27 July 2019
14 July 2019
Seattle to Portland (STP), Day 2
I woke up on Day 2 pretty early mainly because everyone else was up and moving around and following the plan to get an early start. The forecast called for really nice weather into Portland, with a bit of a tailwind, so we all wanted to finish before the day got too hot.
I felt pretty good on the second day after being on the bike for a little bit and getting the muscles warmed back up. The weather was really good and the scenery was much better than the first day. The first half of the morning in southern Washington was rolling farmland and a nice stretch according other riders as well. When we got into Oregon we crossed a few bridges, which were fun, and it also allowed me to get a few good pictures of Columbia River and of the area outside of Portland.
Stacey (along with a crowd of others) were waiting at the finish line. It felt good to have accomplished the ride and to have everything go according to plan. The ride overall was easier and harder than expected. It really wasn't that hard from a cardiovascular standpoint (sea level, flat, low intensity), but my body and muscles are more trained for shorter, sharper efforts. It did get uncomfortable and my legs were definitely tired after the two days.
I received a finisher's patch and a baseball cap, which fits my head perfectly. Add those to the t-shirt I bought, these pictures, and some good memories, and I'll remember this experience for a long time. I was asked if I would do this ride again. I'm not so sure at this point, but definitely wouldn't do it the same way as this year. If I were to do it again, I'd form a team of several people and do all 206 miles in one day, sharing the load. That would be epic!
I felt pretty good on the second day after being on the bike for a little bit and getting the muscles warmed back up. The weather was really good and the scenery was much better than the first day. The first half of the morning in southern Washington was rolling farmland and a nice stretch according other riders as well. When we got into Oregon we crossed a few bridges, which were fun, and it also allowed me to get a few good pictures of Columbia River and of the area outside of Portland.
Stacey (along with a crowd of others) were waiting at the finish line. It felt good to have accomplished the ride and to have everything go according to plan. The ride overall was easier and harder than expected. It really wasn't that hard from a cardiovascular standpoint (sea level, flat, low intensity), but my body and muscles are more trained for shorter, sharper efforts. It did get uncomfortable and my legs were definitely tired after the two days.
I received a finisher's patch and a baseball cap, which fits my head perfectly. Add those to the t-shirt I bought, these pictures, and some good memories, and I'll remember this experience for a long time. I was asked if I would do this ride again. I'm not so sure at this point, but definitely wouldn't do it the same way as this year. If I were to do it again, I'd form a team of several people and do all 206 miles in one day, sharing the load. That would be epic!
13 July 2019
Seattle to Portland (STP), Day 1
This year I decided to ride the 40th anniversary STP (Seattle to Portland). It was 206 miles in total, but I broke it up into two days. It took me about 11 hours of total riding to cover the entire distance. There were thousands of riders (8,000 is the limit). Stacey and I left the kids in Spokane with Pat and Melinda and drove over to Seattle Friday night. After dropping me off Stacey drove to Portland and spent the two days hanging out with Corey and Jen (friends from Spokane who now live in Portland).
The ride went really well. The starting line was UW's Husky Stadium and I rode to Centralia the first day. We had some good cloud cover and the route was well planned and organized. Earlier in the week and during this first day, I considered doing it all in one go. I'm glad I decided not to, as I didn't specifically train for this kind of event and I was ready to get off the bike after 100 miles. I could have done it in one day, but it was more enjoyable to spread it out over two days.
The first day was nice, but there weren't a lot of photo opportunities as we made our way out of the big city. I met a few people along the way and rode with them, even though most of the ride I did alone (albeit with thousands of others around). I spent the night (with a shower and food) at the Centralia Community Church of God before heading out the next morning for another day of fun on a bike.
The ride went really well. The starting line was UW's Husky Stadium and I rode to Centralia the first day. We had some good cloud cover and the route was well planned and organized. Earlier in the week and during this first day, I considered doing it all in one go. I'm glad I decided not to, as I didn't specifically train for this kind of event and I was ready to get off the bike after 100 miles. I could have done it in one day, but it was more enjoyable to spread it out over two days.
The first day was nice, but there weren't a lot of photo opportunities as we made our way out of the big city. I met a few people along the way and rode with them, even though most of the ride I did alone (albeit with thousands of others around). I spent the night (with a shower and food) at the Centralia Community Church of God before heading out the next morning for another day of fun on a bike.
12 July 2019
Crawdad Fishing with Pat and Melinda
The kids stayed with Pat and Melinda for a few days while Stacey and I went over to Seattle and Portland for the STP Ride. They had a great time and spent large chunks of BOTH days down at the Spokane River, hunting for crawdads! They both caught at least one...
10 July 2019
08 July 2019
05 July 2019
04 July 2019
Spokane Cycling Pictures
I did a lot of riding when I was on "vacation". Spokane and the surrounding area is actually a really good place to ride a bike. I included all of my cycling related pictures around Spokane in one post instead of spreading them out across several different entries.
The first big ride I did was up Mt. Spokane on the morning of the 4th of July. I rode this last year by myself on July 3, not knowing that the very next day there is annual ride. This year well over 70 people joined the annual ride. I went with the earlier crowd, which was smaller, and ended up riding with Team ODZ the entire morning. Special thanks to them for letting me join them, even though I more then held my own on the climb. I went up Mt. Spokane 13% faster than last year, but they left me at the end on the flat roads as we were heading back to the parking lot.
I was able to meet up and ride with Scott, pastor and Gonzaga professor. We had discussed doing the STP ride together, but he was doing it in one day and I wanted to cram it into two days. We still got together and rode around for a bit. Everyone I rode with was welcoming and open compared to back home (in my opinion). The other photos are random shots of riding the Centennial Trail or the Valley climbing up to Arbor Crest Vineyards.
The first big ride I did was up Mt. Spokane on the morning of the 4th of July. I rode this last year by myself on July 3, not knowing that the very next day there is annual ride. This year well over 70 people joined the annual ride. I went with the earlier crowd, which was smaller, and ended up riding with Team ODZ the entire morning. Special thanks to them for letting me join them, even though I more then held my own on the climb. I went up Mt. Spokane 13% faster than last year, but they left me at the end on the flat roads as we were heading back to the parking lot.
I was able to meet up and ride with Scott, pastor and Gonzaga professor. We had discussed doing the STP ride together, but he was doing it in one day and I wanted to cram it into two days. We still got together and rode around for a bit. Everyone I rode with was welcoming and open compared to back home (in my opinion). The other photos are random shots of riding the Centennial Trail or the Valley climbing up to Arbor Crest Vineyards.
01 July 2019
Spokane 2019
This summer we once again made it up to Spokane for a few weeks. The kids did really well in the car, even though two full days gets a little old. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the earlier parts of the trip, including in the car, all four siblings together (and in age order), and Liberty Lake where we played on the beach and paddled around in the inflatable kayak the kids got me for Father's Day. The remaining pictures of the Spokane River, Lake Coeur D'Alene, and Baltimore Road were taken while I was on a bike ride.
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