I Am Never Going to Catch Up - Rides since August

Sigh.  Not Keeping Up Here.  So you'll get a summary.

August

We were in Michigan in August, and I took cards and cue sheets for my 3 routes up there, as well as a registration form :-)  I now have left them in my storage box.  I decided to ride the 218km route to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse and back.  Getting there was uneventful; big lunch in Leland, pavement from heaven.







The day got hot.  The headwinds from the south were evil.  The hills were killer - not very high, but with the wind whipping in on the bare crests...  Ow.  My feet are telling me to not ever do a 200k wearing my Keen sandals ever again.  Long conversations with myself the last 40 miles.  I officially finished at the Blarney Castle gas station c-store, then met Fitz at Stormcloud.  Except they were having an employee thing, so we relocated to Dinghy's and had the Fred Flintstone plate.  They don't call it that, but the ribs are big.

Also August

Ray rounded up Paul and me to ride the Banks-Elsie 200k.  The weather was excellent, as was the company.





The outgoing leg on the Banks Vernonia trail was notable for one of the Wingham Farms cows standing right in the middle of the trail.  We edged by.  This being a weekday, it seemed that every log truck in the universe was out on 47/202/103.  They all passed politely and professionally; I waved a lot.  I like to acknowledge courtesy.  Still, the thought of riding BACK with log trucks was a bit intimidating; tight curves at the western end of the route.  The Elk Refuge bathrooms have been reconstructed and are quite nice.  The one I used had a big wooden bench, possibly suitable for taking a nap on, should one's fleche route go by here in the middle of the night.  No elk, but they are rarely there in the middle of the day.  We got lunch at the turnaround in Elsie; sat outside on their covered porch entry.



So, time to ride back.  Hey, no log trucks!  Paul: "they've been out here since 3 in the morning; they've all gone home."  And a tailwind of sorts.  We paused at The Birk just because; the owner (Mike) invited us in to refill our bottles and use the facilities.  He's got some massive Bull Mastiffs.  Fortunately, they were off duty and quite friendly.

Nine miles back to Vernonia, with shade and a real tailwind after we turned south.  I love that shade.  Paul and Ray were counting the number of times we crossed the Nehalem River.  They came out with 24 in all.  I kept losing count.  I had some ice cream at the gas station c-store.  Now only 20 miles on the trail; easy peasy.  It was thinking about dusk, but not really, when we finished.

September

Susan wanted to know if I would want to ride my Beaverton-Hagg Lake-Carlton 200k with her.  I knew EPP (electronic proof of passage) had been approved by the RUSA Board, because this route has a large number of info controls, and she's not fond of them :-)

There was going to be a NW wind, which would make parts of the return a bit challenging.  I chose to ride the Lemond (the fast bike).

Really nice in the morning, all the way to Forest Grove.  Lovely new pavements.  We stopped at the c-store for expediency.  I may have also had a salt pause.  Old Hwy 47 to the Lake Store, formerly a mass of potholes and cracks has been repaved.

Circumnavigation of Hagg Lake - website said the lane was "restricted".  At the lake, it was "closed". We rode as far as the info control, then back to the intersection w/West Shore Drive by the dam.  and rode an out and back on the dam to find the missing .4 miles.



As it was getting hot, we stopped at the Lake Store again for more water; I also inhaled a V-8.  The wind might have been helpful on the way to Carlton, but it was hard to tell.  We did the Carlton control at the bakery, where I had an EXCELLENT lemon tart and a citrus soda of some variety.  It was really hot by now. 



There was nice shade on Hendricks, another salt pause, and then we turned north into the wind.



Lots of traffic on Kuehne and North Valley (riding on a weekday will do that), until we passed Flett.  The 20 miles from Carlton to the turn east on Geiger seemed rather longer than they should have.

But then we had a tailwind and were coasting along, sometimes doing 18-20, without even trying.  We zigzagged north to Hillsboro (yes, short stretches of headwind) to the final on-course control, with V-8 and a banana.  The temperature was finally dropping, and we got a small snack at the finish (Starbucks).  12:43 elapsed.

Susan: "have you got a way to carry a pumpkin home?"  Uh, no.  She drove it to the house and elected to stay over rather than do the long drive home in the dark.

We did lots of picture control verification.  Yay, Timestamp Camera!

October

Ray, Paul and I rode the Hillsboro-Dallas 200k perm.  Starting at 7am has been problematic, because Fred Meyer doesn't open until 7am, but the "new" Fred Meyer gas station has a c-store, which opens at 5am.  Ray and I watched Paul drive around the parking lot; guess he didn't see us standing out in front.  It was a mite chilly!



As it was another weekday ride, the traffic heading south on Spring Hill/North Valley/Ribbon Ridge/Kuehne/Abbey into Lafayette was rather heavier than we are accustomed to seeing.  After Amity, the route heads south on Hwy 99 for 6 miles.  Hwy 99 has been repaved, and the shoulder is wide and smooth.  The traffic was heavy, but that doesn't bother me much, as long as I've got a shoulder to ride on.  Turned onto Bethel Rd, and then south on Perrydale, eventually ending up at the Dallas Safeway.  I had packed lox and bagel for ride food, and had consumed (wolfed down) a couple halves in the way to Dallas, and then proceeded to demolish a sushi tray.



We then headed back, into, you guessed it, a headwind.  There's nothing to slow it down out there on Red Prairie.  When we arrived at the corner of Perrydale and Bethel, Ray wanted to check out an alternate to Hwy 99.  I consulted Google Maps to figure out which way to go, as we knew it was there, but were unclear on the specifics.  Aha.  Turn left on Bethel, right on Broadmead, stick with it, and we'll end up in Amity, which was where we were going.  Since it wasn't shorter, off we went.  Less hilly, too.  Bonus.  The headwind was strong; Ray, as always, pulled ahead; Paul and I dropped off.  I found Ray in Amity on a park bench, but went on to the c-store for more beverages.

Still had the headwind, but I kept plugging along north.  Almost to the turn onto Geiger, and Ray came up BEHIND me!  How did that happen?  Here I thought I was chasing him!  Paul appeared, and we finished off the last 13 or so miles to the finish.  It was definitely dark before we finished.  My headlight needed adjusting; I was lighting up the sky :-) That was much harder than it should have been.  Granted, I dnf'd it as a brevet in January, but still.

Various Populaires

I rode the North Plains Banks Vernonia Trail perm pop a few times, once solo.  If I had to restrict myself to one perm pop, that would be the one.  The owner has ridden it 120 times, I am a distant second, with 37 finishes.  The rides were notable for the escaped goats.  Ray and I watched them pour out of a hole in the fence, and they were already on the trail on my solo outing.







The Annual Verboort Sausage Populaire was earlier this month ("always the first Saturday in November!").  It didn't rain.  I again, completely enjoyed the stretch north of Hwy 26 on Timber Rd.  Twice in a row.  I did not used to like it, and I don't know why.  Quiet road, lots of trees and farms.  Ray and I rode together, although we were in with other riders until the Timber Rd climb, where we went ahead.









There was also a Dart Populaire, elaborated on in another posting.

Revisiting the Columbia River Gorge

I can't remember the last time I rode in the Columbia River Gorge.  March 2014, when I finished my own perm out of time?

This month's ORR 200k was the Hollywood-Wind River 200 (this version matches the cue sheet).  I'd ridden it before, back in September 2011, when I was in MUCH more fit.  But as I'd survived Dayton-Beaver, I figured I'd finish in time, if not in style.

Recruited Michal to ride with me; he and Cyndi showed up the night before, in time for dinner.  Given that the ride was starting at 6am, we'd need to get up at 4am, so early bedtime all around.  The plan was for me to drive to the start with them, and Fitz would show up at the finish (McMenamin's Kennedy School) to join us for dinner and take me home.

(There are no pictures, although it was a gorgeous day.  Sorry.)

We all met at Wilshire Park.  I was the only woman riding.  Hmph.  Checked out the park's facilities, but it was too early and they weren't open.  We'd find something suitable along the way.

Off at 6am, headed north to the Columbia River.  We had a brief confusion at the NE33rd/Columbia Blvd overpass (cue was hidden in the discussion rather than on it's own line), but quickly resolved it and found ourselves at the west boundary of the airport.  I suggested we ride on the bike path, rather than Marine Drive, and we did that whenever possible.  Best of course when the path is on the river side of the road :-)

Into Troutdale, with a brief stop at the McD's (not for food :-) ), and out the Historic Columbia River Hwy (US-30).  It is up for about 26 miles, but not oppressively so.  Michal wanted to turn onto Bell Rd, but I hauled him back.  The mist/clouds got very thick at this point, almost to "drizzle".  I knew it wouldn't last long, and hadn't even packed a rain jacket.

Popped out at the top and dropped down to Vista House, our first control.  From there, we had the fun descent down to Latourell Falls, and kept dropping for awhile, eventually arriving at the gentle rollers heading east to Warrendale, then the less gentle rollers to the end of the road (unless one wants to get on I-84) and the start of the new part of the path to Cascade Locks.  I love riding the path, but prefer it in the other direction.

Hefting the bike down the (50+, with landings every 10) stairs was a bit painful, but we got there.

Ruckel Creek was a shadow of its former self, but still pretty.

We paused very briefly to refill bottles at the park in Cascade Locks and headed over the bridge ($1 toll for bicycles now).  The crosswinds were pretty spectacular, but I got a few chances to look down and watch the bridge deck vanish as I rode along.  The fast boys were heading west just as we arrived at SR-14 on the Washington side.

We continued east to Stevenson, for a food stop at the grocery.  Terrible sandwich - too much bread, and the turkey and cheese were completely without flavor.  Ick.  Then again eastward to the turn onto Wind River Rd, passing through Carson after the turn.

Wind River Rd climbs almost 1000 feet in 8+ miles.  The tailwind wasn't really there.  Passed the RBA lurking in Carson on the way up; she said she got a ride in after we had all finished that part of the route.  We saw 4 or 5 riders headed back, including Kevin L.

Now, I have ridden this route twice before, and knew where the info control would be.  By this point, our bike computers were not agreeing with the cue sheet; I used the road mile markers, and started looking for the control after we passed by mile marker 8.  Ah, there it was (zipties on the road sign).  Saw Michal further down the road, but I was too wiped to yell.  I figured he'd see me and come back, and eventually he did.  Talking with Kevin later, he said he couldn't find the info control either.  Ate a little something, and headed back down.

Now, THAT was fun!  We could see the Oregon side of the river, and the road stair-stepping down back to SR-14.  Then we hit the Headwind.

We paused again in Stevenson for more water.  I think I drank a quart just standing there, and ate a few more things.  We'd have that headwind all the way back.  It was weird, though - it would blow really hard, and then not much; probably mitigated by the trees, and the road curves following the river's edge.  I had been worried about time when we got to the Wind River Rd control, but not so much after the return.  And, indeed, the headwind wasn't delaying us nearly as much as I thought it might.  Another brief pause at Beacon Rock (Michal was ahead and waiting for me.  There was definitely some of that today), then onward.

Lots of wildflowers in bloom on both sides of the river - sweetpeas, lupines, batchelors button, foxglove, and many I didn't know the names of.

At mile 91, the last big climb of the day appeared.  We chugged up SR-14.  Michal, of course was ahead.  I may have walked a bit.  The turn was onto Krogstad Rd, which is unsigned, and probably doesn't even rise to the level of "driveway".  Like I said, I have been here before, and knew what I was looking for.  As it turned out, the fence is gone, and the house is repainted, but the road sign on the other side did say "Riverside", and it was a bit past where the climbing lane went away.

So I was there, but no Michal.  Ok, maybe he'd gone on and would be found further along.  Krogstad is very quiet and very shaded, but no less climby :-)  A bit more walking, while eating a Payday bar, more riding, finally at the intersection with Canyon Creek.  No Michal.  At this point, our texts crossed in the mail.  He'd overshot the turn and waited for me after the turn, then came back.  Didn't find me, but found Kevin, who'd stopped in Carson.  So I texted that we'd meet up at the next control (Washougal Mercantile), and continued on.  And finally, downhill.  A slow downhill to start, but then it dropped a bit more.  After a few miles of this, I found myself at the store, and bought an ice cream bar and a Coke.  The staff hadn't seen any other riders since 2:20 (they were well-trained in the signing of the cards by now).  Halfway through the ice cream bar, Michal appeared, and a time after that, Kevin.  We all had a good sit and eat before heading on.

Michal: "what's it like now?  No more climbs?"  Nope.  Downhill to Washougal, rolling westward, a bit of a short pitch at Ellsworth, and that's about it. (He rode this with me the last time.  You'd think he'd remember.)

Washougal River Road was a gentle descent, only needed a bit of pedaling to keep up a good pace.  Drivers would stack up behind us and then pass with little difficulty; only one yeller.  And the motorcycle that almost side-swiped me in Washougal; you'd think they'd know better.

Though Washougal, through Camas.  The new roundabout after Camas onto 6th/Old Evergreen Hwy is a very welcome addition.  Old Evergreen Hwy has terrible pavement, but it does look like some parts have been replaced.  About 12 miles out, we stopped and texted our respective spouses, and then slogged on.  I should have eaten something here.

Eventually we saw the I-205 Bridge high above us and knew the turn onto Ellsworth wouldn't be far.  Up Ellsworth, up onto the bridge (that was easier), and then, once on the bridge, downhill all the way to Oregon.  Other than riding on the bridge is really noisy (bike path is in the middle of all the lanes), way fun.

We then navigated south of the airport, crossed over Lombard and Columbia, wandered the neighborhoods a bit and finished.  Cyndi was out front looking for us, but we didn't see the RBA, so she watched our bikes while we got our cards signed at the desk (and in my case, stamped; all McMenamin places have delightful rubber stamps).

Fitz appeared, and my bike was secured in the car.  Michal, Cyndi, and Kevin also went off to secure bikes.  We got a table and waited for them to come back in.  The RBA came by and got my card.  After Michal and Cyndi came in, she got Michal's card, and also Kevin's (he elected to just go home).

Beverages were ordered, and eventually food.  Cyndi kept trying to get Michal to split something with her, but he thought he could eat an entire meal himself.  Fitz usually also tries to get me to split something, but he knew better than to try that after I had just finished a big ride. :-)

12:47 elapsed time.  I lost 3 lbs, but they mostly returned.  It will be nice when I am more fit and can finish this ride in less time.  Working on it.

A Challenging 200k

It didn't look good in Willamina.  I was on the verge of bonking.  It would be an 80+ mile drive for someone to retrieve me, and I didn't want that to happen either.  But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Ray proposed his Dayton-Beaver 210k permanent.  I was pretty sure my engine wasn't yet rated for the initial climb, but he thought I'd make it.  Susan and Keith also joined in.

While preparing the food (Fig Newtons, furikake hard-boiled eggs, rice pudding, Kind bars, some gels, Brookside chocolate-fruit gel thingies, chocolate bars), I came to the realization that my massive jug of Carbo-Pro maltodextrin was empty.  I went to two local bike shops and came up empty.  Then I remembered!  The homebrew place out west in Hillsboro has maltodextrin!  Drove out there, and learned that most of the maltodextrin they sell is to folks like me :-)  Really good value, too.  Might go back and buy a 10 pound bag.

It wasn't supposed to rain, but the "mist" was pretty darn persistent on the drive out to Dayton (like Newberg, only 10 miles further along...).  I had my "it might raincoat" along.  Susan had a windbreaker.  Keith, in his recumbent, had a fairing and sock.  I don't think Ray had a rain jacket.  Fortunately, that was it; no more rain the rest of the day.

We met up at the parking lot across from the high school, and rode into the center of town, to take advantage of the public facilities and covered area for the pre-ride rituals.

Susan and I had ridden the earlier version of this route, in reverse, in pouring rain, 6 years ago.  I had never climbed up from the Carlton side, and, honestly, wasn't sure I ever wanted to.  But here I was.

The first 10 miles were reasonably flat as we rode to, and through Carlton, out Meadowlake Rd, which becomes the Nestucca Access Rd, and then the Nestucca River Rd.  The road wandered around through the foothills, where there were farms, then more trees, and at about mile 14, we started the Real Climb.  It was pretty.  I got to admire some parts of it at greater length, because there was some walking.  The other three riders would regroup and wait for me, or sometimes ride along.  Eventually I found them at the reservoir, which is the first summit.  All the clothing I took off was restored.  The climb summits at 1999 feet, drops about 200 feet, then regains it over a short distance.

Then we had a beautiful, gorgeous descent along the Nestucca River, which went on seemingly forever (really, 35 miles), eventually dropping through the Siuslaw National Forest to Blaine, and then Beaver.  There was a couple miles of gravel, but it was well-packed, and not an issue.  Once I popped out of the forest near Blaine, I could every so often see the others up ahead, but didn't catch them until the control at Beaver.

I had finished both my bottles, so dealt with refilling them (one Gatorade-maltodextrin, the other plain water), and bought a couple of Payday bars, for variety.  I'd been munching pretty steadily on the other food in my bag all along.

We then headed south on Hwy 101 to Hebo, where we'd turn back inland on Hwy 22.  Not that we were on the Pacific Ocean; that was still a few miles further west.  Hwy 22 climbs up to Sourgrass Summit, possibly the lowest (679 feet) pass over the Coast Range.  By now we had a tailwind, it was sunny, with lots of shade, and the climb was very gentle.  Easiest 15 mile climb ever.

From there we enjoyed the descent to Grande Ronde, passing through, but not stopping.  While we were riding on Hwy 18/22, a couple of riders went by, one with a very small backpack and a teeny bit of luggage on his bike, the other with possibly less stuff.  I didn't get a chance to chat with them, but the others did - they were participating in the Trans-Am Bike Race, which had started in Astoria.  Obviously on a mission.

We, on the other hand, as soon as we crossed the bridge by Fort Hill, turned off the road onto a dirt path, and continued on Yamhill River Road, which is ever so much nicer and quieter than Hwy 18/22.

Shortly thereafter,we were in Willamina (I could almost hear Susan thinking: "I could turn left here and be home in 3 miles!"), at the shiny new gas station/c-store.  I had sucked down a mouthful of straight salt a little while back, but it didn't seem to be taking effect.  Took a couple of ibuprofen.  I then wandered aimlessly around the store, picking up a Coke, a banana, and some jojos.  Susan said she had an antacid, because there didn't seem to be any for sale.  So I sat there and shook, ate the banana, sipped the Coke ("ah", said Susan. "You've got the red ambulance!"), and contemplated my options.  Tried a jojo and decided they weren't a good choice at this point.  I think Ray ate them all :-) Asked Ray to get my wind vest for me (no, it wasn't cold.  I knew very well what was happening.)  Took off my shoes.

And then, miraculously, I suddenly felt much better.   I need to remember this combination of potions.

We then headed east, but not to Amity.  There was a tailwind, even.  Rather than taking the traditional route to Amity, and then a short 9 miles to Dayton, Ray routed us down to Perrydale (shades of the Hillsboro Dallas perm), and across the valley to Zena Rd.  I had a brief moment of shock in Perrydale, when I noticed that the old fire engine was gone and its structure torn down.  Darn.

The pollen count was pretty high.  I was enjoying the scent of wheat and grass.  Susan, not so much.  She was sneezing her head off.

Last climb coming up.  I had bad memories of this particular climb on a very hot day a few years ago.  A bit more walking, then a fabulous descent to the Lincoln Store.  Keith was there when we arrived; he said the store closed just as he rode up.  We figured we all had enough for the last 14 miles.  I ate my last rice pudding, and we headed out.  Three more rollers before Hopewell Road flattened out, and then we were on Webfoot Road, the last stretch.  Parts of it seemed longer than they should have, but I finally crested the only big dip, and the Center Market in Dayton was right up the other side.

As we were now FINISHED, we bought unsuitable snacks (big ice cream bar for me), loafed on the front stoop, and finished filling out our cards. 210km, and under 13 hours.

Finding those Covered Bridges

Oregon has quite a few covered bridges, so much so that one of the brevet routes is the Covered Bridges 200k.  There's a corresponding 400k, with a few more bridges (Eden's Gate), but I wasn't going there this year.

So a couple of weeks ago, I found myself with Ray and Kevin L (yay!  he's back riding again!), and some number of other riders, in Wilsonville getting some pre-brevet coffee.  Very civilized start, what with it being in a coffee shop with plumbing and places to sit and coffee and food.

My food strategy included hard-boiled eggs, Fig Newtons, Brookside Dark Chocolate snacks, and rice pudding, along with the usual collection of a couple of bars, gels, and Gatorade-maltodextrin drink mix.  And plain old salt.  I sucked some down halfway through the ride.

And so, off we went.  After crossing the Willamette River on the Boone (I-5) Bridge, we headed down the west side of the highway, working our way to south to Aurora, then up to Lone Elder and Meridian Road (didn't miss the turn this time), where we'd be for a good long while.



We quickly found ourselves at the tail end (not unexpected).  We did catch up to the group in front of us, but we stopped to visit the blue room at 91 School, and they didn't.







We had a tailwind heading south.  Eventually we turned off Meridian Road, heading west on Downs Rd to the Gallon House Bridge.



From there we went into Silverton, and had a minor navigation miscue.  We thought we were headed out on Main Street, except we weren't and the expected climb out of town failed to materialize.  So we backtracked, and headed out to the Cascade Hwy.  How we got confused, I'll never know, because we've all only ridden through Silverton many, many times.



The Cascade Hwy hasn't gotten any more flat.  There's a big climb up to Riches Rd, then it goes up and down until just before Stayton.  We zipped through Stayton, and headed out to Cole School Rd.  Again, roller #2 won.  Sigh.  Excellent descent down Richardson Gap Rd, to bridge number two, the Shimanek Bridge.



Then we rode over to Scio, the first timed control.  We found the folks right ahead of us, but they were leaving.  We went over to the grocery and stocked up there.  I also bought and consumed a sandwich.

We now headed for the last two covered bridges - the Hoffman and Gilkey bridges.







And then we headed north, into the wind.  Lots of rear-wheel-sucking on my part.  The last climb of any substance was approaching, Parrish Gap Rd.  It starts out fairly innocuously, then ramps up.  I came up on Kevin using his two foot gear, and joined in.  He though that would be the top and there wouldn't be any more painful bumps, but I remembered otherwise.  Sure enough :-(

We found Ray hanging out under some trees, and we all stood around for while, and then headed into Turner, and then west to Salem.  Hauled Ray back from a wrong turn.  "I made that same wrong turn last time and got a lot further!"

It did start raining in Salem, but it didn't last long.  We headed for the McDonald's, and all had burgers (ok, Ray's was chicken) and fries, and wolfed them down (how often do you hear the words "wolf down food on a brevet" come out of my mouth?)

36 miles to go, about 4 hours left.  I was a bit tense, so kept up the pace as much as I could.  Somewhere on River Rd, my bike computer speedometer checked out.  I thought to swap the battery in from my cadence pickup, but that didn't work either.  The clock still worked, so I could figure out how I was doing from the distance at each cue and the clock.

To make a short story long, we did finish with 40 minutes to spare.  We were relaxing in the coffee shop when the folks just ahead of us came back in to visit, along with Cyndi (Michal was riding the 400k).

Changed Every Single Battery on the bike computer setup the next day.

Abandoneé in Amity

Since that last 200k, attempts at actual riding have been a bust.  We sat in the North Plain McDonalds watching people slip and fall, and decided to be prudent.  Then there was another attempt last week, only to find the trail closed with many downed trees from our snowstorms.  Plus all those snowstorms.  We've gotten a decade's worth of snow so far this winter!

The Oregon Randonneurs Feb 200k was Hillsboro-Dallas.  It isn't a difficult route.  I've set personal speed records on this one.

The day before, we had freezing rain (!)  It melted early enough that Michal could drive up the night before.

It was going to rain.  We had ALL our rain gear organized for the next morning.

So, the next morning, it was warm (high 40's).  We both ditched a layer, but I, at least, stuck mine in my saddlebag.  It wasn't even raining very hard.

However, the headwind was relentless.  Trying to draft Michal was challenging; the wind kept shifting little bits, making it really hard to find that sweet spot.

By the time we got to Amity, we were right at minimum pace, with the hilliest part of the route in front of us, and no places to shelter from the wind.  My pace had been dropping, and I didn't see that changing.

I called it in Amity (46 miles) and was completely prepared to ride back solo, indeed, I told Michal (several times) to keep going.  I could even ride home from the start, or, barring that, visit my newest grandson, who lives close by.  He wasn't buying it, so we went over to the Amity Market (wait, what, it is a Mexican Restaurant and Bar now?) and got something to eat before heading back.

I did put on that dry baselayer.

The tailwind was nice for awhile, then it tailed off (boo).  Graham found us in Dayton, and we rode along for a few miles, then he went ahead.

We eventually made it back shortly after 6pm, so we'd been out there 10 1/2 hours.  I'd been hoping the tailwind would have pushed us all the way back, but not so much.

On the bright side, my heart rate was 30 beats per minute lower on the return.

Only a randonneur would consider a 94+ mile ride a failure.

First 200k In 11 Months

And, oddly enough, our it seems to be annual "Ride a 200k on Civil War Day", the civil war in question is the Oregon State - University of Oregon football game.

I took the Coast Starlight from PDX to Eugene, given as how they've now got bicycle service AND a better schedule than the Cascades.



Pro: better schedule and cushier seats
Con: coach passengers sit in the very tail end of the train, baggage car is right behind the locomotive.  It is a very long train and "the stop in Eugene is 4 minutes!".  No wifi, and the water dispenser in the car was empty.  And the lighting was dim.

But with all that, I made good progress knitting on my sock, to the point of finishing it, but not weaving in the ends; I wanted better lighting!

First off the train, and scampered up to the front (as the conductor was announcing Last Call!), to find Michal holding my bike, waiting for me to show up with the claim ticket.  Whew.

Our route was Bill Alsup's Perm #1177: Eugene to Beaverton.

And so, up at 5am for the 7am start.  The drop down Michal's hill was kind of scary in the dark, like it always is, but I didn't work up to the whole bike shaking, like has happened before.  We found Chris at the coffee shop, and got ourselves some coffee as well.

Sunrise wasn't until 7:25am, so we got to enjoy heading north out of Eugene in the dawn.  All the coffee for breakfast and at the start meant that the customary pause at Armitage State Park was again observed.  We also decided that it wouldn't be raining any time soon, and ditched our rain jackets. Once over the McKenzie River and through Coburg, we were out in the rural Willamette Valley for most of the day.  Not that we could SEE anything, because there was a persistent fog, which stayed with us until we started the climb on Gap Rd (mile 22 or thereabouts).  We then dropped into Brownsville, pausing at the Chevron c-store, where I discovered PayDay bites, a convenient form factor presentation of the PayDay bar.

North through Brownsville, re-enacting the final scene in Stand By Me, then out the other side, eventually arriving at a road blockage.  Now, there's nothing OUT there, but looking ahead, we could see a small herd of cattle on the road.  It turned out to be the annual moving of the bulls from one field to another, and we watched them being herded by several guys on ATVs and an SUV bringing up the rear.



That settled, we continued on north.  Now, it was supposed to be raining most of the day, but we hadn't seen any rain to this point, and the skies looked like we wouldn't, for awhile anyway.  There were even bits of sunlight!

pic by Michal Young

Passed through Lebanon, and Crabtree, on to our first control at the Hoffman Covered Bridge.  Although, the info control answer was found at the corner of Crabtree Drive and Hungry Hill Rd, rather than at the bridge, 1.6 miles further along.



After the bridge, a driver stopped to warn us that there was a chaser dog up ahead "on one of the downhills".  We did not find the chaser dog, but I did find a shard of glass, so there was a pause to fix the flat.  I just swapped in a fresh tube.

A few more ups and downs, and we found Chris waiting for us in Scio.  It wasn't a control, so we kept going, encountering the Leffler Grade.  I didn't know if I'd be riding up it or walking it; maybe a third of the way up, walking all of a sudden became a very attractive option.  Once at the top, we rolled along the ridgeline, finally dropping back down and entering Stayton (67 miles), our first open control.  On this route, the preferred stop is the Safeway; for other routes, the Roth's Market.  Drank down a half teaspoon of salt before going in.

I got a rice bowl with orange chicken, and Michal and Chris cheerfully refilled my bottles (one with plain water, the other needed hot water for the Gatorade-Tea-Maltodextrin beverage).  I ate about half of the orange chicken and rice.  I really like orange chicken, and white rice seemed to be a good thing for my stomach. Michal thought he'd have a taste, and proceeded to make serious inroads on the leftovers.

And with that, my stomach was all of a sudden very much happier, and we had a tailwind to Aumsville, and all was right with the world.  It looked like it might start raining at the corner of Shaw Hwy and Hwy 214, so Chris pulled on his rain jacket.  Michal and I didn't bother; we couldn't see where it would get any worse than a bit of drizzle.  And, indeed, it cleared right up.

pic by Michal Young

We also had a helpful tailwind on all 18+ miles of Howell Prairie Rd, and the first 2+ miles of gentle uphill didn't seem burdensome at all.  There's not much to say about Howell Prairie - the berry bushes are pretty with their fall coloring, lots of wide open space, the elevators at the Pratum Co-op.  Once you cross the Little Pudding River, there are more trees.

At the northern terminus we crossed Hwy 99E, turned into the wind for a bit, and then picked up Boones Ferry Rd (we'd see a lot of this road off and on for awhile), and ended up in downtown Woodburn, our next control.  We usually stop at the Del Sol market and get tacos or tamales.  We both ordered tacos, and I am pleased to report that I managed my entire transaction in Spanish (and yes, there was an actual conversation), then foraged around the store for other things.  I found Arroz con Leche (rice pudding!) in the refrigerated case, in a single serving container, and promptly snapped it up.  It was much better than the tacos - I had ordered Asada tacos, and they were dry and bland; I kind of expect Carne Asada to be moist and flavorful.  We never found Chris; he had gone ahead.



Michal noted that the cars passing by had their windshield wipers on.  Darn.  On with the rain jackets and rain legs.  I was already wearing my Showers Pass waterproof socks; they'd likely get another trial.  I didn't bother to pull on the helmet rain cover.

So now it was dark and raining.  My helmet headlight seemed rather uninspired, and the stretch from Hubbard (just north of Woodburn) to Aurora (just south of Wilsonville) was not clear in my mind.  Michal had been fiddling with his gps and got it working again, so we'd be ok.

Heading out of Hubbard, we picked up Boones Ferry Rd again.  The traffic was rather heavier than in previous years; maybe these were folks headed home from the aforementioned football game.  I see now that we just head north on Boones Ferry, cross Ehlen, and then turn right on Keil, cross a very busy road (the rain had gotten much heavier), follow Keil to Airport, and head north to Miley, at which point I no longer need a cue sheet.

Yes.  Well.  From Miley Rd to get to Wilsonville, there is the small matter of crossing the Willamette River.  At this point the only way across is the Boone Bridge shoulder, which is a busy stretch of I-5.

So, dark. Pouring rain. Four lanes of high speed traffic.  Lots of debris on the shoulder - wheel parts, shredded tire parts, possibly a departed opossum or two.  Good times.

After exiting I-5, turning left onto Wilsonville Rd (there is also the part where one must leave the shoulder and move left two lanes), and onto the relative quiet of Boones Ferry Rd...  Whew.  We then turned into the industrial park, and I was on my work commute home from my stints at Microsoft in Wilsonville.

After topping out on the small climb on Boones Ferry Rd (there we are again), we dropped down into Tualatin.  There is usually a bike lane until there isn't, and the descent is ever so much more fun in the summer evening sunlight.  By now I was feeling soaked through, but not too much further to go!

Through Tualatin park, over the river and into Cook Park in Tigard, north on Hall Blvd, left into Old Downtown Tigard, then out the west side, the non-intuitive left onto Greenburg Rd, cross over Hwy 217, and ride up the back side of Washington Square Mall...  North on Scholls Ferry, and finally the left turn into the neighborhood before the last bit.  We actually got across to the turn lane without having to resort to the crosswalk and sidewalk to get to Elm St.

Through the unmarked and very subtle cut-though (always helps to have a local guide at this point), down 5th Ave (where I just wanted to turn right through the office park and go home!), under Hwy 217, up Griffith, and done.  12:22 elapsed time.



I barricaded my bike with tables and chairs up against the Starbucks window, and went inside to find hot coffee, and Chris A and Chris W (who rode one of my local perms and was planning to meet us at the finish).  They had obviously been there awhile, certainly long enough to change into dry clothing :-)  They eventually took their respective leaves, we finished our hot drinks, and rode the last mile to my house, where Fitz and Cyndi were awaiting our arrival.

Hot showers first, but Fitz had made an enormous pot of turkey chili and fresh cornbread.  With pie for dessert.

Solstice Ride

Over the past several years, the Solstice Ride has become a thing.  Ride through the longest night of the year.  A few years ago, Susan recruited riders to join her in riding Ken's Lunch at Nick's permanent, using the McMenamin's Hotel Oregon in McMinnville as the midpoint, with pizza and coffee.

I never could play, because it was either my dad's birthday, or some social event.  This year, after checking the calendar, I suggested to my mom that if she was having a party for dad that it not be Saturday night.  There was a social event, but I begged off.  Cake and ice cream were scheduled for Sunday afternoon, after Asher (our grandson) woke up from his nap.  I'd probably be awake from my nap by then as well.

And then it started raining.  And raining.  And flooding.  Susan spent a very large amount of time visiting all the county (two counties!) flood websites and maps, and came up with a reroute that detoured around every single flooded location.

It was supposed to be rainy and low 40's that night.  Prime hypothermia territory, so I packed extra socks, baselayer, caps, and gloves.  Planned to wear newspaper sacks over my socks (I have still not yet achieved non-leaky foot coverings).  Bought another thermal bottle, so I could have two bottles of hot liquid calories.  Eating with fluffy gloves on is problematic.  Drinking is easier.

Bought purple and green LED holiday lights and spoke reflectors for the bike.

Made a hi-viz reflective neck flap for my helmet cover, so water wouldn't run off the cover and onto my back/neck via my rain jacket collar.

Susan suggested that another rider and I start earlier, because the timing was such that the turnaround food would be ready at 11:30pm, and maybe we wouldn't make it in 5.5 hours.  So we planned to start a half hour before the main group.

I spent the afternoon lying around reading a book.  Almost as good as sleeping.

Arrived at the start (Grand Central Bakery), unloaded the bike and asked Chris W to watch it while I found a place to park the car.  Met some riders I didn't know.  

Interesting conversation with some other patrons - one was French and was curious about the "Randonneur" on so many of our jerseys.  "It means hiker!"  Yes, it does, and also a type of bicyclist.  He'd never heard of PBP.  One of the women was amazed that we were planning to ride through the night.  Yes, we have lights and reflective gear.  Had any of us ever been hit by a car?  Well, yes, that would be me.  The bike was seriously crunched.  I was lucky.  And Susan said: "it wasn't her fault.  The driver wasn't looking."  True that.

"Did you all come down from Seattle to do this?"  Some riders did, but you don't have live in Seattle to get that blue wool jersey.

Admired all the decorated bikes.  Asta's was a work of art, with green lights on the rims.

Susan gave Anita the Tracks of Death warning, but also said that I knew all about them (only 1.5 miles from my house), and I'd not let her go zipping across them.

I'd finished my eggnog latte and pastry (serious meal consumed a couple hours before), It was 5:30, and time for us to depart.  Norm snapped a few pictures of us before we pulled out.

photo by Norm Carr

Anita is not from around here, so she was counting on me to navigate us through the suburbs and small towns for the first 20 or so miles.  No worries on my part, other than it is harder to see navigational signs in the dark.

Our first interesting bit was the Fanno Creek Trail.  I was wondering how that section of the trail had fared in the rain, and, sure enough, we got to a Closed, Detour sign.  Amazingly enough, the detour was signed all the way through the neighborhood!  The last sign was not too well placed, but I realized we'd end up on Scholl's Ferry if we didn't get back on the trail, and, sure enough, there was the sign, placed right where our headlights wouldn't catch it.

Successful navigation of the Tracks of Death, and then traversing through Beaverton south of Farmington Rd, crossing north into Aloha and continuing west on Johnson (wow, nice new pavement!), and finally into Hillsboro, passing by the Intel Ronler Acres fab, and out to North Plains, our first control.

While it was dark, it wasn't raining, and I finally pulled off the warm overgloves and rode with just ratty short finger gloves.  The jacket, jersey, and baselayer were zipped and unzipped as necessary.

Anita said "so, I hear you spin...", which led to a long conversation on spinning and knitting.

We had a brief pause at North Plains, and then headed south.  We were out in the country now, and only had to pass through the small town of Cornelius.  I knew where the right turn after Cornelius was, but Anita had gotten ahead and passed it.  I stopped and yelled.  And yelled.  She finally noticed that my light wasn't following, and came back.

A bit further along, we passed by the Fern Hill wetlands, which were FULL.  The field on the other side of the road was also flooded.  At the corner of Geiger and Fern Hill, the road heading north was flooded and closed, which is why we went through Cornelius, rather than Forest Grove.

The route went all the way down Fern Hill/Spring Hill/North Valley, to Ribbon Ridge.  I pointed out the flooded wetlands to the west, and said we'd probably see cars parked at the road end of the flooded driveways (they have boats for just this eventuality).  It had been raining lightly off and on (mostly off), but we did have a noticeable headwind as soon as we turned south from North Plains.  It was a surprisingly bright night, even though it was cloudy.  Or maybe the purple and green lights on my bike gave me that impression.  Even though I've got a Luxos headlight, it still seemed rather less dark than it should have been.

As we got to the southern end of this leg, I started looking for bike headlights.  I could see a group behind us as we were headed up Ribbon Ridge to Kuehne, and they caught us on Kuehne, so we all rode the last 12 miles sort of together.

No Flash, photo by Graham Ross

Bicycle Headlights, photo by Graham Ross

Asta, Anita and I were so caught up in admiring the decorations in downtown McMinnville that we rode right past the control and had to head back a few blocks.  The locals were delighted by our brightly lit bikes.

We rolled our bikes right into the hotel, where they joined all the twinkly bikes already parked.  One hotel staffer, clearly not in on the program... "you rode all the way from Portland?  Are you going to stay here and ride back tomorrow?"

photo by Norm Carr

I was starting to wobble and shiver, so Susan suggested I put on a dry shirt.  Asta came along, just to make sure I didn't fall over :-)  Dry shirt installed, I drank a lot of water, a gel, a handful of salt, some coffee, and managed to eat a piece of really good pizza.  I wish I'd had the appetite for more (the McMenamins Hood River Pizza), because it was really, really good.  My stomach was unhappy, probably because my sinuses were dripping down my throat the whole way out.

I also changed my socks.  The plastic bags had prevented leakage, but they were soggy from sweat.  Again, if we hadn't had an extended stop, this wouldn't have been an issue.  But if I'm damp, I will get cold on a protracted stop.

So, dry baselayer, dry socks, and a dry cap, damp jersey over that :-) and we all headed out.  Norm had planned to be sweep, so we rode together the whole way back.  There was a cracking tailwind any time we were headed north, which was most of the way to North Plains.  While Norm and I have been on several of the same rides, we really haven't had an opportunity for extended conversation, and it was really nice to finally get to do that.

Still not raining, other than the occasional drizzle.  By now there was absolutely NO ONE on the roads but us.  There was a police car with lights flashing on Ribbon Ridge, but nothing else there, so we singled up and went around.

At one point Norm said "well, it's 2:30 in the morning... "  Me: "don't say that!  I don't want to know!"  But I wasn't getting in the least bit sleepy, which I had worried about, as my night riding track record isn't the best.

Though the wetlands, and up to North Plains, where we found pretty much everyone else.  Jeff L, Michal, and Chris were heading out, but the balance of the riders were sitting around drinking coffee and eating salty snacks.  My stomach was still crabby, so I went for some pretzels.  Norm produced a generic Pepcid, which I took with some hope that it might help.  He also had a collapsible flask of something :-) but found no takers for that.

A store patron (3:40am) "aren't you all up early!" No, no, we haven't gone to sleep.

Now we would be going generally south and east, and would have a headwind for the last 23 miles, as well as various traffic control devices, because we were back within the Urban Growth Boundary.

It was windy.  Heading south was a challenge.  And it finally started to rain.  We slogged our way back through Hillsboro, Aloha, and Beaverton, onto the Fanno Creek Trail, where we did have one navigational question.  Norm: "GPS says go this way."  Ok.  It really was the only way to go; the other turn dumped us onto a street.

As we were headed up the final couple miles (Multnomah Blvd), another cyclist came up.  I thought it might be Jason H, but I wasn't sure.  There was an interesting navigational bit to get us up the hill a couple blocks to the finish (Multnomah/SW Portland, the Bermuda Triangle of the city), and, hey!  We were finished!  Five minutes to spare!  (35 minutes for Norm and Jason)

Finish at Fat City Cafe, photo by Michal Young

Sadly, I couldn't summon up the stomach to eat a real breakfast, so I ordered toast and cottage cheese (a bland protein).  Jason H (it was him!) was in a similar state, so we commiserated and picked at our food.  I did snag a taste of Cyndi's hash, and wished I'd had the appetite to eat more.

Other than the not-eating part, it was a lively breakfast gathering.  Cards were finished and handed back to Susan for transfer to the perm owner.  Stories were told.  Some had been worried that Anita and I would get misplaced on the outgoing Fanno Creek Trail detour.  (Not really.  Not only am I a local, but this is MY local; I ride through the neighborhood fairly often, although not usually on the trail, but I do know where it goes, as well as how to get to the end via the surface streets.)

Cyndi wouldn't hear of my walking the bike down to the car, nor would she and Michal hear of Asta riding home.  So we were all stuffed in the van and I was shuttled down to my car.  My car warms up very quickly, so I didn't freeze on the drive home.

I took a very hot shower and conked out for a nap.  The bike remained in the car until Monday afternoon.

Wind Direction is Key

We are fortunate to have a pair of one-way 200k perms between Portland and Eugene, and Amtrak connecting the two cities.  Michal lives in Eugene, I live out the western outskirts of Portland, and we often ride one or the other, typically heading south in the summer, and north in the winter, to take advantage of the prevailing winds.  Sometimes, the wind doesn't pay attention to the weather forecast, or might have a headwind until halfway, and then it will switch.

So, needing a November 200k, I rounded up Michal for, originally, Eugene to Beaverton.  Obsessive monitoring of the long term forecast predicted an unseasonal NORTH wind that day.  Cold and dry.  As we hadn't yet actually registered, it was easy enough to change plans to Donuts to Total Domination.  (Who doesn't love a route which starts at a donut shop and finishes at a brewery?)

Susan joined in; she figured riding with people would be more fun than the solo perm she'd been contemplating.  We procured train tickets.  Amtrak was even having a sale!

We unexpectedly ended up babysitting our grandson Thursday and Friday, so prep time evaporated. My bike got a very thorough (and overdue) bath/lube and a new brake pad during nap time, but a new front brake cable was indicated, and that didn't happen until Friday evening, with perhaps not a small degree of frustration, and finally soldering the cable end so I could feed it through and it wouldn't fray.

Michal and Cyndi showed up later on Friday, both coughing from whatever virus they'd picked up.  After sighing over Time to Get Up (5am), and doing some final organizing on my part, we all conked out.

Breakfast was salami and eggs; my mom having unexpectedly delivered a 2 lb Hebrew National salami from Florida from their last trip.  "You can't get it here." Susan arrived, we gave our bags to Cyndi to shuttle back south, and the three of us set out in the predawn light heading to Sesame Donuts.  Temperature was in the mid-30's, but would rise somewhat during the day.

Mmm.  Donuts and more coffee, and off we went.  After passing through Wilsonville (14 miles along), there isn't anything, really, until Keizer, just north of Salem.  The Broadacres Store, if one desperately needs to get food or beverage, but that's it.  We did pull over in Donald to de-layer.  Susan took a picture of the steam pouring off me :-)

photo by Susan Otcenas

So, by the time we got to Keizer, we started looking for a place for a quick stop.  I hadn't paid attention during previous rides, knowing that there was a c-store on the way out of Salem.  Lots of places on the right - we pulled over at a Subway, but should have held out for the Starbucks a little further along.

From there we continued without further stops until the first control in Independence.  It was a beautiful day, and, yes, we did have a consistent tailwind.  The landslide has long been cleared away.  Salem keeps creeping out further on River Rd.  Longer stretches of bike lane, but also more traffic.

As we got closer to Independence, Susan asked if we'd consider a stop other than the convenience store.  "Did you know there is a BAKERY in Independence?"  Sign us up!  Wonderful pause at the Ovenbird Bakery.  They had great soup and bread.  Some folks had quiche.  Food was eaten and bottles refilled. A local was telling us all about the trails in the area and places we could ride.  Must have been the Seattle jerseys. :-)

Off to the hilly part of the ride.  Michal and Susan got some breaks; I kept plugging along.  Nice views of Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson.

Finally the turn onto Buena Vista, and downhill for awhile, then rolling SE into Albany.



Last time Michal and I rode this, we stopped at First Burger in Albany, and we all decided to repeat that stop.  Not a control, but quick service and really good burgers and fries.

I rehydrated with a cola beverage.  Michal shoved the salt shaker over. "What, do I look salty?"  Michal and Susan: YES!

On our way out, a woman wanted to know where I got my bike and especially in that color.  So I told her - it was built in Portland, and it is a custom bike, so I could pick any color I wanted.  She said she took a picture of it, was that ok?  Oh totally!

We then meandered out of Albany to the info control, then more meandering to Hwy 34, where we discovered a new paved path on the north side of the road.  Nice.  There was even a spur over to Hwy 34 where we crossed over to White Oak Rd, which leads to Peoria Rd, the longest, flattest, tending toward monotonous stretch of the route.  Good thing we had that tailwind, and that it wasn't hot.

Pause at Peoria Park.  Peoria used to be the furthest south navigable point of the Willamette; lots of agricultural shipping north to Portland, nothing remains but the park, and a few houses.  The bathrooms are locked; there is a porta-potty.  So don't count on water there.

I parked myself on Susan's wheel; she's got a wonderfully consistent pace.  The sun was setting; we had some nice views of the Three Sisters to the east.

Pulled into Harrisburg right around sunset; I ate half an egg salad sandwich and refilled the bottles.  Lots of traffic headed north on Hwy 99; the (football) game must have finished.  We crossed over the Willamette River (for the fourth time out of six crossings total) and eventually got onto a MUCH quieter road.  There was some concern about the railroad underpass being flooded, but it was fine.

After a few miles of this, we ended up on River Rd (lots of River Rds on this route), which would eventually take us into Eugene.  Eventually.  It was dark.  Nothing to see but the occasional mile marker.  We passed marker 3, and, some eternity later, another marker came into view.  4.  Wow. I commented that that was the longest mile ever.  Susan said she was thinking the same thing.  This was kind of a low point for me.  Would we ever get to Eugene?  Couldn't see my bike computer without slowing and dropping off the wheel, so I had no idea how much further to go.  Less than 10 miles, but that was it.

Then, like flipping a switch, we were in North Eugene.  Whew.  Didn't matter how far we had to go now, we were "somewhere".  (Is this the woman writing who rode the last 100k of a 300k last February solo in the dark?  Yes, but I knew where I was!)

Under the highway, then a left onto a street which dumped us onto Eugene's extensive network of trails. They are fun riding.

And then, shortly after one last info control, we were back on the surface streets for the last few blocks to the Ninkasi Brewery.  Susan: "can we take our bikes in?"  Oh yeah.  We wheeled them into the patio (postgame crowd had moved on; many open tables).  Michal: "I'll call Cyndi.  Eventually."

Walking in, I announced to the bartender that we had ridden all the way from Portland for this beer.  Prior research* had suggested I'd enjoy the Noir Milk Stout, also collecting a rubber stamp and signature for my card.  Michal had his usual Oatis Stout.  Susan watched.

Photo by Michal Young

photo by Susan Otcenas

Our time did not totally suck, for me, anyway - 11:43 elapsed.  Not my fastest, but certainly not the slowest.

Cyndi appeared, and we loaded up the van.  Yummy dinner.  Michal thought we might like a cappucino (he has a shiny new machine to replace the old one) as well.



And, wonder of wonders, Amtrak changed the schedule, so the am northbound train leaves at 9am, rather than 5:30am.  Probably the first time I've ridden the entire stretch in daylight.



* Spouse talked me into a Beer Appreciation class with friends of ours this fall term through the local community college (class was held at a brewery :-) ).  I had thought I didn't like beer.  Turns out what I don't like are IPAs and those other hop-forward/bitter beers.  Except fresh/wet hop IPAs, go figure.  But, it turns out there are a wide variety of beer styles, and I like many of them.  Now, if Ninkasi would only brew a proper brown ale...