” and everyone else who shows up for the national Battle Royale that will take over Bend, Oregon for the next 6 days.

So it’s going to be a snap-happy week full of long days and lots of gold medals and I’m stoked to see the next generation of little racers go for the glory. I’ll be on hand for all the drama so I can report back with (mostly) images and maybe a few words.

Get the scoop on what’s in store from this USAC preview article and don’t miss our own Pat Malach’s piece in the Oregonian Sports section about Jacob Rathe and Ian Boswell. Pat will be on hand providing more great coverage for the Oregonian as we move into the elite races later this week. And, as always, be sure to keep an eye on his blog.

A general roundup of men and women to watch can be found here.

Download the complete schedule from USAC (pdf) or check out Visit Bend’s Guide to Road Nationals (pdf).

Wanna know what happened last year? Check the 2009 Results.

Whatever you do, plan a little excursion and get thee to Bend!  The crits on Friday are not to be missed and the elite road races on Sunday are sure to be full of fireworks. Bring a lawn chair and camp out along the long climb up Archie Briggs Road for maximum effect.

See you there!

Related posts:

1. Masters Nationals is Coming to the Big, Beautiful Bend!
2. Cascade Cycling Classic Stage 2 Photo Preview
3. Changing Colors: Veloforma for Road Season

It happened when I was about seven. Thanksgiving Day. I remember clearly.

We were out in the garage mashing aluminum cans because as an enterprising young whipper-snapper I’d noticed that the junk man’s aluminum price had recently sky-rocketed. I was preparing the final batch in what would be my most epic aluminum can delivery. Sure to break world records. Guaranteed to bring me enough money for the Cornsilk Cabbage Patch Kid of my day dreams.

Cornsilk Cabbage Kids had *real* hair, not this yarn crap that you saw everywhere. I would not settle for yarn. I’d been collecting cans for months.

Here’s how can mashing went: I set down a couple dozen in a long row and Dad would follow with feet that we liked to call “clod-hoppers”. They were size 13 and, when stuffed into the appropriate boots, they turned Diet Coke cans into tiny slivers of aluminum, about the size of a large coin.

It was a thing to behold.

Papa and I established a nice rhythm and we were really flying. I could smell the turkey and stuffing in the kitchen and I knew that my sister was probably making some mean mashed potatoes. We were nearly done when I came to the V8 can. It was hard and compact and heavy. I wagered that it was not made of aluminum. I suspected tin. I did not know what to do.

I hesitated, not wanting my father to hurt his foot on an uncrushable V8 can. As I put my seven-year-old hand down to retract the can, my father’s annihilator descended. He saw me just in time to slow the acceleration a bit, but not in time to avoid mashing the soft flesh of my palm into the tiny circle of metal.

“DADDY!”

I grabbed him and he swooped me up. I had my hand behind him, hugging as hard as I could. I didn’t want to see it. I was sure my fingers would be dangling by little ligaments. I think my father feared the same.

We stayed frozen like that for a few seconds while I wailed and pressed my face into his chest to cover my eyes. My hand had been stamped by the clod-hopper!

“You have to show me.” he said. And though I didn’t want to face what was surely permanent disfigurement, I brought the hand into view.

Five fingers intact. A perfect circle of blood.

“Look! They’re all there!” he said.

About that time, Mom appeared in the doorway holding a spatula. “What’s going on?”

“Dad tried to cut off all my fingers!” I was sobbing through a smile, having realized that I would not have to learn how to play first base with a stump in my glove.

“Oh, Geez.” he said. I could see the guilt in his face.  “I mashed her little hand. I’ll take her to urgent care.”

While we sat in the waiting room he showed me his big, calloused hand and told me the story of every crooked finger and permanently swollen knuckle. This one broken in a farm accident, this one mashed in a doorway, that one… that one he can’t remember exactly. Every digit had been broken at least once. He never bothered with doctors for such trivial injuries, so they’d grown back at jaggedy, gruesome angles. His palms were thick and rough.

Waiting there with pain shooting up my arm I felt an unexpected feeling creep in.  A tinge of pride. A sense of belonging.

I belonged to this crazy man with gigantic, scarred hands and twisted fingers. This was my fate. These were my people.

This was my father.

And if, during my lifetime, my hands became only half as beautiful and maligned as his were, I should consider myself lucky.

I looked down at my bloody circle and smiled through stupid tears.

“I can do better than this.” I thought.

And I have.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! May your feet always be big and your fingers misshapen! I love you more than cyclocross and fancy beer!

xo,
Heidi

Related posts:

1. A Special Dad’s Day Post from Kermy
2. I Used to Be a Pipsqueak (A Guest Post)
3. Moments of Euphoria

In case you hadn’t heard, Eben Weiss of BSNYC is in town to read some passages from his book and scratch his name into a few of them for all the doting BSNYC fans in Portland.

Even better? There will be a ride before the event that starts at Chris King Components. This is your chance to ride with the snob. Don’t miss it – from what I can gather after sharing 50 minutes of airtime with him on NPR (which admittedly isn’t much to go on) , he’s a really nice guy.

Also, it’s Father’s Day. And Eben is a new dad. So we should make him feel warm and cozy in that cuddly Portland way (see below).

Details

Extra: “Bike Snob just became a new dad but he’ll be spending this first Father’s Day with us. Let’s show him how much we care by bringing him handmade Father’s Day cards (construction paper and crayon preferred) Gifts of drugstore cologne and ties are also encouraged.”

Where to meet: 2801 NW Nela Street Portland Oregon 97210

When:5pm, June 20th – TOMORROW!

What: Ride with the snob. Starts at Chris King* Ends at Powell’s City of Books around 7pm. The snob will speak at 7:30pm with a book signing following.

Related posts:

1. Stuff that Didn’t Get Said on NPR’s “On Point”
2. Chris Horner Gives Fallen Rider (and bike) a 2k Ride to the Finish
3. Ready to Ride? A Must-Read eBook for Long Distance Cyclists

Father’s day is just around the corner and my Dad asked me specifically for a splitter for his modem. (Not kidding!) But, if I wasn’t making a trip to Radio Shack for the aforementioned wild splurge, I’d probably consider getting him something downright goofy.

Like many good Dads in the world, he’s a master of bad jokes, horrible puns and silly stories. He’s got a wonderful, genuine cackle of a laugh and huge, gnarly hands full of previously broken and now not-quite-straight fingers. I love him dearly.

In honor of another silly Hallmark holiday that reminds us to say things that we should really be saying all the time anyway, I give you 10 Goofy Father’s Day Gifts culled from the wild and crazy internets.

Brain in a Jar

Brain in a Jar I actually thought about giving this to my mom along with a note that said, “I finally figured out what’s been wrong with Dad all these years… something was missing!!” but then I decided she didn’t need anymore ammunition. This is still the kind of thing that might make my dad (who is, like most men, just a very tall boy) laugh and giggle.

Hand Knit Beard

My dad has a pretty rad reddish beard that’s slowly going white (ha!). Every year he looks more and more like Santa Claus, which is funny because he used to work as a mall Santa when I was a little whipper snapper. If your dad doesn’t have the bristles to rock a big beard, now he can realize all his beardly fantasies with this removable hand knit beard.

Hand Grenade Soap

Why should Mom have all the fun with soap? She’s got a stack of smellies sky high and it’s high time that Papa had a manly version of fancy bath crap. Seems like a hand-grenade would do the trick, although with a Sandalwood scent, he might be mistaken for a crazy hippy. Wait. My dad is a crazy hippy. Nevermind. This Hand grenade soap is goofy and made with olive oil and will make you feel less terrified the next time you hear him scream, “Fire in the hole!” from the depths of the bathroom.

This is not a tie.

I know, I know a tie is a boring gift. But, this one is irreverent and chic. Ceci n’est pas une cravate… THIS IS NOT A TIE tie. I’m not sure I could ever see my dad wearing anything written in French OR a tie these days, but for those of you with non-mountainman fathers, it’s a subtle twist on a classic cliche.

Felt Dynamite

If I gave my dad real dynamite for Father’s Day, he’d likely have the entire house and all surrounded outbuildings in smoldering bits and pieces before you knew it. The solution? Easy: Felt dynamite!.
Blow it up, Papa!

Make it glow!

Nothing says “I love you” like explosives.

Cuckoo Clock

My last name is Swift. That is my father’s clan. Growing up, we were always called the “Not too’s” – as in, “Not Too Swift”. (I can’t believe I am admitting this to the internets. Sweet lovin’ Jeebus please do not use this against me next time you see me in person!) This cuckoo clock might have done a lot to keep us on time back in the day (or not…) and even though it’s too late for that, it’s downright adorable and super high on the silly factor that my Dad seems to go for.

Bacon Magnets

Dude. Do I even need to say anything about this? It’s bacon. BACON magnets . Helloooooo – bacon!! Almost as rad as bacon bandaids or a bacon tie (PS: Bacon tie is the hidden tenth gift idea!). I love bacon. Bacon will serve as a daily reminder about how amazing and incredible the world can be – I mean, we have bacon! What more do we need?

Bacon rules all.

Bacon is Eternal Love and Glory.

What would Bacon Do?

I love Bacon.

Upcycled Bowling Ball Bag

Straight up classic. Dads and bowling. I use an old PBR bowling bag that I bought in 2002 as a gym bag or overnight bag sometimes though the insurgence of PBR-focused hipsters in the past 5 years has kind of killed the appeal. This upcycled bag is retro and cool, even if you’re dad isn’t.

Log Cuff Links

Cuff links are so mad-men fabulous, but my Dad is far from Donald Draper. If he was ever forced to link up I know he’d appreciate these super cute log cuff links. I can even imagine him squealing as he opened then and saying, “Ohmygod! These are so super cute!!” Ok, maybe that’s a stretch but still… Log cuff links!

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Why Not Eat a Box and Other Crazy Ideas for Weight Loss
2. StarCrossed 2008: Cold, Wet, Crazy… Perfect