Bike Tour Report

We're home from our first bike tour! We did make a change due to the inclement weather.

We were supposed to do a three day loop and had originally picked a loop around Mt Hood which involved three 25-30 mile days. However, we had to change that plan when Anthony checked with the ranger and discovered that one road was still snow-bound! We then chose a loop of three 33 or so miles days which went down part of the coast. However, the weather sucked on Saturday - cold and rainy with some wind thrown in for good measure.

We considered canceling altogether, but Davan was pretty disappointed, as were we, so we picked a last minute two day trip. We drove down to Salem and rode up to Champoeg State Park. The trip was a partial loop and partial there and back for a total of 65 miles (at least the way we did it). Sunday was still cloudy, cool and occasionally very light rain. We ran into some bad rain on the way to Salem in the truck (borrowed from Tadku, thanks!) and had our doubts, but the weather wasn't too shabby.

The trip was a success, except we got the hairy eye ball from another camper at the hiker/biker campground because we'd driven down to Salem and then gone up to Champoeg, as opposed to just going down to Champoeg from Portland. However, we figured what we could at the last minute. Maybe next time we'll make it from home.

Also, I had some knee trouble. For some reason, my left knee occasionally gives me trouble when I bike ride. It feels like a repetitive movement injury to me - some sort of tendon thing, but I don't know for sure. I've had it checked out and was given some exercises to do by a physical therapist. I do them regularly, but it still started hurting about 2/3 of the way through the first day. The second day, then was pain with every leg rotation. :( When I first got on the bike, I doubted my ability to gut it out for the whole ride, but I made it. I was even cheery about it.

But, as I said, the trip was mostly good and we want to bike tour again. We averaged about 10.5 miles per hour both days over quite flat terrain. Davan and dh were faster on their tandem than I was on my mountain bike, but they rode just behind me so as to not out pace me. We found a very nice spot to stop for lunch yesterday and ended up stopping there again today. It was an iris farm with a picnic area, restrooms/outhouses and a flower garden for viewing.

Davan, who did not get enough physical activity in during the bike ride, talked us into racing, playing sardines, and other active games at camp. We also got in a nice stroll around the campground.

We came home late this afternoon to unpack, shower, throw dinner together and make our first run up to our CSA farm - Dancing Roots - to pick up our share this evening. It's a smallish haul, but only the first. There were even a few precious strawberries and they were so yummy that Davan and I finished them off in less than 5 minutes on the way home. Lucky for us, dh doesn't care for strawberries.