Thursday, May 29, 2008

Part Duex ......


Sunday morning we woke up to what all of us had feared that pitter patter of rain on the outside of the tent. Camp master Steve came to collect his money,early, probably so he could run in to town for some more of his favorite elixir. We ate a bit, discussed the days plans which were to go and get lost in the Syncline area on the Washington side of the Gorge. We had a hand drawn map, and a bunch of people to ask in the parking lot. It all started with a 2,000 foot climb with a mix of pavement and dirt. The legs were feeling ok, nothing stellar as we ground our way to the top. Having taken advice from a guy in the parking lot we tried a bit of a different ride than I had planned based on the map and ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere that lead to a super loose rocky descent, causing Myles to flat twice and us to ride a bunch of pavement back to the car. Oh that and we went through the biggest poison oak field every. Lucky for us we had technu to apply as soon as we got back to the car. All is all I would like to come back to this area with a guide because I bet it has so much to offer.

After that it was off to another brewery, Walkingman in Stevenson. We arrived a bit before they opened, Brett had to get a coffee. I swear he has an espresso radar. No beer for him, just lots of caffeine. My friend Jacob is the head brewer so he and his wife joined us for a bit. We had a great time. "Stevenson a quaint drinking town, with a windsurfing problem." After that we decided to check out the Carson mineral springs for a soak in a tub and a wrap in a hot blanket. It had a bit of an institutional feel to it. "put your clothes in the basket, this is your tub." All from a guy named sonny, who in his late 50's, just happened to have a forearm tattoo and look like a guy not to be messed with. Talk about sweating, and heart palpitations, I thought I might pass out and die. After that we headed on in to the city.

Monday, we were all a bit tired so we went out to breakfast, and then some beers. Then it was on towards home we went. I'll leave you with a few parting shots of Portland, because we all know a picture is worth a thousand words.....




2 comments:

Sara Lordon said...

Nat!
Hope life is treating you well! I am living in Florida and getting into biking after knee surgery (no more running for me:( for awhile). I would love to hear from you and catch up. Call me or email me...saslordon@aol.com or 561 6014420. Much love to you and hope to hear from you soon!
Ginormous hugs,
Sara :)
P.S. Check out Neal Fegan's website Montanatransitauthority.com. He builds crazy bicycles. He's living in Portland, OR now :)

Anonymous said...

Nat the pitures are fantastic, what gives them the golden color? ... and they are worth a thousand..., although I do enjoy your words too.

Love,

Sally
( I have forgotten how to sign in)