Day 2

-
Stats: 
Today's miles: 63 miles
Today's feet of elevation gain: 1,507 feet
Total miles traveled: 125 miles
Total feet climbed: 4,707 feet

With a late arrival and a limited evening meal the night before, I intentionally was slow to break camp and ended up leaving at 9:30. Today was planned to be a shorter ride since it involved a complicated route through Portland and getting to the next campground would have required 90+ miles. The ride was largely uneventful and getting through Portland while challenging was not that bad. The last leg took the Columbia river bike trail and airport service road. As humbling reminder that it isn’t always a smooth road, I ended up with a rear flat about 2 miles short of my destination. Walking the bike down to a flat spot off the road, taking all the gear off and replacing a tube is a great way to spend the late afternoon with a view of Mt. Hood

Just a note…The terrain, narrow roads and limited services will make the climb out of the Columbia gorge challenging for the next 5-7. On top of that the area is in a heat wave with temps of 100 F. This will limit the available riding hours. The focus will be on hydration and water sources rather than distance. Don’t be surprised by days of 50 or fewer miles

Mt. Hood


Location: Portland, OR, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 5 - Rest, Day 6 - The Dalles to Crow Butte State Park

-
Image
  Stats:   Today's miles :   93 miles Today's feet of elevation gain:   3,145 feet Total miles traveled:   311.5 miles Total feet climbed:   13,437 feet It was a really good day of cycling. I was on the road from The Dalles by 6 AM, the forecast high temp had dropped from 94 to 88F (hey little victories) and a 25 mph wind was blowing up-river (tailwind). The ride to Biggs was crazy. There was a section of 3 miles on I84 where I never pedaled, since the wind was strong enough to sustain my normal speed. When I reached Biggs I stopped at the truck stop for a quick breakfast sandwich and coffee before crossing the bridge and beginning the 83 mi “limited services area” run on the Washington side of the river.  Perhaps I was a bit too cocky at that point, because when I came out of the truck stop, my rear tire had relieved itself. Damn those shredded steel belts on the roadside! At least it was in a parking lot and it only took two tubes ( note be extra ca...
Read more

Plan, Route & Gear

-
Image
The Plan: This will be a self-supported, solo ride. Meaning that I will carry my gear and leverage resources along the route. I will be camping most of the time with a hotel and rest day every 7-10 days depending on weather and the route. I plan on averaging 70 miles/day and expect that it will take about 10 weeks to cover the 4290 miles. Based on other rider’s experiences, that seems pretty reasonable. And just like your car, the mileage may vary depending on elevation and weather. So it will take as long as it takes. I plan to eat mostly on the road…restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, etc. and plan on cooking/carrying food only as a back-up. I’m getting a ride out to Oregon with my bike and gear. The return trip from Maine is too far out to plan at this point, but if you’re interested, I hear Maine is beautiful in late September. The Route: I am combining two routes from Adventure Cycling. I’ll be starting from Astoria (technically Seaside) and following the Lewis &...
Read more

Day 1

-
Image
Quick stats: 62 miles, 3200 feet of elevation gain We drove to Sunset Beach south of Astoria. By the time we drove there, packed the bike and made several returns to the car for forgotten items, quick repairs (loose fender) I finally took off at 11:30 am. No traditional dipping the tire in the Pacific. It was low tide with about 200 yards of sand/mud to the ocean and breaking 6’ waves. I rode PC 101 and business 101 into Astoria. What no one tells you is that this route climbs to the highest point and immediately drops into the main part of town on the other side. The route followed Hwy 30 with several climbs and descents as it headed back to Portland. The scenery is beautiful old growth timber in several spots. However, most of my concentration was on the road, with a steady stream of cars and RVs heading back from the weekend and no or limited shoulders in several stretches. I stopped to rest in Clatskanie after a long climb and dropping, hoping to camp there for the night. With no c...
Read more