scozim 

Besides Steptoe Butte this was the 2nd best downhill of the day. Others would probably say the best one was the last sweep into town after the last hill.

scozim 

Coming from the other direction (up) this hill was NOT a welcome site for anyone including myself. And, I knew it was there.





Somehow Doc was still smiling











Calm, cool and collected - the animal known as Matt (Northbend)

scozim 

Final route details after some tweaking before the ride. The two dirt roads that were part of the original route had already started developing powder so those were bypassed as well as one road with thick gravel and the other with the longer gravel downhill.

Still finished at 55.5 miles or so (vs. 59.8) and 4100 feet of climbing vs 4500. Route map on Mapmyride is here.

scozim 

From a separate camera - they're smiling but we're less than an hour in.













Jeff is hard at work

scozim 

On Sunday, Matt, Doc and I headed to Plummer, Idaho to get some miles on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. The trail is approximately 75 miles long, end to end, and paved with smooth asphalt the entire way. We did 50 miles total with some great weather and light trail traffic which allowed us to have a fun pace line a couple of times.







9 minute parking limit isn't much when you're eating ice cream in the shade

Wildwood 

scozim 

Doc and I were on 28's. Not sure if anyone else was thinner than that. Doc and David had two flats and I had a blowout in the rear about 5 miles from the finish on a steep incline. Roger had some tandem mechanical issues but they were able to finish. Overall, considering how thick the gravel was in places it's good no one fell.

Lascauxcaveman 

I think you won the gearing award too, I didn't see very big cogs on your rear cluster. What was your bailout gear, out of curiosity?

scozim 

I was running a 13-26 in the rear and 52-38 up front.

gugie 

Did anybody mention it was hot?

Great organization by [MENTION=135635]scozim[/MENTION], pics, but more importantly, water, ice, and electrolytes by [MENTION=168558]Drillium Dude[/MENTION], and companionship by all of the riders. Mysery loves company!

When I got to the top of Steptoe Butte, I looked around and thought, America. Colfax was right out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

gugie 

I was either drafting off of Doc or watching him well ahead of me on the paved hills (except when he flatted), but once we hit the gravel, my 35's allowed me to keep my speed up, he had to slow down. I didn't slow down on washboard, in fact, I found that pushing a higher speed on fat tires gave me a smoother ride. Something there about resonance frequency, for sure.

scozim 

Based on commentary on Sunday's Tour de France stage this would make sense as the commentators stated that pushing a higher gear and speed over cobbles actually makes going over them easier.

Roger M 

Thanks to Scott for putting this together. Thomas and had a great ride(save for the timing chain issue and the cramps towards the last few miles). It was good to see familiar faces, and to finally meet [MENTION=170517]rccardr[/MENTION]. The heat was definitely tolling, but the people and scenery outweighed that. I'm proud of my son for sticking it out and riding with me. He was a real trooper and never once gave up or complained.

Some of these photos were taken by Thomas.

This was taken the night before the ride, up near where my family camped





Steptoe Butte



Lunch stop

scozim 

Check out all the "chiefs" while Dave is over there changing a tube.

Wildwood 

gugie 

I'm sure you all know what this time tested technique is called.

Wildwood 

Andy_K 

This was far and away the best photographed ride I've ever been part of, and the on course support was better than most "organized" rides I've done. Many, many thanks to @Drillium Dude for his efforts. I think with out him at least half of us wouldn't have made it, myself certainly among them. I'm also very grateful to [MENTION=114373]northbend[/MENTION] for his encouragement and assistance out on the road. On more than one occasion when I found myself dropping off the back of the group Matt rode back and towed me back to the group in his slipstream.

I can't add much in the way of beauty to the photos already shared, but I can provide a bit more variety.

We've got a distinct and lamentable lack of pictures of the bikes on this ride. I don't have much there either, but here are the Grander Sportier and the MotoBacon loaded up and ready to leave Beaverton:


I think this was from near the top of Steptoe Butte (as close to the top as I got):


This was the view from the lunch stop:


Did anyone mention that it was hot? My jersey collected a bit of salt over the course of the day.


[MENTION=381793]gugie[/MENTION] gets the award for best C&V tanlines.


The Siesta motel was onboard with the C&V theme.


By the time gugie and I got back to Cascade Locks for lunch on Sunday Thunder Island Brewing already had pictures from the ride on the walls in the restroom.

gugie 

I didn't take any pics, but I did get a bit of video of @Drillium Dude during the ride.

droppedandlost 

Actually pretty good. My group of four all made it with 0 flats or mechanicals. 12 hours is a long time in the saddle.

Wildwood 

Someone mentioned the word animal in regards to Matt's ability to leap away when it's tough.

Can't wait for his input - maybe it will start like this...
Rode with the guys today. Too warm for wool. Took my large water bottle. Only got 50some miles, nice gravel sections.

Drillium Dude 

Hey, maybe ^ this one ^ sums up the ride best

DD

thinktubes 

rccardr 

Not much to add in terms of detail, but took lots of pictures. A surprisingly large number if them, considering I had to keep my phone/camera in a plastic bag in my pocket due to the copious amounts of perspiration flowing out of my body. I calculated that I drank at least eight 23oz bottles of water and electrolytes during the 55 mile first day. So, yeah, it was hot. Like, mid-90's hot without any shade.

Couple of observations:
* This is a GORGEOUS part of the country. If you ever get a chance to ride up in eastern Washington state, do it. The scenery is just drop dead beautiful.
* Great group of mature (yes, even 10 year old Thomas rates that description), thoughtful, considerate, caring riders. We all looked out for each other, waited for each other, helped one another through several tough mechanicals & flats, and just generally treated each other like brothers. You can't buy that sort of relationship.

On to the pics:
Yeah, it looks like this pretty much everywhere. I have a zillion landscape shots for my wife to work on as samples for her watercolors.
She is very impressed.

See what I mean?

Sunset after the picnic dinner on Friday night

On the way to the ride on Saturday morning.

rccardr 

After the first few miles of open road, we hit some trees and shade. it would be short lived, as THE GRAVEL was up ahead.
The is the view from behind the pic above, a sharp turn at the bottom of a 40 mph downhill. The ever-cool Gugie on Sportier

Drillium Dude, SAG-Man Extraordinare

Gugie and Northbend at the end of the first gravel section. Did anyone mention that it was HOT?