KCK ride

Yesterday afternoon I rode with friends Monica and Paul, today Kay, Carol, and Kevin went for a ride.

Carol invited me to join her on a ride of Portland's 40 Mile Loop.   Kay also pedaled in to join us.

We took off counter-clockwise, Carol's favorite way to ride this route.

It was a nice day with temperatures in the upper 60's.  Wind was almost non existent.

When we had pedaled just a few miles we came across Cartlandia, and stopped for tacos and burritos.
We continued on our way and when we got to I-205 we turned north along the parallel path.

The girls were a bit slower than yesterday's group. The route is mostly on paths but there is a section of road riding that going counterclockwise comes in the last 5-7 miles. I was wishing we'd pick up the pace a bit to avoid rush hour traffic.  Not that I'm adverse to riding with traffic, but just playing the odds, I'd rather have fewer cars than more.  While wishing we were a bit faster it was a beautiful day for a ride. When we reached the Columbia River we turned west along the Marine Drive bike path. The river was as smooth as glass.

At 39th Ave we ran out of path and got on Marine Drive.  There were adequate shoulders, and busy traffic.  At one point as we approached I-5, we had the opportunity to ride on a parallel street with much lower traffic.

The girls took the opportunity to water and dewater at Subway just before we crossed I-5.

 

After crossing I-5 we continued a short distance on the Marine Drive path, then turned left skirting some industrial sites.  As we crossed the Columbia Slough we got a glimpse of Mt Hood.  Normally the best photos are from along Marine Drive, but Mt Hood was obscured by clouds as we pedaled along there. 

We continued on to the Peninsula Crossing Trail and left the Columbia River behind as we rode toward the Willamette River.  As we neared the Willamette River we turned left again, riding past the University of Portland and along the bluff.

Before long we were rolling down Greeley Avenue.  The traffic was heavy and I got to play vehicular cyclist as lanes would merge in and out.  At one point I was in the right lane of two my direction as a third lane merged in from the right.  As luck would have it, as I rolled along at about 30 mph, a semi-truck came in on the right.  I slipped into my 56x11 and pedaled up to speed.  The driver held back a bit as I reached 40 mph, I signaled and moved to the right, he moved left and we both waved as we made the dance. As I neared the Broadway Bridge there was a steady stream of motor vehicles coming up behind me, with most of them signaling intention to take the approaching right turn lane.  Works good for them, but for a bike going straight a lane change in traffic is necessary.  I was pedaling along at a good clip, I signaled my lane change intention and started moving over.  A car slowed, I accelerated through the gap.  A wave of the hand in thanks, and I was on my way.

We all made it safely to the Esplanade where we pedaled along the Willamette River going south.

Morrison Bridge

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, Portland's newest bridge

It was a slow, but enjoyable ride. It took 4 hours to complete 39 miles, but the weather was superb and the company outstanding.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today............39...............0..............0...............0.................39 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........169.................0................0..............0................169
Total............1182...............0...............0...............0..............1182