Awesome, Chris! What a wonderful ride. Rain rides are spectacular, especially when you have the right clothing!
With abandon, Patrick On Sunday, April 20, 2014 12:46:09 AM UTC-6, Christopher Chen wrote: > > Oh yeah pictures prove something something > https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumachrome/sets/72157644113342302/ > > > On Sat, Apr 19, 2014 at 11:44 PM, Chris Chen <[email protected]<javascript:> > > wrote: > >> Pre-Script: Oliver leads a good ride. A damn good ride. >> >> I had plans to ride the Three Capes 300k today, but logistics and group >> cohesion issues forced us to re-evaluate. A plausible substitute was >> chosen: an out and back to Ripplebrook on the Clackamas River in the Mount >> Hood National Forest. >> >> I met with Oliver in Sellwood for a quick pre-ride coffee and watched him >> load up a bagel with cream cheese. He's very through about that sort of >> thing. >> >> We rode for the first 10-15 miles on the Springwater Corridor, an >> abandoned SP branch line. Nice and smooth, gentle grades, we had expected a >> spring storm to blow through but it was still dry as we rolled into Boring, >> the terminus of the trail. We headed on gorgeous country roads (JANNY >> PRINCIPLE) which provided some of the first real climbing of the day. Very >> little traffic, and the smell of burn piles in the air. >> >> We dropped into Estacada, our jumping off point to join the Clackamas >> River. There was a big parade going on but we couldn't figure out what for. >> We had snack and water time at a Shell station when the rain finally >> started. Helmet and Saddle covers were applied and we headed on! >> >> Oregon Highway 224 leaves down and follows the Clackamas River on into >> the Mount Hood National Forest. We quickly move along the wide shoulder, >> slowly getting soaked, before we take a Portland General Electric road, >> Faraday Road. I think this road is part of the larger West Side Hydro >> Project, a series of impounding dams and flumes for power generation. >> Whatever the purpose, it's a well maintained and gorgeous route. You can >> hear and see the fish ladder for much of the length, and it passes by a few >> different kinds of dams (gravity, arch, etc.) >> >> We re-join OR 224 and we enter the Mount Hood National Forest. At this >> point, the river resumes a more wild appearance, with rapids and sandbars. >> We notice quite a few river rafting tours happening. We are as soaked as >> they are, but it doesn't matter. >> >> The climb up to Ripplebrook is relatively humane, and the scenery is >> absolutely gorgeous. On many rides, there are sections where I'm just so >> damned happy to be alive and there at the moment that I need to shout, and >> this was definitely the case here. Because of the rain, wispy low clouds >> drifted along the walls of the canyon, and the same clouds accentuated the >> depth distance of faraway hills and bluffs. >> >> We arrive at Ripplebrook before you know it, and pause for pictures, >> snacks, and water, in that order. Because of the humane climb, the descent >> does require a fair amount of pedaling, but to take in the scenery a second >> time was really a fantastic gift. >> >> We had climbed out of the rain, and as we descended we ran right back >> into it. We experience a fair amount of rain/dry/rain/dry as we return to >> Estacada, and continue on, this time heading roughly along the Clackamas >> River towards Oregon City. We take the old Barlow Road, which was a pioneer >> route, as it winds and rolls along the Clackamas to the terminus, Oregon >> City, "The End of The Oregon Trail", or "Where The Oregon Trail Goes to >> Die". >> >> The ride becomes decidedly urban at this point, but we get to fly along >> the Trolley Trail, then down to the shore of the Willamette to take in the >> sights next to the Milwaukie sewage treatment plant, before taking a detour >> to the last control, Schmidt Burger. >> >> The point I'd like to make is this is a gorgeous route. When I was >> heading to Ripplebrook I felt like I was hundreds of miles away from home. >> >> Definitely Recommended. And go when it's raining so traffic's quieter. >> >> cc >> Tired >> >> -- >> "I want the kind of six pack you can't drink." -- Micah >> > > > > -- > "I want the kind of six pack you can't drink." -- Micah > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
