Eyes all a mist from the smoke of a distant fire

The haze from, and smell of, smoke from the forest fire on Mt Hood was heavy in the Willamette Valley this morning.



I was leading a ride from the Willamette River in Portland along the Eastbank Esplanade then Springwater trail to Gresham where we diverted to roads, including part of the Race Across Oregon 2008 course, to the Stark Street bridge over the Sandy River then out to Multnomah Falls. We'd return on some slightly different roads made popular by Paul J's Corbett Hills rides then along Marine Drive, I-205 bike path, and finally back on the Springwater trail closing the loop.

I arrived at the start location about 30 minutes early. I just enjoyed the morning sun and took in the view.






I had 4 affirmative RSVP's but as is all too common in Meetup, as the 9AM start time arrived, I was the only one there. No problem, I hopped on the bike a pedaled off. Well there was one problem.... I had forgotten my cell phone. :-O

Before I reached the Springwater Trail I saw one of the other riders coming toward me. Carol turned around and we pedaled on out to Gresham.



Before too long we were in The Columbia River Gorge on the Historic Highway.






I haven't been getting much sleep the last week or so. That along with 6 days in a row riding played into today's ride. I felt tired this morning. I was more than happy to ride a very social pace. That improved as the day progressed and I took advantage of opportunities to eat and drink. I devoured ice cream, V-8 juice, even a hot dog at Multnomah Falls. Probably not the most balanced diet, but it was enough fluids and calories to recharge me a bit. I rode much stronger at the end of the day than at the beginning.

It was a busy day in the Gorge. There was a lot of traffic and it was stopped with about 3/4 mile still to go to reach Multnomah Falls. We were bad bikes and wove our way to the right, to the left, everything but over, to get to the falls.



We reached Multnomah Falls and of course spent a bit of time EATING! ;-)


Carol was quite proud of reaching the falls.


I'm not sure she quite realized that we still had to ride back!



Carol and I got separated on the way back. She had wanted to stop at a store to resupply so I stopped at the little store in Springdale. She was a bit behind me at that point, but saw me as she passed.... and kept on pedaling!

I had posted a map and cue sheet on the club's site, but she hadn't printed it off. So, I knew the route, and she didn't! Never a good thing to pass the ride leader if you don't know the route. It was the last I saw of her today. (remember that I didn't have my cell phone with me today!)

I reached Troutdale then got on Marine Drive and followed the Columbia River westward toward the I-205 bike path.


I took the I-205 path to the Springwater Trail then along the Willamette River via the Eastbank Esplanade.



The ride came to an end a few blocks from the Steel Bridge where I had parked this morning. Today felt warmer than yesterday, and with much less wind. A good day for a bike ride. I ended up with 86 miles.

Tomorrow 3 of us are planning a 100 mile ride. Originally planned on riding the "Wilsonville Century" but the segment over the Boone Bridge on I-5 is under construction and just not bike friendly at all. There is talk about doing an alternate route. I'll have to map something out yet tonight!


.......road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........86..............0.............0..........0..........86
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept........302..............0.............0..........0.........302
YTD........6452..............0............37..........7........6586