Astoria to Portland, OR (August 29, Saturday)

We woke up to a dreary day with a fine mist falling; not too promising for our 100 mile day! My riding partner, Anne, had taken a tumble on her bike the day before and wasn't sure if she would be riding. As I headed down to breakfast I was pleased to see she was dressed in her bike clothes. She said she was ready to go but I could tell she wasn't quite her old self. We had ridden every single mile of this trip and I know she wanted to finish.

We left about 6:45 AM with lights blinking for visibility in the drizzle. After heading out of the hotel on to a busy commuter road with a slippery steel bridge we all walked over, the traffic became less and the climbing began.

Around mile eight, we started to come upon the first runners of the "Hood to the Coast" relay race that had started at Mt. Hood the day before. There were about 12,000 runners, in teams of twelve. They ran for 4-8 mile legs before another member of the relay took over at the designated check point. They would end the event in the town of Seaside, on the coast. They were running toward us so auto traffic behind us was non existent. This was great, however, we moved slowly to avoid the runners and other people at their check points and feed stations. Their support vehicles were on the opposite side of the road decorated with paint, blowup mannequins, balloons, and bells and whistles. They moved slowly in the opposite direction from us. Still, between the runners, their support vehicles, the rain, and the potholes in the road, it kept us alert. We met our sag wagon at mile 21 and enjoyed some homemade cookies. She was doing her best to keep up with us with all the obstacles.

Most of the runners were congratulating us once they found out where we had been, others wondered why our event was scheduled on the same day, not knowing it was the end of a 30 day tour. We were encouraging the runners too.

We were also climbing between a 3-7% grade at times then a 6% downhill again with the runners and potholes and rain. I never took my camera out for pictures because of the rain. We got pretty wet and cold for a while but then the sun came out and warmed us up. We had runners until around mile 40. The terrain flattened out for about twenty miles. Round mile 57.9 we entered the Scapoose/Vernonia HWY toward St. Helens. Around mile 64 we started a pretty good climb which at times reached the 7% grade. A steep 6%, three mile descent followed and the sun began to dry the road. The trailer and van, pulling out luggage, kitchen, and those who decided to sag in, was coming up behind me. Since I had a clear view ahead I decided to let the bike go, which was almost 32 miles/hour - fast for me; but this allowed the van to get by me easier.

Anne was doing great, even though she kept saying," you don't have to wait for me." I really wasn't that much faster then her and no one needed to be out alone for so many miles.

As the sun continued to heat us up, we had one last chance to enjoy the scenery before turning onto HWY 30 toward Portland. The road had a wide, fairly debris free shoulder to ride on. As we got to the outskirts of Portland at mile 90 the traffic really picked up. Closer to downtown, we over took Barb S. who was riding alone. The road now had less of a shoulder so we stuck together for the last miles in. Once we got to downtown Portland we had a nice bike lane but lots of street turns and traffic - car, trolley, and other bikes to contend with. We arrived at our hotel to find Ken, and Barb's family waiting for us. Barb had to go around the block one more time because her grandchildren had been in the bathroom at the time of her arrival. She did the big entry one more time for them!

So I did it, every single mile! I had a great time and saw parts of the country I have never scene before. Sometimes the beauty brought tears to my eyes. I learned a lot about my bike and how to clean and fix it. I hope to never have to experience I-84 again but have managed to survive lumber trucks and camper trucks and stiff head and crosswinds. I still prefer going uphill to down, but I am getting better at the downhill. I will have to cut back on eating though! My God is an awesome God that showed me some of His finest works and kept me safe throughout. And to my friends and family; thanks for all your support and prayers.

Today's stats: 102.07 miles, 7hrs. 23 min., fastest speed 31.9, avg. 13.8, we climbed 3,578'

Total miles for the entire trip: 1491.6, total climbing was over 55,000'

Later in the evening we had a wonderful banquet and said our good byes to those leaving for early flights. Ken picked me up on Sunday and we spent the day in Portland. Sunday night we headed to my sister's house in Salem to spend a couple of days with her family. We will be heading to Rochester on September 2. See many of you then!