Cycle Oregon Weekend 2007

Day 1 | Day 2

Day 1 (June 23, 2007)

Weather: cool, mostly cloudy, spotty showers

    We have a joke here in the Willamette Valley that says, "what do you call the 2 rainy days after 5 days of sun?"  The answer, of course, is the weekend.  We don't know or understand the meteorological reason for this phenomenon, that's just the way it is.  We accept it, buy Gore-tex and neoprene, and move on.  This weekend was no exception.  It was a very nice week up until Saturday morning when the rain came in.  This was also the first day of the 2007 edition of the Cycle Oregon Weekend.

    This year's course was anchored in Vernonia, OR which is only about 1 hour from our house.  We also started both days from the same place so we wouldn't have to set anything after the first day's ride.  We drove out Saturday morning, parked, registered, found our tent (we did the tent and porter service again this year), and got on the road by 8am.

    The first section was pretty flat and smooth.  It was cool out (45 degrees according to the car's thermometer), and the clouds were threatening rain even though it was sunny at the time.  After the first ODS rest stop though, the first bit of climbing began.  This was about a 4.5 mile climb, but it was pretty gradual at the bottom with a little steeper bump at the top.  We were moving well, and passing a few people.  It rained off and on as we crested the climb overlooking the Columbia River.  Though we didn't get much of a long view with all the clouds.  With the brief rain, we had to keep the speed down on the other side of the hill and twisting roads leading down to Highway 30.  After riding through a bunch of rollers the 45 mile mark began the big climb.  This one was also 5 miles, but it was a pretty constant 6-8% grade all the way to the top.  It was one of those heart breaking hills where around every twist and turn, you think that maybe the hill will let up, but it just keeps going.  And it was also around this time when I accidentally sat on Jada's head. (I had to stand up for a few turns to keep my back stretched, and Jada doesn't like to stand so she was leaning forward.  I forgot to warn her that I was sitting again, and I went back too far.  She finished out the climb like a trooper still even though she wasn't too happy with me for a while)  There were a few rollers across the top of the butte for good measure followed by a 5 mile drop back to the valley where we again had to keep our speed down due to the damp roads and sharp turns. 

    Lunch was at the bottom of the hill in the town of Mist.  We enjoyed a nice, leisurely lunch.  The sun even came out for us while I stretched on the grass.  With 15 flat miles to the finish, we decided to push off finally.  First up in 7 miles was the ODS rest stop.  We hooked up with a bunch of riders and enjoyed a short run in their draft, but then it was our turn to lead out.  Only a couple decided to stay with us to the stop.  A woman and a guy in a Spiderman jersey who we refered to as Abe Spiderman (pronounced like someone's last name).  I guess you had to be there.  The woman thanked us for the pull as we pulled into the rest stop, but she kept going.  Since we didn't have to worry about pitching a tent or unpacking, we just took our time.  We were spent a bit since we didn't really train as much this year as we've been able to in the past, but dragging Ellen and Phoebe counted double, we think.  The last 8 miles were tough and into the wind.  It started misting as we hit the city limit sign, but stopped again by the time we made camp. 

    Back at the tent I went to the FREEZING cold showers (Jada reported that the women's showers were at least lukewarm), and Jada went to get a massage.  I went back to lay down in the tent after my shower to wait for Jada.  The sun had come out for a bit while I was there, so I put my stuff to dry on top of the tent.  Just as I was about to fall asleep, I was startled awake by the sound of pitter patter of rain drops on the tent.  I jumped up to pull all of my clothes into the tent and went on with trying to nap.

    Around 4:30pm, I went to find Jada and brought her rain coat since it had started raining again.  Dinner was at 5pm and was ok.  It was strange that they were only offering salad to the vegans, and no one else was offered vegetables.  What's up with that?  We went to the main stage to hang out, people watch, and write in the journal until announcements.  The rain had stopped by this time, and the sky was clearing.  Along with this, though, the temperature was dropping a bit again.  After evening announcements, we walked back and found an open space closer to the camp site, so I moved the car in preparation for the next day.  We were in bed by 9pm.  It wasn't even dark yet.

Day 2 (June 24, 2007)

Weather: cool, raining

    It started to rain around 3am.  It let up just long enough for me to run to the blue rooms (just in case you've never read one of these or been on Cycle Oregon, the Blue Rooms are in reference to the port-a-potties which are blue) and get back before it started raining again.  It continued into the morning letting up only occasionally, but not completely.  We got up around 5:45am and started packing up.  Luckily, we just had to collect our stuff inside the tent and didn't have to worry about packing the soaked tent since it wasn't ours.  After dumping our bags in the car, we went for breakfast of eggs, sausage, fruit, oatmeal, dry cereal, and yogurt.  We lingered over breakfast since the course didn't open until 7:30am, and it was raining harder now.  But eventually, the time had come for us to set out.

    It was still raining when we pushed off to the applause of the rider services ladies happy to see some people at least braving the elements.  As we rode out of town and into the rain, we were passed by many people driving by with their bikes racked up fleeing the rain in their cars.  Jada started yelling after them as they drove by, taunting really.  It was good fun, and a nice way to not think about the rain that was pelting us as they drove by...wimps.  We had assumed that maybe some of them were the families that we saw, but they were mostly racing bikes that were packed up.  (we saw the families out later as we rode back to town). 

    The first ODS rest stop was at around 5 miles.  We, the few who braved the elements, had fun chatting with the wonderful volunteers who had also toughed out the weather to be out there to serve us yummy snacks (mmmmm.  Gummi bears)  Jada commented on what a good idea it was that one guy we were talking to was wearing a shower hat over his helmet to keep his head dry and warm.  In the spirit of Cycle Oregon, he found an extra in his pannier and gave it to Jada to use...and it was even pink.  This provided hours of fun as we kept running into this same guy at all the rest stops, and he would tease her about it as she sang it's praises.  After the rest stop, we pushed on and up towards Stub Stewart STate Park, Oregon's newest full service park and first in 30 years.  They opened 2 weeks early to host the Cycle Oregon Weekend lunch stop, and they'll close back down again to finish getting things ready.  The turn off for the optional longer route was near the entrance to the park.  We were originally supposed to continue down the highway and through Buxton up to Whistle Stop.  Instead, the Parks service and ODOT had worked to get the section of the Banks-Vernonia rail trail between the park and Whistle Stop paved.  We had decided that we weren't going to bother doing the long option since it was raining, and we just wanted to get home.  However, as we were coming up to the trail head, Jada changed her mind.  Since we were going to be covered by forest canopy, and it wasn't even 8:30am yet, we decided to go for it.  We're so glad that we did.  We didn't have to pedal at all for the entire way to Whistle Stop...~5 miles.  We just floated on the fresh, smooth blacktop under the trees.  It was beautiful.  We were the 19th riders into the water stop at Whistle Stop where we joked about the rain and the taunting of those who gave up and drove home instead of ride in the rain.  After a potty stop, we started back up the path to the park for our second breakfast.  Even though we were climbing the entire time, it sure didn't seem like it.  The sun even started trying to punch through the clouds and forest as we "danced on the pedals" back up the trail.  We popped back out of the trees before we knew it, and it was still only 9:45am which meant that they had started serving lunch up at the new visitor center.

    Second breakfast was pork BBQ, and it was quite good.  The rain had stopped, but it was still a little cool.  The tireless, and just as soaked, volunteers, kept surprising us as they provided hot chocolate and whipped cream as if from no where to warm us up.  To top it off, the music provided over the speakers was late '70's/early 80's music (Herbie Hancock's "Rock it" and Average White Band's "Cut the Cake" to name but two).  Awesome.  We hung around for a bit entering ourselves in drawings and chatting about the ride so far with the others before heading out again.  The weather stayed dry for us as we headed back into town.  We stopped off at the ODS rest stop again to stock up on snacks.  We saw lots of cyclists just heading out while we were on the way back. We just figured they were waiting out the rain.  There were several children being pulled in trailers. 

    Unfortunately for them, it started pouring again as we drove home.  Another successful Cycle Oregon Weekend behind us.  Oddly enough, all we have is our memories since we didn't pull the camera out once the entire trip.  Too bad too since I never got a picture of Jada in her shower cap.