So the fun begins! Day one was a great ride- 70 miles long and, all things considered, very tolerable weather. Overcast and drizzly at times, but temps in the 50-60 degree range. I spent the entire ride with the Miller family (that's Bern and Derek to the right) from Ocala, FL
and they were a delight to be with. All four are strong riders and the boys (16 and 20) did most of the pulling. However, Ole Uncle Bob did lead the parade for the last 10-12 miles and that was fun too.
The ride was flat for 20 miles or so to start, then we had two pretty good climbs (Dicks Hill type stuff for my friends back in North GA) and then things flattened out for the last 20 miles. The climbs were 5-6 %, very consistent grades, with nice shoulders/ bike lanes. I love Oregon's approach to bike lanes- the only thing they could do is run a street sweeper down them- they have a fair amount of trash- mostly gravel and bark from all the logging trucks. The picture above is the last big downhill- I think it brought us into the town of Ranier, OR.
Speaking of trucks- they got the big boy trucks running around here. They come by you at 60-65 and just off your elbow. Best you be payin' attention boys and girls. I noticed when those trucks would roll by that it seemed like you were in a tunnel- a wall of trees to the right and a wall of truck to the left. Eyes straight ahead- Focus!!
