Day 2 (21 June) - 75 Miles - Columbia River to Mt Hood

Breakfast at 6 am?  Bicycle Boot Camp

Our second breakfast together on Day 2.  Here is our sleepy looking group of bikers after their first night out.   No wonder they are sleepy....it's barely 6 am. That meant we all had to get up at 5 am to be ready.   I'm not exactly a morning person (and as it turns out, neither is the Rocket), so this could take some time to get used to.   This was supposed to be "Summer Camp for Adults", looks more like Bicycle Boot Camp".   Oh well, we have a 75 mile ride today, might as well start early.

How many bikers does it take to change a flat?  So, we we're on the road at 7 am.   By 7:30, we had our first flat.  It turns out that Oregon is the glass capital of the USA (at least so far).   Lots of green Heineken's beer bottle glass and also the tiny steel wires from steel belted radials that have blown out.   Bicycle tires are a magnet for both.   Before the day was done, we had 3 flats.   Our trip leader says the record for flats was 150 one rainy day on Route 66.   Bike tires soften in the rain.....easy to get a puncture flat, especially on a major highway.   BTW, the answer to the above is "The whole bike club".

A Beautiful Day on the Columbia River.  This is Lewis and Clark country.   Today we are biking a forty mile stretch of the Columbia River from St Helens to Portland, before turning East toward Mt Hood.   The map above gives you an idea of the Southeasterly direction of the river.....and also a note about the Lewis and Clark expedition introducing firearms to the peaceful Clatsop Indians.   As it turned out, firearms and firewater were not such a good combination.   As we rode along the river, it was easy to appreciate that just 200 years ago, this land was populated by may native American tribes who lived on Salmon from the Columbia and welcomed Lewis and Clark, the first white men they had seen.   It was just not that long ago.

The Columbia River Bike Trail.  Here is a shot along the Columbia bike trail with the Portland Airport to the right.   In the far distance is Mt Hood, a little difficult to see here.   This was a great ride in great weather and reminded all of us what a thrill it is to ride a bike.   George Bernard Shaw said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe there is hope for the human race".

Houseboats on the Columbia River.  Here's a new idea in real estate,  a houseboat village.   This is the start of a huge houseboat village along the Columbia....spanning several miles, all water front, with boat docks, water skiing and salmon fishing.   Probably in need of flood insurance.

Heading to Mount Hood.  Here is our Peloton group enroute to Mount Hood.   We've now climbed up the Columbia Foothills and are heading toward our hotel for the night, the Mt Hood Inn.   You can see Mt Hood in the distance, just over Jim Bauer's head (second from the right).

Getting closer to Mt Hood.  We're still 20 miles from Mt Hood, but you can now see how prominent Mt Hood is in the Oregon Landscape.   Here is a look at the Mountain from the town of Sandy.   Hopefully that suave, debonair biker with the washboard abs (Ha) looks familiar.

Lunch at Calamity Jane's.  Calamity Jane's is a well known biker hangout in Western Oregon, famous for Milk Shakes (cyclist's favorite treat at the end of the day) and Burgers.   We had over 30 bikers stop, park their cycles in the back patio area and zip in for lunch.   I went for a great Vanilla shake, but I kept eyeing Russell's Chocolate Raspberry.  Mmmm, good, especially when you're hot!

Day 2 is done, 75 miles, 3,000 foot vertical.  This was the end of day two.   After a 7 am start, we arrived at 3:00 pm in the afternoon at Welches, OR, just next to Mount Hood.   We had a little time to ice knees, hit the jacuzzi and/or the pool (how refreshing).   Dinner was served at 6 pm.   After dinner we got the news that we would be starting Day 3 at 5:45 am.   Day 3 would be a big day with a climb around Mt Hood and a long trek across the Oregon high desert on the way to the Indian Reservation and the casino at Kah-nee-tah (named for the Indian Reservation).   So we looked at each other and shrugged "Yep, this is bicycle bootcamp".   Then we went to bed at 8 pm.   Slept the night thru!

More Tomorrow,
Love to All,
ME