On a midweek fluke we decided to fly the tandem to Portland, OR and ride with our good pal Mark Hayes. We arrived in Portland at 10:45pm on Friday night and proceed directly to a great local brew pub minutes from Mark's house. After a beer and a salad it was time to build the "beast". We finally hit the sack at 1:45am hoping to catch a few hours sleep before our departure to Mt. Adams for riding on Sat.
After a 2 hour car trip we started just north of BZ Corners, WA. Mark chose a fabulous 50+ mile loop and 2500 feet of climbing. We could not have timed it better for weather; mid 70's to 80, clear, and light wind. We essentially rode the base of Mr. Adams admiring the 14,000 foot snow cap peak from a number of vistas. We bought a 3 lb. piece of fresh Chinook salmon from some local Indians for only $7! What a feast.
We hooked up on day two with another friend from our first trip, Ron, a 73 year old that would put most people in their 30's to shame with his strength. Ron lives on Sauvie Island just 20 minutes north of Portland. Another 50+ mile day, but of course more climbing, about 3,300 feet worth. The views were spectacular. We were all pretty spent but managed a 20 mph average around the island and back for a cool one.
