Nice Club Ride Today

I decided to do the Portland Velo ride later last night. None of the usual suspects were available (well, one wasn't, and it was kind of late to call the other), so I got myself and Lemond up and out of the house around 8am, heading west.

LS wool jersey, waffle fleece vest, Showers Pass jacket...

Arrived at Longbottom's just as the fast boys were leaving, so took myself to the back of the group to wait for the Mellow 17's departure. Visited with Traci and John in the meantime. Traci held my bike as I divested of the Showers Pass jacket.

As it turned out, there was one 17's group and that was fine. Chatted with the Lindas and Dan as we headed south. Eventually we crossed TV Highway, and a couple of the riders were caught at the light, so Dan and I waited. That was the last we saw of everyone else, until Maggies Buns.

So Dan, Sam, Chi, and I followed the southern part of the route. Lots of trees turning, alpacas, sheep, cows, pumpkin fields, clear blue fall sky, plowed fields, stubble fields, orchards, a few vineyards, sun, crisp air (the LS wool jersey and vest were perfect), and not much traffic.

A brief stop at Forest Hills Golf Course, then up Blooming Fern Hill Rd. I always forget that it is a two part climb :-)

Sam and I summitted, but then he waited for Dan and Chi, and I descended and waited at the bottom. Good time to flip the map.

North into Forest Grove (stubble fields on either side, lots of visitors of the human variety at the wetlands), thence to Maggies, where all the 17's were ready to leave. But we had to stop for a minute, so they went on.

This ride had the novelty of riding north from Forest Grove on Thatcher, so we had a whole different perspective - we usually ride south. Right at Purdin Rd, there is a cemetery on the east side of the road that I had never noticed. Every headstone said "Purdin", so probably a family cemetery.

A right turn on Greenville (nursery stock, greenhouses, pond), rolling our way eastward. I parked myself behind Dan; he's a great windbreak. A short stop at St Francis in Roy, then we continued heading east and south, back to Longbottoms.

We found the 17's there, finishing second breakfast, so we joined them. Had a long chat on bicycle construction with John and Ed.

Dan thought he'd ride along with me for awhile on my route home; he was looking for a way into Portland from Hillsboro. I could certainly help out there. He was a bit wide-eyed after the Evergreen through the shopping center and Cornell to 158th stretch, but now understands why riding south on Shute to turn left on Huffman bothers me not at all :-)

62 miles and change, and a perfect day!