Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, return trip

We started off at 6:30 again. There was some discussion the previous night about moving that time back a bit, but I pushed for an early start, to minimize the time we'd have to ride in the predicted headwind. Mornings are cool and calm, my idea of a perfect time to ride.

Dave was tied up with his family, Paula had decided that Amtrak provided a good alternative to pedaling a second 150 miles on a hot day. That left just John Henry and I.

Neither one of us were smart enough to follow Paula's lead.

We rolled out, and started out by picking our way along some bike paths.

Crossing the Willamette Rive in Eugene

I haven't been riding much and was a little bit concerned about biking a 300 mile weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my legs felt good, not 100% fresh, but up to the job. The "saddle interface area" was a bit tender. I stood on the pedals a bit more than normal just to help alleviate issues.

John Henry and I must have looked like road kill as we made our way along. Here an Osprey watches us as we pedal by.

A little later in our ride a pair of Turkey Vultures swooped low over John Henry, but I did not have the camera ready. I did get a chuckle as they flew over though!

The temperature was heating up but the scenery was still worth noting.

One of the mint fields that freshened the air!

We'd stop from time to time to replenish water supplies and cool down. The temperature was approaching 100, and we had picked up a bit of headwind, but not as brisk as we had feared.

A water, ice, and salty snack stop in Albany

I had been suffering a bit in the Salem area with heat and hiccups. I saw a nice grassy spot under the shade of a tree and took advantage of it to cool off.

As we rode our way northward we'd ride very near John Henry's home in Keizer, just like the Amtrak station in Eugene, if you have an out it is very difficult to keep riding.

John Henry said his good byes and headed toward home. I pedaled the last 30 miles solo.

My 30 minute rest under the tree had done wonders. I pedaled along fairly quickly, with the aid of an unexpected wind shift. I now had a tailwind!

I arrived back in Wilsonville just as John Henry was retrieving his car. We chatted a bit, then went on our way, him driving back down I-5, me pedaling the last 2 miles to home.

It was a good weekend on bikes!

This trip wrapped up the month, one where I didn't get many miles, but did get the experience of crew chiefing a Race Across the West rider. July I will ride more.  I have to.



...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today................149...........0..............0..........0.............149 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484 Total...........3450.............0...............0..........0.............3450