Day 1 is a 69 mile ride from Astoria to St Helens Oregon with a 3,000 foot vertical. The route meanders along the Columbia River where the large ships can navigate all the way from the Pacific to Portland OR. The ride is hilly with two long hills (the second has no shoulders) and lots of traffic. The weather today was overcast and cool 54 degrees in am. Lots of rain and water in coastal oregon.....no wonder the Oregon football teams are calls "Ducks" or "Beavers". The high point of the trip today was the fish hatchery and watching the Salmon fingerlings get clipped (a form of tagging) to identify them as hatchery fish. Way cool.
Breakfast at the hotel before we depart. What a solemn group for our first bike ride.
Judi and Chris saying goodbye in the parking lot as we depart
Dave and Suzie say goodbye. Suzie has her goggles on and is ready to hit the trail, just like me.
Here I am coasting down one of 2 big hills en route to St Helens. The downhill is great.....but much shorter than the uphill. Our ride director says the real big hills are ahead of us........I can hardly wait (Ha)
The very first SAG stop at the Fish Hatchery. Here are some hatchery employees numbing the small salmon fingerlings, clipping their fins (as a marker) before setting them free. It is amazing how the young salmon frye continue to swim upstream after they are released, even when they are floating downstream with an impossible current. Is there a life lesson in that....like go with the flow? :-)
Here is the Columbia River that we will be following for next two days.
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| Here's me along the Columbia on Day One - 49 Day's to go! |
And another view of the Columbia as we get farther upstream.
End of Day 1, the Best Western Hotel at Last. We started this morning with a 6 am breakfast call......then loaded the baggage truck at 7am, then hit the road at 7:30. I finally pulled in to the hotel in St Helens at 2 pm. Just in time for a shower, a swim, and a great pasta dinner. Overall it was a good first day....not too long, no major hills, and an early finish. We are all nervous about Friday....we have 117 Mile Day with a 6,000' vertical. Friday may be "America by Van" day for some of us. (Ha)
We rode your first 3 days today, and they're right, Day 3 will be tough. Be prepared for some long climbs and temperature changes. But what they didn't mention is the spectacular scenery. It will all be worth it. And the the High Desert of Eastern Oregon you will love. Enjoy each day as they come, they're all special.
ReplyDeleteGo Mike! John and I are rooting for you, and following your progress on our respective I-Phones and my new I-Pad 2 wherever we are !
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