5 minutes to spare, or, we got our money's worth on THIS 200k

20:21.  That's what my finishing control receipt from the Chevron convenience market says.  We started at 7am, so, yes, our elapsed time was 13:21.  Whew.

So, back to the beginning.  Susan proposed that we ride Michael Wolfe's Urban Growth Boundary 200km permanent.  Cecil and I were in.  We asked for a dispensation to start from Kettleman's Bagels, rather than under the Hawthorne Bridge, as Kettleman's has food, restrooms, is in a much less sketchy location, and the distance difference is nil.

Michael's email on the registration: "Kettleman's is an inspired choice for a start to the UGB 200.  I think you'll like the ride; no new territory, other than climbing through the Boring Lava flow (which is more interesting than it sounds), but it's got a really nice flow to it.  Think of it as a greatest hits mix-tape of roads in the country around Portland."

Since I sometimes plan ahead, I had scored some 2032 batteries and changed the batteries in my headlight, and also in one of my PB Superflashes.  The Radbot had a battery change last week, so I was feeling pretty bright and flashy, if you know what I mean.  Also upgraded my "torso reflectivity".

Working on upping my bad-ass cred, I decided to ride to the start.  Susan offered to give me a lift home.  It's a start. :-)

Weather was predicted to be not bad at all, really, but I was prepared for Rain, just in case.  Generous bowl of oatmeal with walnuts, brown sugar and Craisins, cup of coffee, brief argument with the rain booties and...

On the road at 5:40am, climbing over Sylvan, down through Washington Park, downtown Portland, over the Hawthorne Bridge (oh SO pretty, the river at dawn!) and thence to Kettleman's.  Cecil was already there with her bagel; I ordered mine along with more coffee.

Susan arrived.  We then proceeded to do final assembly - well, Susan did.  Cecil and I had ridden over (in Cecil's case, we are talking a few blocks, lucky her) and had everything we needed.  We did spend some time trying to outdo each other in listing all the extra clothing we had brought along.  Susan started listing her stuff, and we both looked at her trunk rack in total disbelief.  If she opened it, it would have exploded.



South to the Springwater Corridor, to our first control, a convenience market.  The hardest part was finding the door (!)  Quick purchase of a Snicker's Dark candy bar ("receipt please") and we were off.  The control was so close to the start (7.64 mi), so no wasting time getting there, or we'd miss the closing time.

Another 12 miles on the Springwater, through parts which Cecil characterizes as "very sketchy;  best ridden with others".  Mostly we just saw folks out walking their dogs (same effect, I guess) and the occasional runner.

Into Boring, where we found a gas station/convenience store, and a cheery employee who also was a cyclist.  Frappucino plus a Lemon Fruition bar from my bag.

It might have drizzled a bit, but not really.  By this point I had shed my rain jacket and was wearing a ls Luna wool-silk jersey and a Shebeest thermal vest and was perfectly comfortable.





We then continued heading south, to cross the Clackamas River just past Barton State Park, and found ourselves on Ridge Road, which, I think is where we cross the Boring Lava Flow.  It was a lot of up and down, which is what should be expected, when a road has the word "ridge" in its name.  (See also: view, panorama, sky, hill, mountain, top, upper...)

After (or before, I forget), we came across a llama ranch ("if it is grazing, it is a ranch").  All the llamas had to come over and look.  We looked back.



A bit further along, we found a castle!  Picture stop!  Also, I peel off the Sugoi Firewall tights and switch to knee warmers stop.  I was suffocating.  MUCH better.



On the outskirts of Canby we came onto Carus Rd and Central Point Rd, at which point I was back in familiar territory.  Clearly I need to do more riding in the far SE :-)  In to Canby and the Thriftway (50 miles on the route).  It was about 11:30, and we were hungry.  I went inside, not sure what I was looking for - I did have a tasty muffin along with me, so I guess I was foraging for protein.  After much wandering around (too many lights and signs; on long rides grocery stores are like walking into a pinball machine.) I found a nice little brie cheese, cracker and fruit plate, and after MORE wandering around, some bottled water, and bought that.  Back outside to eat.  Opened the muffin ziploc so I could munch on the road, and, after too long a pause (for which I take full responsibility), off again.

Canby to Champoeg to the Willamette River crossing.  Susan came up with a flat just across the river.  Sharp, nasty piece of glass.  Fortunately we were at a place in the road where it went from one lane to two, so my proximity sensors weren't TOO disturbed (yes, I have space issues).  She swapped both the tube and tire; I changed to shortfinger gloves with the Smartwool liners at the ready, ate some more, and patched her punctured tube.  Cecil fed us pretzels.





Tire patched, we headed into Newberg, with a stop at the Thriftway - not a control, but I needed a stop.  Took advantage of that to put fresh hot water in my thermos and dump in Susan's Special Hot Cocoa mix.

Then off again, on the very familiar roads north, with a side trip to the Gaston Market (84 mi) as a control.  Susan zipped on ahead, flexing her awesome wattage, Cecil and I arrived a bit later.  I found a Starbucks Doubleshot (my new drink of choice), and Susan and I shared her bag of wonderfully salty Tim's Vinegar and Salt chips and my Cran-Lemon Twister ProBar (this one is a winner!)  A store patron admired the bikes and we all talked cycling for a bit, but we had to get a move on...





North again.  Cecil stopped and told us she'd meet us at the next control (Rock Creek Tavern).  She was, I think, a bit tired by now.  We reluctantly went on.  On Hornecker (just outside Hillsboro), we decided to pause for a snack and a stretch, then rode through Hillsboro.  Cecil called when we were just the other side of town, and told us not to wait.  We waited anyway.

She showed up about 10 minutes later.  "You two don't take instruction well, do you?"  Uh, no.  Dispensed some Advil and bribed her with the offer of tater tots at the Rock Creek Tavern.

After crossing Hwy 26, we started climbing again.  We'd had about a 50 mile stretch of mostly flat.  Phillips Rd is big rollers, then we were at the tavern.  It was not dark yet, but I'd gotten across 26 and Cecil and Susan were stopped by the light, so I took advantage of that to turn on the helmet blinkie and Radbot.  The Superflash on the bike had been on all day.

Parked our bikes in the covered employee smoking area, went in, and got a table.  Ordered various things to drink - the waiter was telling us what was on tap, but we couldn't drink that now and expect to complete the ride :-)  Lemonade (me), Diet Coke (Susan), water (Cecil), two orders of tots and the avocado cakes.  McMenamin's same-day service did not disappoint; I had to get a register receipt before our food even arrived, just in case.  As it turned out, our real receipt was still barely within the control's closing time :-)  Eating.  Sitting.  Nice, but we'd pay for that when we got back on the bikes.





Cecil went out and came back and told me it was raining.  {Expletive}  Got my rain pants out of my bag and put them back on.  This takes longer than you'd think; I have to take my shoes off to do it.  Fortunately I can do THAT without removing the booties...

By now it was almost full dark, so reflective gear and lights all on.  We were to climb up Old Cornelius Pass and then head east on Skyline (which, I might add is STILL climbing).  Now, back when I started training for Cycle Oregon V (1992), I'd make myself ride up Old CP.  I thought it was a really hard climb.  I have since learned what a really hard climb is :-)  So, easy spin up, cross Cornelius Pass onto Skyline and eastward.  Very little traffic (yay!); Skyline (mostly) has a white edge line, and Cecil and Susan were usually a bit ahead of me, so knowing where to go was not an issue.  My job was to call out cars coming in from behind.  The rain stopped, whew.

We got to Thompson, where we were supposed to descend (and join onto Cornell), but it was closed.  Landslide (!)  Ok; we'd continue onto Cornell and descend into Portland there.  I had been trying NOT to obsess (or, at least, obsess out loud) about that descent.  I reef on my brakes the whole way down in DAYLIGHT, and here it was, pitch black.  The top of Cornell is steep, and, as we are headed through Forest Park, no lighting because no houses.  Yes, I do have a really good headlight.  It doesn't make me feel that much more relaxed about it :-)  Followed Cecil down; she called out gravel.  As we were descending, I heard a distinctive rattling sound on my right.  Another (small) landslide.  Ok then. Fortunately, hardly any (none) traffic; I stayed more toward the centerline, where there was no gravel.  Got to the Audobon Society, with streetlights and much less steep.  Susan was waiting there.

Then, through the tunnels (hey, with all our lighting and reflectivity, I wasn't at all stressed about THAT today), then into Portland.  My bike was exhibiting a bit of a shimmy, which was, in all probability me being stressed.  Slowed down, tried to relax.  Right.

We were supposed to turn left on something that "looked like a driveway but wasn't" and go through town that way.  We didn't find it (subsequent examination of google maps shows it before the hairpins), so took the NW Overton bike boulevard down to the river, crossed the Steel Bridge, and headed south on the Esplanande to the Hawthorne Bridge.  Very pretty and colorful, but also kind of surreal.  Paying close attention so as not to hit a random bollard or something.

The convenience store in Ladd's was our best bet for a quick receipt (time was running out...).  Susan bought something, I got a Sweet Salty Bar, and Cecil bought a quart bottle of 22oz bottle of Lagunitas IPA beer.  Heck, she just had a few blocks to go :-)  Whew.  Done.  Just about wrung every minute out of this one.  We felt just like another rando who is known for using every possible minute allowed.

Loaded the bikes in Susan's truck.  Got home.  Took a shower, pulled on the compression tights, and fell asleep in the family room.



Starting from home:
136.58 miles, 12.74 mph avg, 7821 vertical feet
YTD miles: 1021, and it is only the first week of March :-)

a few more pics here

Beware, Roving Chihuahua Pack...

After a week of rain mixed with snow (causing me to abort my Thursday bicycle commute), I was looking forward to this weekend.  All the weather reports were promising SUN SUN SUN!  Friday was more rain and cold, and a run through the Nature Park on the sucking mudpit trail, so I was dubious.  Then the weather reports said, yes indeed, SUN, but beware of icy roads early.

Susan and I were to meet at Insomnia Coffee on Baseline in Hillsboro at 10am, and ride a slightly abbreviated version of Marcello's new Westside Populaire Perm.

Decisions.  Which bike to ride?  Dry and sunny, no need for lighting, no need to carry lots of stuff... Walked into the Bike Room in the garage, and Lemond was jumping up and down, going "me! me! me!, pick ME!"  Haven't ridden Lemond since, um, maybe June?  Clearly the tires needed air :-), and I quickly transferred the tire pump and the first aid kit (standard stuff I carry on every ride) to the Detours HighTail bag.  Each bike has its own multitool, spare tube and patch kit; no need to worry about that.



The most direct way to Insomnia is straight out Jenkins/Baseline.  Getting to Jenkins is a bit trickier, on a bike.  Walker Rd east of SW Cedar Hills is inadvisable, and SW Cedar Hills south of Walker to Jenkins is similarly inadvisable.  So, about 9:20am, I cautiously dropped down my street (remember the icy road part?), got myself onto SW Cabot/SW Center, did the one block sprint on SW Hall, then through the Cedar Hills Crossing mall onto W Hocken, which connects with Jenkins.

Sunny, roads were still wet, and there were frosty patches.  I'm ok with untracked frost.

My co-worker who multi-modes (bicycle/MAX) to work from SW 205th/Baseline to SW 158th/Walker is not going to appreciate me telling her on Monday that I rode that distance in about 20 minutes.  She probably spends twice that time waiting for the train, and riding the train :-)

So.  I arrived.  Susan arrived right after me, and wanted coffee.  I'm always up for more coffee.  Quirky little coffee shop :-)  Also, great coffee and vegan pastries, for those so inclined.  Susan: "you rode the Lemond!" Me: "so I don't have to work quite to hard to keep up with you when you are taking it easy".  Decided it was too warm to wear the TBB jacket over my Luna wool-silk LS jersey and Shebeest thermal vest, so packed it away.   Susan looked at me and shivered :-)  Although she did like my cycling clothing supplier.

Then off, heading north on SW 231st/SW229th to SW Evergreen and west.  No unfamiliar roads.  Susan's coach had her doing a 4 hour EASY ride, with 5 spinning intervals along the way.  Brief stop outside Roy to get a picture of a silo.  I am usually riding in the other direction, so miss this:



Susan finally warmed up enough to remove the sleeves from HER jacket.

A brief pause IN Roy (as if Roy actually had an "IN").  Susan dusted all the dried mud spatter off my back - hazard of no fenders.  Then west again on Wilkesboro and into Banks.  We stopped to admire the new Banks-Vernonia trailhead, and Susan shared some of her hot cocoa mix.  I also learned that I need more calories in the bottle.  If they taste like that (yum), I'll consider it.  Apparently my hot tea-gatorade is all the wrong kinds of sugar :-)

Then west again, pausing for wetlands photos on Cedar Canyon, and further west on Hwy 6.  I stopped for a photo I had not taken the last time I was out this way.





After summiting, downhill to Gales Creek Rd.  The shoulder was gravelled, so I felt like a loaf of bread on a cornmeal-covered baking sheet.  Hope it is swept away by the time the Three Capes 300k rolls around.

Found Susan at the intersection, where she shared her Lemon Fruition bar.  (Lynne clicks off to order some)

Did I mention that it was bright and sunny?    We'd had a bit (ok, more than a bit) of headwind from the NW, and we were now heading SE on Gales Creek.  Wheee!  Gales Creek - nice rural scenery, and best enjoyed with a tailwind.

Turned onto Stringtown Rd, and stopped at the historical marker (Gales Creek had a mill), where Susan shared her Black Bean Brownies.

Now, "black bean" and "brownies" are not words or ingredients I myself would expect to find in such close proximity, but they were surprisingly tasty.  A couple of women stopped, possibly also to read the historical marker, and told us we were "brave".  Susan went into cycling PR mode; I just listened in admiration.  Really, Stringtown road is very low traffic!  (One cannot, perhaps, say quite the same about Gales Creek.  Low traffic, but high speed.).

Pulled away, and, a bit further down the road, things felt... bouncy.  Crud.  Rear flat.  Pulled over at a handy gravel driveway, only to be greeted by ferocious barking.  Much ferocious barking, coming from somewhere in the vicinity of our ankles.  The house across the road was home to 3 chubby Chihuahuas, all of which were intent on protecting their territory.  They all came over to chase us away.  Susan would growl at them, and they'd back off a bit.  I was too busy laughing, and pulling flat repair stuff out.  They shut up and started sniffing the supplies.  No, that tube is not edible.







We found the hole, and I picked the offending bit of glass out of the tire.  Susan patched the tube while I was swapping in the new tube.  The chihuahuas supervised.  Susan shared a learning from Vinnie: "if you get a flat, and you are carrying a spare tire, swap that in too - saves lots of time".

FINALLY, off again, into Forest Grove.  By now, Maggie's was closed, so we settled on the Jack in the Box.  They've got decent coffee, fries (mmmm, hot and salty.), indoor plumbing and a big window to supervise the bikes through.

Then east again, working our way back to Insomnia Coffee.  A bit of a miscue (got my Portland Velo return routes crossed), so we ended up heading north on Brookwood (ick), rather than River, but did pop out on Baseline in just the right spot.

A long pause at Insomnia for paninis and chai.  Former co-worker of husband was there; we caught up.  Eventually, it was time to head on home, and we went our separate ways.  Really nice ride!





69+ miles 14 avg mph.
The route
And pics

Pics from Worst Day Ride

Diane, Dave VG and me afterwards.

And Little Pink Bear made a new friend:



All pictures by Eric S.

Look Ma! No Hands!

As the husband needed to be dropped at the airport on Saturday, a ride on Saturday of any decent length was not going to happen.  Fortunately, the Worst Day of the Year Ride was on Sunday, Seattle friend Eric was coming down to ride it, and local friend Diane K was looking for company as well.

I didn't figure that I'd actually RIDE with Eric, but we'd at least meet up somewhere along the route.

Weather was to be 40's to 50's, rain starting later in the day.  Sleeveless wool baselayer, Luna silk/wool jersey (that fabric feels WONDERFUL), Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket, Smartwool shorts, Sugoi Firewall tights, wool socks, PI shoes w/Sugoi Firewall booties over them, old PI AmFib gloves.  Extra gloves, and the Shebeest loose capris and Team Bag Balm windvest, if I got too warm.

Bicycle was Sweetpea.



The ride was to depart from the Lucky Lab on SE Hawthorne at 9am (the Challenge Route.  Which one did you think I'd be riding? :-) ), so I was on the road at 7:40am.  I wanted to get there for the pre-ride donuts and coffee.  Not that I didn't have breakfast at home, first.

Found Diane when I arrived; she already had her donut in hand, and pointed me to the source.  Called Eric; he wasn't planning to start until later.

We were off shortly after 9am (started in waves), wandered around a bit, got on the Esplanade, across the Steel Bridge, and finally on some less-crowded roadway heading north on Naito.  The REI stop did not disappoint - Dragonfly Chai.  I had two cups.  Next time, I'll plan on an empty thermal bottle and fill it up :-)  Then over the hill.  First the climb through Washington Park (changed out the jacket for the vest, and switched to shortfinger gloves), over Sylvan Hill, down, and I'm on my commute to work.

Uneventful ride west.  Many riders who are incapable of saying "on your left".  Diane was getting hungry; fortunately we were almost at the Hillsboro REI.  Eric called; they elected to do the urban route, so he could take pictures.  We'd try to meet up at the finish.



My bicycle had a serious admirer.  After some of that, we went to find food - pbj sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, Larabars.  Pretzels.  Only beverages were water and Heed.  I didn't need anything, so passed on that.

A bit more riding west, then we turned east, for the more interesting climb of the day.  Old Germantown.  I've ridden it many times, but not in the past 2 or 3 years.  I will say I was pleased with my ascent - no stopping, and even passed some people.  I did not realize it was mostly 8-9%.  Then on to the very top, zipped everything up, and headed down.  Diane: "won't you be cold?" No.

NW Germantown was very clean and smooth, but also steep.  I had been warned about the hairpins, so had no problems.

Got to the St Johns Bridge, and suggested to the riders shoaled up at the light that we'd all be much safer if we just took a whole lane (4 lane bridge).  And so we did, and it was way fun!  Much nicer than the return during the November permanent!  After getting through St Johns, I had it in my head that we were somewhat closer to the Community Cycling Center than we really were.  Once we popped out onto Willamette Drive, I figured that out.

Peeve: cyclists who pass then slow down because they don't know where they are going.

The Team Bag Balm windvest got lots of attention - clearly TBB has not been representing at events recently!

Got to the Community Cycling Center - hot chocolate and cookies.  Lots of cookies.  While I realize that it is the midpoint stop for the 18 mile urban route, and they get fed every 3 or 4 miles, the CCC is the first stop after 20+ miles of riding with a stiff climb in the middle for the challenge route riders.   Something more substantial than cookies would not be a bad idea.  Note to self: score an extra pbj from the REI stop for later.

So, anyway, 5 cookies later, Diane and I set out for the last 10 miles.  Mindless east side riding; after following Cecil around, I'm getting better at knowing where I am.  As we were back on the urban route, lots of slower riders.  Lots of them.  We'd filter up to the front at lights and then take off :-)  We elected to give the Bike Gallery stop a pass; we wanted to finish by now.

Oh...  Riding through NE PDX, I sat up and rode no hands!  I've been trying to get where I could ride no hands on Sweetpea since last August, and might have finally succeeded!  Wonderful!  I can now snack with impunity on long rides!

Eric called - he was at the finish; I thought we'd be there in about 20 minutes, tops.  Sure enough.  Found him there; Diane and I got our soup and cheese bread and joined him and his friend Mike on the curb.  He was worried about the fine accommodations.  I reminded him that people who drink beer out of paper bags in WalMart parking lots weren't picky :-)



We talked a bit about randonneuring.  Eric: "but you are a real randonneur".  Me: "For $20 a year, you can be one too".

We saw Slug; he came over to say hi.  Not that he was on the ride, he was just visiting.  As always, I usually run into him any time I ride on the east side :-)  More visiting.  Eric took pictures.  Diane was getting chilled, so she took off.  Then it started to drizzle with some degree of intensity.  I pulled on my jacket, said my good-byes, and headed on home.  Took the jacket OFF before the climb, and didn't bother to put it back on, even when the drizzle got more insistent.  It just wasn't quite that cold.  Noticed that the camellias were starting to bloom in Washington Park - spring is on the way!

In all, 63 miles, 5000 vertical feet.

The Hills Have Eyes...

February.  Must be time for another OrRando brevet.  Marcello organized the Grab Bag 200/300, a series of loops out of Newberg.  One had a real climb, the others were "flat".  More on that later.

Weather was 20% chance of "drizzle", temps mid 40s to mid 50s.  I forgot to toss in some booties, and hoped for the best.  I did, at the last minute, grab a wool camisole base layer to wear under my long-sleeve OrRando wool jersey.  Good plan :-)

Ended up following Bill A down Hwy 99 to Newberg.  We both wandered up and down Hayes, looking for a place to park.

Checked in, found Cecil (we were riding together), saw Susan, who clearly had her game face on.  She was riding the 300, we weren't.  Next month (Three Capes 300k) is soon enough for me, anyway.  Better scenery, too.

So.  Off at 7am.  Still dark, so we were all lighted and reflectored.  Not that it stopped someone from pulling out of the McD's right on top of us.  An alert yell from Cecil and he stopped, just in time.

First loop was out of Newberg via SR240, Old Yamhill Rd, Tangen, and then North Valley, headed up to Forest Grove, then back via Sherwood and the climb up Kruger Rd.  The drizzle promptly set in, and stayed with us for quite awhile.  Not enough to soak through, but enough to be annoying.  We mindlessly headed north ("we can do this stretch in our sleep").  Perhaps a little TOO mindless.  We turned off Spring Hill onto Fern Hill, and found ourselves at the intersection of Hwy 47 because it said turn on Hwy 47, except it said L.  We KNEW that was wrong, and turned R, and found ourselves by the Grand Lodge, except Marcello wanted us to end up at Maggies.  No problem.  Except the route map had us continuing on Spring Hill, then heading into Forest Grove on Hwy 47.  Two bonus miles. :-)  Cecil hadn't wanted to stop at Maggies ("Time Suck"), but there was no one there.  I scarfed a yummy apricot croissant thing from the day old bin, and inhaled it, along with my banana.

What was totally different about this ride is that there were OTHER RIDERS in our vicinity.  Cecil and I are used to riding in relative solitude for hours and hours and hours.

Then, off to Sherwood, via more roads we could ride in our sleep (basically, the return stretch from the fleche in reverse).  The drizzle went away somewhere along here.  I was running out of steam on Roy Rogers Rd, so we pulled over for a snack (mmm, rye-molasses muffin and sunflower seeds).  Not that we were that far from Sherwood.   Into Sherwood, wandering through subdivisions, eventually to find the Historic Downtown and our control.  Which turned out to be the yummy Sesame Donuts.  There is one not far from my house; didn't know they'd expanded.  I got a cocoa and a sesame donut, the delightful Yusuf signed my card.  Cecil, Ray, Bill and I had a nice little sit-down.  Other patrons gave us funny looks.



More Sherwood, then it was time to cross back over 99W and climb.  First the drop down Kruger with a few hairpins, and then up.  It is a reasonably consistent climb for 3 miles, except for the last pitch on Leander to the Gibbs Cemetery, our next control.  I will just modestly say that I'm really happy with my ascent of the hill.  Really happy :-)  12 less pounds since Jan 1 helps a LOT.



Faffed around a bit, took pictures, then enjoyed the descent.  A few very tight hairpins, a really nice straight drop, then we were back into Newberg, finished with the first loop.



Kathy and Marcello were in the first hotel room by the back door, Marcello signing cards and Kathy pushing food ("we have grilled cheese, grilled ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, chips, fruit, drinks, soup, cocoa...")  Aaaaah.  I myself enjoyed a grilled cheese and some Fritos.



I had brought along a complete change of riding gear, but decided I didn't need it.  And off again.  Michal thought he'd join us, since we clearly knew where we were going.  West on 99W all the way into Lafayette.  Ick.  My opinion of the shoulder has not changed, although there do appear to be some nicely repaved sections.  In Lafayette... "must.. not.. turn.. right.. on.. Bridge..".  I didn't. A rider we caught up with did.  Took some convincing that we weren't going that way today.

Right on Mineral Springs, left on Gun Club, left on Hwy 47, and then we were on a stretch I had not ridden before.  There was an annoying, but not killer headwind.  It was flat.  For awhile.  Turned onto the Westside Highway, where the speed limit appeared to be about 80mph.  Happily, we were only on it for a mile before turning west again.  Then things started to get interesting.

We started wandering around a low rolling hilly area with occasional farms, bleak stands of trees and empty winter fields.  It was a lot of up and down, with the headwind, and the sense of making no forward progress whatsoever.  Yes, it did creep me out.  It might even be described as claustrophobic.  Cecil: "the hills have eyes?" And it seemingly went on for hours, even though I see it was no more than 10 miles.



The bright spot was the alpaca ranch.  Huge herd of alpaca.  They were totally cute and fluffy, and I wanted to buy their fleece and have a wonderful time spinning it up.  There was a brief pause for documentation, and Cecil explained to Michal how to tell the difference between alpacas and llamas.





FINALLY made it to the Sheridan DQ, our last on-route control.  Asta (riding her first brevet and she was having a WONDERFUL time) and Tomas were there.  Got some coffee and ate another banana and more sunflower seeds.  I was at a mental and physical low point right then, for sure. The temperature was dropping a bit, and we pulled on our night riding gear.



Then we FINALLY turned ENE, and had the tailwind.  30 miles to go, and we made darn good time.  We did stop at the Dayton convenience store, sat on the curb and had a bite to eat before the last 10 miles.  Cecil: "we look like homeless people".  Me: "yes.  Expensively dressed ones"

For the first time in a long time, we were headed back to Newberg from Dayton (10 miles), rather than Forest Grove or Hillsboro (20-30 miles).  Except we were also headed  back on 99W.  Sigh.  Darkness was falling as we headed east.  The terrain is slightly rolling (feels more rolling at the end of a ride), Cecil and I were tired, traffic is fast and heavy, and the shoulder wasn't much better than it has been in the past.  I shut my mind to all the bad possibilities and pedaled east.  I didn't want to ride too close to Cecil and Michal, because then I couldn't see junk in the shoulder (and junk there was).  Finally, though Dundee, past the gas station and DQ, past the Thriftway (traditional permanent stopping point), another mile through town (clean, well-lit bike lanes, ahhhhh) and back to the Travelodge.

Card signed, I went out to put the bike away and get my change of clothes.  Kathy and Marcello had lasagna and soup and rice, but Cecil and I had plans to hit up the Burgerville.  Ate some oranges while waiting for the shower and enjoyed the post-ride (for most of the folks in the room; some were headed out for the last loop of the 300km) party.  Showered and with clean clothes, Cecil and I headed over to the Burgerville, where I had too much to eat. :-)



11:10 total time (not bad)
125.9 miles, 13.91 avg mph
all pics here

Small World

So, I'm cycling over after work to get my hair cut this past Thursday.  At  the corner of Jenkins and Murray, there appears a cyclist from behind.

"Wow! That bike is really set up for touring!".  (Bleriot w/nifty new Ortlieb panniers)  "Is that a Rivendell?"  "Love the fenders!"  I never pass up compliments to my bike :-)

So, his name is Donald, and he's got front AND rear panniers, because he's a massage therapist and all his work stuff is in there.  As I was headed for a haircut, and not home, I was happy to chat routes with him.  I am evasive as to my route and where I'm headed when I'm riding home.

So we talked bikes, and rode together through Tektronix, south on Hocken, left on Farmington, right on whatever that street is west of Beaverton High School, left on 5th... and, as we approached Main, I told him I'd be leaving him here.

"Oh!  Are you going to Suyapa's?"  Well, yes, I was.  She's been cutting my hair for about 30 years now.  Very Small World!

Suyapa cracked up when I told her.

A Longish Weekend Ride with Many High Points

As I understand it, Cecil was planning to ride out to the BTA board retreat in Hillsboro at Team Estrogen.  Susan thought she'd ride into Portland, meet Cecil and they'd ride back together.  That's 34 miles for Susan, 17 miles for Cecil.  They invited me to join in on the ride part, and, as Team Estrogen isn't all that far from Longbottom's, I'd be back in plenty of time to lead a Portland Velo ride.  And then ride home.  But of course.

Bicycle of choice was Sweetpea because I'd need the lights, and it is the default bike for winter club rides (fast, yet fendered and luggaged).

Susan was riding in over Springville-Skyline-Thompson-Cornell.  That's kind of out of my way.  So, up at 4:15am, riding by 5am along the Sunset Hwy bike path, down through Washington Park, through downtown, over the Hawthorne Bridge, then right on 11th to meet at Kettleman's around 6am.  It being dark, I didn't bomb down the hills with quite my usual verve, and arrived a bit after 6.  Cecil was there, eating a bagel.  I'd had peanut butter toast and a banana at home, and, as Cecil said: "well, it got you over the hill".  Time for an everything bagel with lox cream cheese and a cup of coffee.

I had started out with a long sleeved wool knit shirt under a long sleeved wool jersey.  Ride leader vest over that, and Portland Velo Showers Pass jacket.  Took off the wool base layer and Showers Pass jacket - too hot!

Did I mention the three of us are in a weight loss death pact?  I was looking forward to the ride today because I could EAT with relative impunity.

So.  No Susan.  She appeared at 6:25am, and, at 6:30am, give or take, we were headed back west.  I'd never ridden UP Cornell-Thompson, but it was not a big deal.  4+ miles of climbing, no traffic.  It got light somewhere along there.  Then a delightful zip along Skyline, and the steep drop down Springville.

We passed the historic house on NW Kaiser, completely surrounded by suburbs.  I remember riding by it when there was Nothing There At All but Fields.  Nothing.  Kind of sad.

Susan took us on the Bethany Meadows Trail from NW Kaiser to NW West Union.  Nice!

A wander through her neighborhood with a brief stop, then they headed off for the meeting, and I headed off to Longbottom's.  30 miles, 2500 vertical feet, climbing the West Hills twice.  I had 90 minutes to kill, but I had brought some knitting along, and a full coffee card.  So I redeemed it for the largest orange-mocha they offered, and settled down to knit.

Eventually JRod came by and some others, and then it was time to go out and lead a 40 mile ride.  Brian C was in my group (yay!), Bill, and Ron.  Ron left us, and Mike Y joined us until Forest Grove.  Ate a well-buttered Rye-Molasses muffin in Forest Grove (brought from home, I add raisins and walnuts to the recipe).  I'd get ahead and then slow down for Bill to catch up.  We finished about 1:20, and Brian and I found a spot at the tables of Portland Velo riders and enjoyed a leisurely, um, fourth breakfast.  70 miles.

Time to head home.  A reasonably mindless 10 miles.

80 miles in all, 4400 vertical feet, My average for the Velo portion of the ride was 14.15 mph.

High points.  Well.  Sylvan summit.  Skyline at Thompson.  Riding with Cecil and Susan.  Eating with Impunity.  Nice day.  Riding with Brian C.  What else is there?