It is early in the season yet, the admission booth is not yet manned. There is an automated process to collect the toll from automobiles though. Bikes are free!
As I pedaled across the dam I took this photo facing upstream.
I'm ancient. I remember when this now flooded valley was a collection of farmland, a few homes, and a church. As a young guy I would travel with my dad through this valley to hunt deer in the surrounding hills, and to haul water for my dad's custom spraying operation. The dam was completed in 1975.
This is the view downstream with the view of the Stimson Mill. The best location for the dam would have been just downstream from the mill, where the valley narrows. The economics of moving a major sawmill meant that the dam was built upstream, where the valley was wider and left the mill in the path of a wall of water if the dam were to fail. We are much more cognizant of the risks of a major subduction zone earthquake now. Recent studies have determined that the dam is at risk during a major earthquake. I wonder if that weighs on the minds of mill workers?
The road around the lake is going to need a little work after a winter of rain.
The route around the lake is challenging for a fixed gear bike, with many ups and downs. The weather was beautiful and I was able to negotiate the hills better than I expected.
I wasn't able to dilly dally however, since it is Thursday (and the Thursday Night Ride!) I made haste around the lake and rode down the most challenging part of today's ride, the long steep descent past the dam.
I pedaled the last few miles back to the Lake Stop Store where I happened to see Max, preparing to ride his mountain bike on the trail around the lake.
I loaded my bike and hurried along toward Portland. It was rush hour, and I probably could have biked there quicker. I eventually got there, today starting at Milwaukie.
I road down to the river via a trail down the bluff.
I figured the ride around Hagg Lake was causing me to hallucinate. As I pedaled along the Willamette River I could swear I was seeing dragons!
I arrived at the TNR's starting point and it was obvious that there was going to be a large turnout.
There were the usual sights.
and the not so usual.
 |
| The Unipiper! |
It was a bit crazy in the peloton tonight. I had to be constantly on my toes to keep from getting clipped. I attributed it to a large percentage of folks with inexperience riding in tight groups.
A few bikes went down, but I didn't see any injuries. We were having fun!
Even some of our furry friends were out enjoying the evening.
As we were nearing the end of the ride Neal, a friend from a meetup group I used to belong to rode up and said hi. This was his first TNR. We pulled into Jackson's for a chance to get some picnic supplies
We then rode the short distance to the Hawthorne Bridge, where the gang would socialize. I didn't stay tonight, and instead rode back to my pickup.
.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ........32................0...................0.......................0...........32
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........124...............0..................0.......................0...........124
YTD...... 1084...............0...................0.......................0..........1084
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