Nancy’s Northwest Loop Cycling Adventure

Homeward-bound, First Leg

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:03:28 -0400

How sweet is was to sleep in for a bit, and know that sitting down and table service would be a part of the breakfast routine (apologies to Linda)! Several of us with later departures walked up to Nel Centro and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, while recounting stories from our journey.
We met Linda and Denise in the parking lot just before noon to take several bicycles to River City Bicycles. Our first challenge was the parking attendant. He was quite concerned that the trailer was taking two spaces. Never mind that the previous attendant had told Linda to park there. But, after several fits and starts, it was safely parked in a corner, with space for the van after taking bikes to River City Bicycles. So we loaded the bikes and off we went to the shop. For those of you who did not see it, the bike shop is quite a busy place, with creative “architectural appointments”. I plan to share the first one with my local bike shop. Someone has an active imagination. Below are several other photo ops that some folks might enjoy.

After depositing the bikes we went back to the hotel. Pat, Judy, Pam, Penny, Barb and I (hope I didn’t leave someone out) made our way via the light rail to Title 9 and REI, depositing some of our remaining money in those respective places. We ran into Cathy and her husband at REI. Time was getting a bit tight for me to get to the airport, so I left those ladies to contribute more to our Portland’s economy.
Returning to the hotel just before 3:30, I ran into Denise, who went back to her room just to get me two more of Linda’s special cookies! Thanks Denise. The shuttle took me right to the door of Flightcraft, the business terminal where Matt and Long would pick me up. In less than an hour, they landed, loaded my luggage and off we flew, with me snapping pictures as the plane rose into the sky.
I sent the picture below to my fellow WT riders. The first day of our ride on August 1, we rode on the bike path along the levee by the airport. It is just to the left of the main road, and right of the river. While it may not be visible in this blog, my photo has several riders enjoying the path on Sunday afternoon.

After only a short while, Mt. St. Helens came into view. I shot lots of photos from the plane, but the haze muted some of the colors. Erupting on May, 18, 1980, was the most economically destructive and deadliest eruption in U. S. history. From the air, it looked like a child’s sandcastle that had water poured on the top, causing all the sand to run down the side. Vegetation is still non-existent for many miles. When I was there about 15 years ago, the trees on the sides of the mountain looked like little matchsticks lying on their sides.
In what seemed like a very short time (actually the whole flight only took 1 hour, 10 minutes, Mt. Ranier came into site. Once again, the haze complicated what could have been an awesome shot. But here it is.

We landed uneventfully at Boeing Field after one more ride of a lifetime. Thanks to Long Nguyen, Matt’s friend and pilot, and Matt, my son for the trip. I will be in Seattle until Wednesday, when I return home to my special man and other family and friends. While I will not be blogging daily, please check in from time to time for updates and other travels.

I will leave for home on Wednesday.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Candler County Education Foundation. I will have a final figure later as contributions are still coming.

Full Circle

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Miles today-100, Cumulative-1426, Avg. Speed 12.5 mph
After a good night’s sleep and more than adequate breakfast, we walked outside and were greeted with moderate temperatures and a slight spit of rain. Not to be deterred by mere sprinkles after all we had been through, we took off following Hwy 202 toward Portland. The first 10+ miles were uneventful, with fits and starts of moisture. Then the “fun” began!
Last night we had been told of the Hood to Coast Relay, which would be traveling on the same highway as us, but in the opposite direction on August 28-29, 2009. The relay, claiming to be the largest relay in the world, is 197 miles long from Mt. Hood to Seaside, OR and benefits the American Cancer Society. There are 12,000 participants and 3,500 volunteers. After traveling about 5 miles, a runner passes his/her baton to the next member of the team. For more information, you can click on the link above.
As we rode, we began to notice vans with numbers on the windshields. Then there were a few runners coming toward us, then more and more appeared. So, we were traveling on the same side of the road as the runners, but closer to the yellow line. Support teams in cars and vans were on the other side. Often times, it became quiet challenging as team members and volunteers manning hand-off points, with their backs to us, were unaware of cyclists coming through the mix. And, a few runners insisted on running 3-abreast. At times, I was snapping pictures from the seat of my bike, so they are not high-quality, but do tell the story. Here are a few of them.

In this last one, you can get a feel for the challenges as you see cars on the left, runners on the right and cyclists in the distance. Add to the mix, the occasional harder rain shower and uphill climbs, the downhill runs with wet rims, which impair braking. But, athletes have a common bond, as many runners would give us words of encouragement (you are almost to the top of this hill, what an awesome group of women, etc.). We, in turn, would call out similar supportive messages. Remarkably, we all made it through the crowds with no mishaps. The van and trailer, crawling at a snail’s pace for about 38 miles, averaged about 20 miles per hour. And we saw an occasional photo op. I stopped for only a few!
Fortunately, the temperature was just cool enough, as the rain kept coming. Then, at mile 42, we spotted the van at the Birkenfeld Country Store and cafe. I was soaked to the bone and beginning to get quite weary. As much as I wanted to finish all 100 miles, I reluctantly made the decision along with 4 other riders, to finish the course in the van. (Several folks had been bumped up to the point and rode the last 60 miles.)
We had lunch at the Birkenfeld Store, enjoying one of the best hamburgers of the trip, hand-patted, with spices and a bit of pork mixed in to it. It was worth the 45- minute wait! Here are several photos from this location.

After 100 miles, every rider (in van and on bicycle) made to the Marriott in time to rest and get cleaned up before dinner. Some of us even had time to celebrate on the waterfront, as evidenced by the main photo on this blog of Nancy, Mary and Ramsey. Hille was taking the photo.
Our farewell dinner was somewhat bittersweet. While we were all anxious to sleep in our own beds, it was hard to say goodbye to such a supportive group of women. Each of us had an opportunity to give a highlight of the trip. While folks mentioned our “day of rest” in New Meadows, the McKenzie Pass ride, Sisters, OR, and other memorable events, the overwhelming voice of everyone was that of how supportive we were of each other. I think this group “jelled” better than any other ride I have experienced. It was hard to leave the room, knowing I may never see some of the folks again. But, I will always remember the bonding and support they gave me, especially with Bill’s illness. You continued to ask about him through the whole trip. I will keep you informed on our journey. Thank you to everyone, especially Linda and Denise, who led us on this incredible journey. To Pam and Penny, and Hille and Ramsey who rode patiently with me, thank you. And, to those 2007 XC women, see you in 2010! And, maybe I will see others of you on future WT rides. We are a true sisterhood.
I plan to continue posting for a while, as I travel to Seattle to see Matt and Dana for a few days before heading east!

Back to the Columbia River

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:09:24 -0400

Miles today-44, Cumulative-1326, Avg. Speed 11 mph
This morning Hille and I looked out at the ocean from our hotel room in Manzanita and saw the sign for the day, a small, but beautiful rainbow shining over the Pacific Ocean. The predicted rain was thankfully absent. We had the usual breakfast of oatmeal and several choices of cold cereal. Hille, Ramsey and I set out together. We had gone only a short distance when the road began to rise into a 3-mile climb. While we struggled up the hill, it didn’t seem as difficult as it did several weeks ago. We pulled out at the first overlook and were surprised at how far up we were from Manzanita. And, the rain was still holding off.
On we rode through “undulating” hills, up and down, up and down. It has been our experience that Oregon is, for the most part, a cycle-friendly state. As we came to a tunnel, there was a button to push that caused lights to flash, warning motorists to slow down for bicycles in the tunnel. It was not nearly as scary as the Queen Creek Tunnel in Arizona on the 2007 Cross Country tour.

The clouds gathered more moisture and the temperature seemed to be dropping. I was feeling very chilled by the time we rolled into Cannon Beach. Not wanting to get too cold, I hoped in the van until we arrived at Fort Clatsop, the encampment of Lewis and Clark during the winter of 1805-1806, near the mouth of the Columbia River. It was the last encampment before they began the return trip to St. Louis. We spent quite a bit of time there before heading on to Astoria. Here are several pictures from the museum. I did not know that Lewis and Clark had a trusty dog, Seaman, with them (can you find him in the picture?).

Alas, the rain began. I rode in with Mary. At one point, we came to a bridge where we could press yet another button to warn motorists of bicycles on the bridge. Despite the rain, everyone made it in safely.
We had rooms at the Holiday Inn Express in Astoria. It may just be the best hotel we have had on the trip. The Astoria-Megler Bridge photograph (spanning the Columbia River into Washington) at the top of the page was made from my room, very large and comfortable. After parking our wet bicycles and showering, Hille, Ramsey and I walked down the waterfront to the Bridgewater Bistro for a mid-afternoon meal. The building, built in the late 1800’s as offices for the adjacent Union Fish Cooperative Cannery, was expanded later for construction and maintenance of the cannery’s fishing boats and still has the original floors and ceilings. In the mid-1900‘s with declining business, the cannery closed, leaving the buildings to fall into disrepair. Presently, part of the cannery has been converted into the Cannery Pier Hotel.

After lunch, we walked outside just as the 1913 trolley came to a stop in front of us. We hopped on for the second great ride of the day. Since we were the only passengers on the 2.5 mile journey down the riverfront and back, the conductor entertained us with Astoria stories and facts about buildings we passed on our journey. Most of the structures have either been restored, like our restaurant, or are in various states of disrepair, waiting to take on new lives or disappear into the river.
Astoria is a thriving seaport, with freighters frequently sailing past.
As we made a turn back toward the hotel an colorful character boarded the trolley. He was on his way to play a part in Shanghaied in Astoria and broke out in song as we rolled on back to the hotel. One thing about this bike ride, you never know what kind of experiences you will have. It was quite an afternoon!

Tomorrow is a 100-mile day ride back to Portland, with rain in the forecast. It will be a challenge.