The Gift - OrRando Hot Springs 300k

Last time this route was used, it was in conjunction with a 600k, and it was the second 300k I rode.  I was wanting better all-around this time.



Baked up some more amaretti cookies, and made them into sandwich cookies with the homemade Nutella.  Mixed up a batch of hummus, and made some wraps.  Packed a couple of bananas and bars and gels.

Weather was going to be amazing.  I couldn't believe it, and did toss my booties and helmet cover in the bag, just in case...  I also packed sunscreen :-)

Kevin came over, so he wouldn't have ride the 30 miles to Newberg to the start.  He added some big cookies and an avocado-bean burrito to my food stash.  Loaded everything into the car, and was completely organized, including dinner and dessert by 8pm. (This doesn't happen very often)

Up at 4am, breakfast, and we were in Newberg by 5:30am.  Handed off some cookies to Kevin and Narayan.  Was really happy to see Peg; it has been a very long while since we've been on a ride together.  Michal eventually appeared, and he and Cyndi got some amaretti-Nutella cookies as well.  They also gave me some cookies.  These pre-ride food swaps are great fun.

What with Michal still not being quite organized, we pulled out a few minutes after the official start.  No worries.  One does not ride a 300k in the first 10 minutes, and I don't have a prayer of hanging onto the fast group.



The start was foggy and damp.  Sometimes really foggy.  We overtook a few riders, and rode for awhile with Ken, Ray, and Peg.  We had planned on a few bonus miles by riding the side roads paralleling the first 12 miles of SR-22.  But somehow, in the fog, we made a wrong turn and ended up on the south side of SR-22, but not on the right road. I can see what happened now, but that did add a few more bonus miles.

Into Stayton with Ray (pause), then on eastward.  Got to the Lyons control, where I ate (something) and drank (something), enjoyed some people watching, and eventually proceeded on.



Ray went on here, and Michal and I continued on together.  We were gently climbing the whole way - my inclinometer said 0%, but I could watch the altimeter tick up.



Back onto SR-22 past Mill City (by then I'd ditched the jacket, vest, arm warmers, cap, overgloves, and knee warmers and added sunscreen).  A brief stop at The Maples rest stop, because it was the last facility until Detroit, plus there was Free Coffee and Cookies).

The climb up was very gradual, and we must have had a tailwind, because it was no problem at all.  Sunny.





Pause at Detroit Dam for pictures and stretching.  Michal finally removed all his extraneous layers. We saw 4 riders headed back, which puts them almost 40 miles ahead of us...





Into Detroit; paused at the store right on the corner.  Many riders there, but they were all headed down. (20 miles up on us).  More snacks and visiting, but that last 11.8 miles of climbing wasn't going to happen by itself.





Still a very gentle grade, and a wonderfully quiet road.  Bits of snow still there in the shade.



Eventually got to the turnaround (the cue sheet and the brevet card did not quite agree on distance or hints), snapped a few pictures and headed down.





And there was the headwind.  So, downward we went, but it was not a screaming descent.

Back into Detroit, where I felt the beginnings of a bonk.  Time for that enormous burrito.  The store had a very nice back deck overlooking the lake, so we decamped there to sit and eat.  And I did consume that entire burrito (and it was huge), plus an ice cream cone chaser.  Narayan came through - he'd gone rather far past the turnaround, so got some bonus miles there.







Then the 20 mile descent back to Mill City on SR-22.  We still had that headwind, but it was much, much, much nicer than descending in the rain, getting buffeted around by the wind, and getting buzzed by RVs.  Another pause at The Maples, then into Mill City (Michal puts his GPS on supplementary battery power), and then Lyons.  We leapfrogged Narayan through this stretch, and when he arrived at the Lyons control, I had a big container of Pringles for us all to snack on.  He told us all about PBP, and he and I relived the Tahuya 600k of last June.  Then he headed out, and we eventually followed, finding him on Old Mehama Rd.

Into Stayton, for the last on-course control and some chicken noodle soup.  My stomach had been crabby for quite awhile, and that looked like it would help.  I also had some antacids and a banana.  Narayan stopped in and said he was going to keep moving.  We figured we'd chase on, but we didn't see him again.

By now, the wind had died down.  I was fully expecting a headwind all the way north, especially on Howell Prairie Rd.  (Ray calls it "Howl" Prairie for a very good reason).  No headwind.  East on SR-22 for a few miles (really big shoulder), onto the Shaw Highway, and pulled over at the start of Howell Prairie to pull on armwarmers and reflective gear.  I may have also put on my jacket; I was starting to get chilly.



Started snacking on those amaretti sandwich cookies, but moving north at a pace that was pretty special.  I get excited anytime I am moving at a pace greater than 15mph, and we had stretches of 18mph.  Gorgeous sunset.  This was the gift, for sure.

Another pause a couple miles before Gervais - knee warmers, and pounding on my shoulder knots.  The nice folks whose barnyard complex we had pulled into offered water, but we were ok there.

I was starting to get the sleepies, so crunched on some caffeinated mints.  They didn't seem to do much, so I had a few more, with my last banana.  And then, all of a sudden, I wasn't dozy anymore.  Nice!  This does say I should start cutting back on my caffeine intake, for the looming 400k and 600k brevets.

Into and through Gervais, north on Butteville, looking for Arbor Grove - I usually approach from a slightly different direction.  We stopped to consult maps.  From the darkness... "are you looking for Arbor Grove?  Keep on for another mile".  Nice people out there tonight, for sure.

Once on Arbor Grove, I was completely on autopilot.  Last few miles, and we were done at about 11:30.  Before midnight, which was the goal for both of us.  Cyndi opened the door, and we visited with the finishers still hanging around.  I had a Pepsi, and got a shower before driving myself and Kevin back north.

Kevin wanted to know about my post ride recovery process... hmm.  sleep in.  successfully walk down the stairs.  unload the car.  eat everything that isn't nailed down.  I think he was looking for something like a recovery ride.  That will happen tomorrow, when I commute to/from work :-)

Stats: 196 mi, 14.5mph avg, 5862 vertical feet.  That average is the fastest this year for a rando ride.

Got a nice start on my suntan, too.

Many more pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnefitz/sets/72157629876576275/with/7103488689/