Great Scott!

 I took off mid afternoon with only the vaguest of destinations in mind.  Early in the day I had entertained the idea of riding to Multnomah Falls, but life got in the way (and taxes!) so when I finally got on the bike, I knew Multnomah Falls would be too far today.  I took off for the Oregon City Bridge thinking I might ride to Portland on the east side of the Willamette River and catch up with my brother-in-law as he cycled home from work. Instead, as I rode past the Clackamas River Trail it sucked me in. :-)

I crossed the Clackamas River near High Rocks and was going to continue on the I-205 path, but heavy traffic and a left turn requiring crossing three lanes in a very short distance modified my plan again.  I kept going straight and soon found myself in some pretty nice riding.  I was in an area of warehouses, the streets were wide, low traffic, and wide shoulders.  I had no need to look for anything different.

In time I crossed Hwy 224 and began to climb.  I didn't know it at the time, but I was in for a climb of Mt Scott.  I continued in a somewhat northerly direction, and eventually intersected the Springwater Trail.
Suddenly a goal materialized.  Women's Forum State Park would be my turnaround point today.

That would add an additional climb, the highest elevation of the day, to my route.  I knew it would bring my total distance to over 80 miles, and with a 3:30PM start, I knew I'd have to up the effort a bit.  I reached Women's Forum State Park, took in the view for just a few minutes, then proceeded back down to the Sandy River.

I could feel my lack of bike fitness again today.  The return route was taxing me a bit.  The miles and elevation gain was a workout, especially with the increased pace I had to ride at.

That's good.  Exactly what I needed.

I arrived back in Wilsonville before lights were necessary, though I did have them on in flash mode starting in Willamette since I was going to be in shaded roads as I climbed Turner Rd.

I took off with a long sleeved jersey, long pants, and a windbreaker today.  I had dark glasses on.  It got cloudier as the afternoon progressed, and from time to time it threatened to rain, even spitting a few drips from time to time. It was never enough to even come close to getting things wet.  Just enough to make me re-think my decision to not bring rain gear.

It was a good ride.



 ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............86...............0.............0..........0.............86 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............145.............0...............0.........0............145 Total.............1305.............0...............0.........0..........1305