Wednesday July 20, 2005

The group rolled out of camp from Ainsworth State Park in Oregon at 7AM.  We were ready and prepared for the last day of high miles after a much needed and deserved day off.  The official Russ mile count was 72 at the end of the ride. Phew! The beginning of the trip brought the group to the Vista House; a magnificent old rest area overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.  The ride, although windy, was beautiful and scenic as we made our way from rural riding to city riding through Portland, Oregon; also known as the friendliest bike city in the country.  Spirits remained high, despite confusing map directions, crashes, road construction and, of course, the ever present flat tire. This was the first day on the trip that a female on the ride got a flat! Our total flat count has got to be over 30 at this point!  Since we have such terrific skill at changing flat tires, we assisted a local rider named Randy, who joined up with us and had a flat tire almost immediately upon joining us!  Our reputation as expert flat fixers has reached the west coast! The views were like nothing we have seen.  In one shot, we could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainer, and Mt. St. Helens.  We saw steam coming out of Mt. St Helens!   Some locals told us that there has been some seismic activity for 5 nights in a row including last night!  We are preparing for a pot luck dinner tonight as we try to eat up our food supply before we head home.  We are looking forward to the final 68 miles that we have ahead of us as we approach Astoria OR and the Pacific Coast!