Things I've Learned

Awesome ride!!
Awesome views!!

Our Awesome Guides, Rob and Kurt

We had to be packed and out of our rooms before breakfast today. It was really nice staying in the same place for the last four nights. Our ride left from the hotel and snaked through Hood River and headed East (I think). To get out of town, we had to climb a series of switchbacks that we descended a few days ago. Honestly, I would much rather climb them than descend. At the top of the hill, we entered a bike path that was actually the old highway running through the Gorge. When the new highway was built, the road was closed to motorized traffic and preserved for biking, running, walking, etc. This part of the ride was listed on Bicycling magazine's "Top 10 Rides" in 2009. It was stunning. Perfect paving, rolling hills and awesome scenery! Some of our group saw a gopher snake on the trail as well as carvings in the tunnel from some goose hunters stranded in 1921 (they survived.) There are actually two climate zones on this trail, which is easily seen because the Ponderosa Pines give way to various fir trees, including the Douglas Fir. But don't get me started on those trees!! Wow, did I I get educated on this trip or what?
We passed a cherry orchard as well as an apricot orchard. I stopped to pick some of the cherries -- again, awesome!
We headed up hill to Rowena Crest (probably named for Sir Walter Scott's characters in Ivanhoe) where the wind blew about 40 miles per hour! It nearly knocked me over! Next we headed down some switchbacks and on each turn, I had to pedal down hill because the wind was so strong!! No lie or even exaggeration!
If you check out Sojourn Bike Tours on Facebook, there are some good pictures posted. I plan to add some pictures to my blog when I have a working computer again, but I thought I'd end with a list of things I learned on my Sojourn Cycling Vacation:
1. Sojourn is an awesome company, always one step ahead to assure the perfect vacation.
2. Riding with a group makes you a better rider. It gives you a little competition and a little confidence.
3. Cue sheets and maps are really helpful if you just take the time to read them.
4. You better not say "I eat hills for breakfast" until you've had breakfast in Oregon.
5. Cherries are best when you eat them right off the tree. They are still good from the super market; the season is short, so you should eat as many cherries as possible in the summer.
6. If you got to the top of the hill really fast, you probably missed a great view of the valley.
7. Gearing down is not a pride issue -- it's better for your legs and for your chain.
8. Never sit in the front of the raft. Sit in the back and get wet on your own terms.
9. Always say "YES" to ice cream!
10. Chocolate milk RULES as a recovery drink!

It was a great vacation, with super people, awesome scenery and fabulous guides. I highly recommend and can't wait to do it again!

Rest Day!!

I woke up a little sad today. It seems so long ago that we were in Portland. And now our trip is coming to an end. I've had many miles to think about this trip. One huge advantage of touring by bike is that you can really focus on the details of the place. We've moved around and have seen so much. But, from a bike, you can truly appreciate your surroundings. In a car, it passes by quickly. On foot, (although that seems crazy) it passes too slowly.
We headed out this morning to Tamanawas Falls Trailhead on Mt. Hood. We hiked about two miles to the falls. The trail wound through forests of tall, tall trees and giant rocks that made me feel like I was on the set of Jurassic Park. The falls were awesome. As I walked on the trail close to the falls, I could feel fur on my hand! I actually considered closing my eyes and not looking down for fear of what I might see. But, it was just Zack, a Leon Berger dog (that's the breed, we googled it!).
After hiking back out of the forest, we drove to the Timberline Lodge, used in the filming of the outdoor scenes of The Shining. Mt. Hood is a destination for world class ski teams for summer ski training. There is a chemical that makes the snow uniformly hard (like ice) and provides the perfect training ground for skiers. So, when you watch the Olympics in three years, consider that the skiers are really skiing on ice, not snow. Amazing! There were lots of skiers and snow boarders out today and some of them were doing some great tricks. We took the lift up to the top. It was a bit scary, although not as bad as it was on Denise and Annette's lift -- they did not realize that there was a bar and rode up without it. We were probably 20 - 25 feet off the ground. But, this lift is only open in the summer because in the winter it is covered over with snow!
Glover and I had lunch in the lodge. There was a good buffet with fresh Washington cherries. I probably went overboard when I took the entire bowl from the waiter. But, I'm here such a limited time!! Anyway, during lunch, a chipmunk ran all over the dining room, having the best time picking up scraps. He was too fast for photos.
We all spent the afternoon in town, shopping and hanging out at Mike's Ice Cream. I got a new Hood River jersey from one of the two local bike shops. The locals that we talked to thought it was too hot this week to ride! It was in the 80's all week. We told them they didn't know how good they had it! In Little Rock it was 113 degrees today!
Tonight we had our farewell dinner on the patio overlooking the falls. It was beautiful. And for dessert, we had birthday cake for Denise and Annette. Their birthdays are a week apart in August, which they try to celebrate with a cycling trip!
Tomorrow is our last day and we will probably bike less than thirty miles. Our trip covers one of Bicycling Magazine's "Must Rides" so I am looking forward to it.

Llamas and Lava Tubes

These trees are amazing!

Today, in Sojourn talk, was an easy day. We started out with a 34 mile bike ride. So easy, huh? But, we were in Washington State, where life is easy. And home to Washington Pears, as well as Anjou pears (the dark reds ones).

We crossed over the river early this morning and headed off into agricultural America. The trees are so huge they tower over everything. And, from my Twin Peaks days, I know they are Douglas Firs. So unbelievable. We unloaded in a little town that may have been called Trout Dale and started our ride. The first 5 miles were flat and smooth and went by one gorgeous field after another. I lost my odometer somewhere yesterday and had to turn back, so I was way behind the rest of the group. The first farm had some cows and 3 llamas, one of which had already been sheered. The next farm had dozens of llamas, all standing in the shadow of Mt. Adams. It is so imposing! Then, there was a llama standing beside the road, eating grass and not fenced in. Maybe they are wild here, I don't know. At one point, I swear there was a field of Yaks. At least one other person in the group agrees with me.

At about mile 5, the road started to gain a little elevation. At mile 5.5, it gained a whole lot of elevation! This hill, however, went on for two miles. So, while it was steep and difficult to climb, I didn't feel like I might tumble over backwards. At the top of the hill, the road started rolling. It was smooth and had very little traffic. And Mt. Adams followed me the whole way. It was awesome!

The last 6 miles of the ride was a descent, but the visibility was great so it was fun rather than terrifying.

Our ride ended at Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys, a third generation rafting company. After donning wetsuits and jackets, we were ready to do a different kind of rolling. The White Salmon River is a spring fed river flowing in ancient lava tubes. The geology on the banks is quite unusual. The river is spring fed from Mt. Adams and the water temperature is 38 to 42 degrees, year round. We were bundled and happy for it. The river was high today and the rapids were Class III and Class IV. It was a blast. Many people in our group had never been rafting before, so it was a real treat for them. Our guide was Joetta, the owner of the company. She looked to be about 22 years old with the most amazing arms, but she talked a lot about her grandkids, so I guess I'm a few years off. We had to paddle through the rapids and her direction was excellent. In the middle of the trip, there is a 14 foot waterfall. We got out of the raft, sent it over the falls and climbed back in. In the pictures, I am in the middle on the left side. I screamed the entire trip, which made me popular with my raft-mates.

Our guide told us lots of tall tales and one of the guys put his head over the front of the raft looking for a white car that was allegedly submerged. Of course, he saw a whole lot of white water, which was hysterical. I sat behind Glover, who is about 6 foot 5 inches tall. So I avoided some water, at least, hiding behind him.

After we changed and dried off a bit, we head for town and had dinner at the Full Sail Brewery. Great food, super beer. The hit of the evening was a beer float -- just like a root beer float, only with beer! Some people will do anything for a drink, I guess.

At dinner, Glover told me that he and his wife used to see Julia Child a lot because they live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, location of Julia's television show, as everyone knows. One time, his wife accidentally stole money from Julia. I asked him to get his wife's autograph for me. I think he thinks I'm kidding.

Tomorrow, we are hiking for about 4 miles and visiting Timberline, a hotel used for filming the outside locations of The Shining. After that, we will probably bike!

Have I mentioned that this lovely hotel has no elevator? Well, there is an elevator, but it can only be operated by a professional. Since I have never seen a professional elevator operator, I can't identify one. So each night, I have to walk three flights of stairs. I'm sure it is building character.

Lake of the Lost Spirits (or Lost Lake)

Our hiking trail
Orchards in the shadow of Mt. Adams

Lavender fields in the shadow of Mt. Hood

This was our view this morning at the beginning of our hike. Yes, our hike. Biking is not enough for these folks. We need to hike as well. Three miles. On a dirt trail. Around this entire lake. It actually was very nice. It is called Lost Lake and sits high in the mountains of Oregon. The mountain in the picture is Mt. Hood, only one of two snow-capped mountains that we saw today.

After our three-mile hike, we had a fantastic picnic lunch by the lake, with wraps, homemade guacamole and black bean and corn salad. Yesterday and today we had fresh Rainer cherries that are out of this world delicious.

Now for the biking part of our day, in case we might get lazy while on vacation. We left from Lost Lake and descended 13 miles. My rims were on fire by the time we got to the bottom. But it was a fantastic ride. There were a few hills that rolled through thousands of acres of orchards, mostly pears and cherries, but some peaches and apples, as well. There were also a few vineyards along the way, too. All the while, either Mt. Hood or Mt. Adams was sitting in front or beside of us. Since I have no sense of direction, I usually didn't know which mountain it was, but it didn't matter as both were spectacular. At one point I remarked to Rob that it seemed that Mt. Hood should be behind us and he said that it was and that I was looking at a different mountain. And he didn't call me stupid, although he may have muttered something.

At the bottom of the Lost Lake mountain, there is a lavender farm that, amazingly, is on top of one of the few vertical roads known to man-kind. And, amazingly, our guides thought we should climb it. Not with a ladder, but with a bike. It was 1.6 miles as the crow flies, but I am sure that all my zig-zagging added on about 5 extra miles. Worth every minute, though. A beautiful field of lavender in full bloom and Mt. Hood in front of us and Mt. Adams behind. We were staring at the tops of both mountains, we were that high. I was waiting for the Von Trapps to come singing across the field.

So, back down another mountain. Rims smoking again. I am afraid I am going to get a bill from Sojourn for the brakes!

More rolling hills, many more orchards. Really, the most spectacular scenery. We made it back to Hood River and stopped at Mike's Ice Cream. I drank a well-deserved Fresh Local Strawberry malted shake -- fantastic!!

We had another few miles to the hotel. On the way, we had a great view of the river. Hood River is the wind sport capital of the World! So the river was full of kite-surfers and windsurfers. We are discussing take a lesson on Thursday.

I lost my chain on the way back, so I was the sweep for the trip. Total miles: 38. Total flat miles: 0

Dinner was "on our own" tonight and a group of us went into town and ate at the Three Rivers Restaurant. It was really great. Everyone on the trip is really enjoying the local wines. I am not indulging as I am afraid I won't be able to complete the next ride, anyway. I can't believe we have three more days of riding. I am getting really tired and my legs feel like concrete. The guides are so great that I am sure they will pick up the pieces if I literally fall apart on the ride, though. Kurt makes custom wheels for a living and Rob trains Olympic athletes. I haven't gotten an invite to his academy, yet, but I am sure one will come before the end of the trip. I am certain he is that impressed.

The other group at our hotel is Certis, seller of biopesticides. One of their products is Seduce, a bait for earwigs and snails. They are talking a lot about teamwork and selling. Of course, I am eavesdropping and making fun of them later. Not nice, I know. But, I am here with a bunch of strangers and I can't make fun of them, so what choice do I have?

I am afraid I am getting a little delirious, though. Tonight, Denise mentioned that her New Years Resolution was to give up tailgating. I couldn't believe that was a serious problem, though. I mean that should only be a problem for a few weeks of the year, right? But, she explained that she is trying not to drive too close to other cars. She explained it very nicely and didn't call me stupid, either.

Tomorrow, we have an easy 35 mile ride in the morning and then white water rafting in the afternoon. Lest we not have enough to do.

Epic Waterfalls

Oregon's warning sign!!

The Gorge


Multnomah Falls

Horse tail falls

Today started bright and early at 7:00. First breakfast and then a shuttle out of Portland. Thank heavens we avoided Monday morning traffic! About 20 minutes out of the city we started a 10 mile gradual up hill ride to arrive at the Portland Women's Forum. I have no idea what that is about, but there were beautiful views of the Columbia Gorge.
The Columbia Gorge is a wide, long supervalley that looks like it might have been formed by glaciers. But, it is more interesting than that. About 750,000 years ago, a glacier was blocking the Clarke headwaters (I may be incorrect in that!) As the glacier moved, it released all of the water it was blocking into this area. Over the next 2500 years, this water carved the Gorge. The amount of water is the equivalent of a mile high, mile wide river that extends from Portland to San Francisco. A Lot of Water!!
First the waterfalls. The 10 mile gradual ascent turned into a screaming 5 mile descent. Worth it because of the views, but I hate downhills and I am sure I will need a new set of brakes before the week is over.
After reaching the high point, we rode into a valley of waterfalls. Bridal Veil falls, Horse tail falls, Wakeenah falls, each more beautiful than the last. But the granddaddy of the Gorge falls is Multnomah Falls, the second or first highest continuously running falls in the US or North America. You can see that my exhaustion may have interferred with my ability to listen. Anyway, it is big. There are two viewpoints: one at the lowest point and then a bridge across a higher point, probably a quarter of the way up. In the 70's a wedding party was being photographed on that bridge and a 400 ton rock fell from the top, causing a huge splash and drenching the whole party! OK, so I could listen to the information that I thought was hysterical and gave me the opportunity to laugh at someone!
We had a great picnic lunch -- heirloom tomato, peach and basil salad, quinoa with avacodo, fresh Ranier cherries.
After lunch we rode about 6 miles to the end of the main ride, which totaled about 28 miles. Ridetime, 2 hours and 15 minutes. It took a lot of the day to get there because of the stops.
Now, to the epic. Our guides gave us an additional cue sheet referring to the "Epic" ride, but it was only 14 miles. How epic could it be? Rob, our guide, explained that there were 4 short climbs in the ride, each at about a 10% grade!! Fortunately, my math skills are so bad that I don't know what a 10% grade is. Five guys were going, so you know I had to go!! One other woman, a tough Pittsburgh girl, went as well.

The first three miles of the ride was on the freeway. Yes, Maryland, in the West, everyone gets to use the freeway!! Then we turned onto a bike path that was rough and mostly uphill. At mile 4.4 there was painted on the concrete, in white capital letters, "STAIRS." Yes, there are stairs in the bike path. I could see the Army Corps of Engineers hand in this. So, we carried our bikes down the stairs and started out again. I can only assume that there are no lawyers in Oregon.
The remainder of the ride was rolling and beautiful, with great views of the Gorge. Oh, and by the way, we were on our own. No sag. The sag van had to take the other folks back to the hotel.
We passed two fish hatcheries on the way, as well as a roadside cherry stand, but I was too nervous to stop. At about mile 10, we turned onto some road and immediately started to climb. The first hill was like the DAM hill, so not bad and we cheered at the top. A short flat and then the second hill. Now, whatever 10% means, I don't know, but it was nearly vertical from where I sat, which was on a bike, need I remind. The third hill could was three times as long as the first, with only a brief - 10 feet - break. At the time, I thought this was the 3rd and 4th, but I may have been hallucinating. No one would have called that one hill. Sure enough, as I cleared the top, I could see hill number 4, which I think should have been hill number 5. But, it was short and could hardly be called a hill at that point. I rode all the way (yes I am being honest) but I did stop twice. When my heart rate hit 172. I thought the stops were necessary.
Then it was down hill. Down hill!! Again. I squeezed so hard to keep my speed to 25 mph.
It felt great to finish. 14 miles in an hour and 15 minutes! It was a tough 14 miles. It seemed like forever.
It will feel better to go to sleep.
Our hotel is gorgeous, with gardens and swings everywhere.
Tomorrow we are hiking around a lake and then riding about 35 miles. Apparently, there is another steep ride to a lavender farm about 8/10 of a mile long. That seems like a mile to me.
Great dinner, with some discussion of the necessity of doping if you are doing the Tour de France, or a Sojourn trip in Oregon, which seems about the same at this point!

Bicycles Rule in Portland!

In Portland, bikes are everywhere . .

on the subway . . .

at the airport

Portland is very "biker friendly" which is perfect since everyone has a bike. At the airport, there is a designated "bicycle assembly area." On the light rail, there are hangers for bikes. And bike paths everywhere you look.
The Holiday Inn upgraded me to the Clark Suite, right across the hallway from the Lewis Suite. It was nice and I tried to make a mess of both rooms, but I only had so many hours. In the middle of the night, I started thinking that either Lewis or Clark committed suicide, but I couldn't remember which. And I hoped it wasn't in a Holiday Inn.
The weather here is beautiful. The sky was picture-perfect - baby blue with white puffy clouds. The temperature was about 80 and there was a nice breeze blowing. Apparently, this is unusual.
I was in town about an hour when I heard the unmistakable sound of a drum. Earlier this year, on a spring biking trip on the Eastern Shore, a little town called Oxford had a parade just as I arrived. Now, Amy, Sue, Denise, Kate and Valerie tried to convince me that the parade was not for me. But, today, in Portland, Oregon, there was a parade! Coincidence? I think not! So, it really is all about me. Now, I expect parades everywhere I go.
The locals were out in full force. The Willamette River was declared "clean enough to swim in" and everyone took their floatation devices to the water. Except the group smoking pot in the grass. But that is another story.
We are all on Cannondale bikes, which are really nice. The guides brought us drinks and snacks and promised to drive us up any hills we didn't want to climb. I think the Western Maryland Wheelmen need to institute some of these amenities. I think it is a good way to get more people on bikes. Just a thought.
There are 15 in my group, including the guides. We rode about 20 miles today. Both sides of the Willamette have paved biking paths with lots of cool bridges connecting them. After crossing over the river, we rode on the Springwater Trail, a rail trail. Flat, flat, flat!! A nice change of pace for me. The downtown area was very crowded because of the nice weather and the Brew Fest, but it cleared out after a few miles.
We are staying the in the Riverplace Hotel. It is small, right on the river and very nice. They have strawberry and cucumber infused water in the lobby. Very swanky, I must say. Dinner was in the hotel and very good. All included in the price of the trip, which is great. And free, for me.
Tomorrow, we head out to the Columbia Gorge. I hear there will be lots of shade. The cue sheet indicates that, at one point, there is a "steep downhill the ends abruptly at the top of a set of stairs." This should be really exciting. One person in the group is a radiologist, so she should be able to identify cracked skulls, even without an x-ray.

Preparing for the Journey

Preparing is always my favorite part of any trip. But, this one is different. And weird.
I am going to Oregon on a 6-day, 5-night bicycling trip with Sojourn Cycling. Last October, I participated in a charity bicycle ride called the Wild Goose Chase, benefitting the Black Water Wildlife Refuge in Southern Maryland. The ride is sponsored by Terry Cycling, a company that sells athletic clothing for women. There was a raffle at the end of the ride and the grand prize was a Terry bicycle, which I really wanted. I wanted it because I rode my trail bike on that 65 mile ride and realized, for the first time, that there is a difference between trail bikes and road bikes! So, I needed a road bike. I didn't win :(
But, I did win the second prize -- a 6-day, 5-night bicycling trip with Sojourn Cycling.
So, why is this trip weird? Because I did not plan it -- Sojourn did. And I only have to pack for me. Bill and Jake are not going. So, the whole trip took about 5 minutes to plan.
But I am sure it is going to be great!!
I am traveling to Portland, Oregon on Saturday (round trip, direct flight from Dulles, thanks American Express!) I am spending Saturday night at the Holiday Inn and then meeting up with the group on Sunday in downtown Portland.
We are staying at the Riverplace Hotel, which looks pretty fancy! Fancy -- my favorite kind of hotel! Monday, we head East to Hood River, where we will stay for the rest of the week. There are a total of 15 people in the group, as well as 2 guides.
Now, if I can just keep up . . .