NOT? Not a success? No, no...just kidding. We’re talking here about the Northern Oregon Tour, referred to in shorthand as NOT. And just to be as clear as can be about it: yes, it was a successful tour, perhaps as good as any we’ve put together over the past 15 years.
It’s true there were some glitches and snafus. No tour would be complete without them. But overall, we’re confident the 32 participants would agree that it was a wonderful way to spend a week on the bike, exploring new and fascinating territory.
This tour followed a big counterclockwise loop beginning and ending in Springfield (just east of Eugene). It spent its first two days heading east and north through the heart of the Cascade Range, then two days meandering north through the high, dry desert of central Oregon on the east side of the big mountains. Thursday brought the marquee attraction of the tour: the run from east to west down the Historic Columbia River Highway in the gorge of the great river. Finally, the route took two long days to work south from the gorge back to Springfield through the western foothills of the Cascades, along the edge of the green and fertile Willamette River Valley.
As has been the case on so many of our tours, we got lucky with the weather. The previous week had been over 100° around much of our loop. But when we arrived, things had cooled off to a range between high 70’s and low 90’s...very comfortable for riding. The only bogey man was the wind: sometimes a bike-friendly tailwind, but all too often a wicked cross or headwind that had us digging deep at the ends of stages. We never complained about the tailwinds, but we cried like babies when the headwinds pounded on us. On balance, it was about a wash on that score. Win some, lose some.
Many folks had been nervous ahead of time about the length of the stages. We didn’t set out to make them overly long, but when we had strung together all the best, wandering back roads, the numbers added up, and we had an additional problem crop up on Stage 2 that only made the day longer. So yes, it was a long week for a recreational tour. If you did all the miles on offer for seven stages, you would have logged well over 600 miles. (Most of our tours run between 450 and 500 miles for a week.) But it was far from the hilliest tour we’ve done, with just over 40,000' of climbing. (A few others have had nearly 50,000' of gain.) Some people did ride all of those miles, but many made use of our shuttle vans to trim the stages down to size. This was a vacation, after all, not a stage race.
Tour participants converged—via car pool—on Springfield on Saturday, August 4 for a night in a motel and dinner in a riverfront brew pub before hitting the road on Sunday morning.
Stage 1: Springfield to Frissell Crossing; 78 miles, 4600'. After leaving the urban clutter of Springfield behind, we enjoyed several miles of quiet country lanes through broadleaf forest, including passing or crossing four historic covered bridges. We had to suffer through too many miles of too busy Hwy 58, but after that minor purgatory, we were repaid with over 30 miles along the legendary, nearly perfect Aufderheide Forest Drive, heading gently upstream along the headwaters of the Willamette River and culminating in a slinky, silky descent to the headwaters of the McKenzie River, all the way to our lovely camp on a little creek, deep in the mountain forest. The elevation profile looked intimidating, but the climb turned out to be not too bad, and most agreed it was an easy, pleasant day.
Stage 2: Frissell Crossing to Sisters; 110 miles, 8500'. This should have been our shortest day at 70 miles, but the unfortunate closure of magnificent McKenzie Pass forced us to detour over the much less bike-friendly Santiam Pass. The detour alone would have made the day 83 miles, but we did as much of the famous McKenzie Pass Road as we could, adding a 27-mile out-&-back to the basic route. It was a terrible shame to be cheated out of the great alpine pass, but we did get to do almost half of it (both climbing and descending it), and we also were treated to over 20 more miles—mostly downhill in the very best way—on another section of the Aufderheide. We were stymied and frustrated, but we made the best of it and focused on all the good miles we did get, even if we missed some of the very best miles.
Stage 3: Sisters to Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs; 77 miles, 3500'. Highlights on this day included crossing the deep, steep gorge of the Crooked River—300' straight down—an optional excursion to magnificent Smith Rock State Park, the vast, Lake Powell-like panorama of Lake Billy Chinook, and the wide open spaces of the huge Warm Springs Indian Reservation, where we spent the night sleeping in teepees next to their big hot springs and swimming pool...an oasis in the desert. This is also where we got our first taste of brutal headwinds, beating us silly over the last 20 miles of the stage.
Stage 4: Kah-Nee-Ta to The Dalles; 80-90 miles, 5800'. Crossing the Warm Springs Reservation in the early miles, we saw several herds of wild mustangs. Those beautiful, free ponies made it plain: we were deep into the classic American west. About half the group added a 10-mile round trip to see a grand waterfall on the White River. A long, hot climb to Tygh Ridge summit set us up for almost 30 miles of nearly constant descending to end the stage, heading down to the Columbia River at The Dalles. But those lazy downhill miles were marred by headwinds so fierce we had to pedal hard in our little rings at times, just to keep descending. Our camp on the soccer field at The Dalles High School became especially exciting when the sprinklers came on right around dinner time, prompting a pell mell removal of tents to dry spots off the lawn. We could have been upset about it, but mostly we couldn’t stop laughing at the farcical, slapstick comedy of it all.
Stage 5: The Dalles to Troutdale; 80 miles, 4500'. It doesn’t get much better than this: mile after mile along the legendary Historic Columbia River Highway, always with the majestic river on display on our right. Enormous, out-of-scale vistas from Rowena Crest and Crown Point; one dazzling waterfall after another...Horsetail, Multnomah, Bridal Veil, Latourel...and in between the meandering old road, with all its historic charm, some of it even closed to cars. A few miles along the shoulder of Interstate-84—where bits of the old highway were wiped out by the bulldozer of progress—served as a reality check for us: that we had not quite died and gone to bicycle heaven. At the end of the day, a wonderful evening at the magical Edgefield Resort, quaint almost beyond belief, with brew pubs, wineries, and bistros galore, and quirky, original art on nearly every available surface...a perfect end to a perfect day.
Stage 6: Troutdale to Silver Falls; 95 miles, 9100'. This was the day we had all been dreading, and it lived up to its advance billing: short but very steep climbs all day long, but also loads of short, technical descents...down-the-rabbit-hole plunges. Never a dull moment. A few miles were on busier highways, but most were on remote, tranquil back roads perfect for riding, if riding perfection can be defined as leg-breaking climbs, one after another after another... We ended up in Silver Falls State Park, famed for its ten beautiful waterfalls. But everyone was too tired that evening to make the hike to even the closest of the falls. Instead, many in the group got up early the next morning and visited at least some of the best falls before beginning the final stage.
Stage 7: Silver Falls to Springfield; 85-97 miles, 4500'. A much easier day than the one preceding it, even on the longer course. Not so many steep climbs. Loads of rollers and a few mellow ascents—and snappy downhills—but nothing brutal. A long but relatively lazy day, traveling through the foothills along the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley...shady woods, verdant pastures, fine old barns and farm houses, and more historic, wooden covered bridges: three on the short route and five on the longer option, all crossing pretty little rivers and creeks. After returning to the same motel where we had begun the tour, almost everyone went out to the same delightful riverfront brew pub for one final feeding frenzy, sluiced down with endless pitchers of Hammerhead Ale.
In spite of having our transit of McKenzie Pass blocked; in spite of battering headwinds now and then; in spite of long miles and steep climbs and rogue sprinklers, it was a grand adventure, with a great variety of scenery and topography on display. It was also a congenial week of socializing, both on the bikes and in the camps and resorts, renewing old friendships and making new ones, eating good food and drinking good wine and beer, and just generally having a ball. It pretty well sums up what good cycle-touring should be.
Saturday, September 15 • 12:00 to 4:00 Ragle Ranch Park, Sebastopol
The end of summer means many things—from the turning of the leaves to the return of students to school to the loss of late-afternoon riding hours—but it always means one special thing to members of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club: somewhere on the far side of the Labor Day weekend, the annual club picnic will appear. This is an occasion when many of our members gather together to ride and then to eat and hang out together after the riding is done. It’s one of the few events on our annual calendar that is members-only, although non-member spouses and partners and families are welcome.
The picnic format follows a fairly traditional formula: rides leave Ragle Park early in the morning, each route designed to bring its respective riders back to the park around noon, just in time for an attack on the buffet of delicious food that awaits. (See the Ride List for details about the routes.) The club supplies the main courses for the picnic—the featured barbecue goodies, plus a wide array of drinks for the thirsty hordes—and the balance of the buffet comes from the kitchens of our members.
This year though, the traditional format is being tweaked just a little. Richard Stone, the picnic coordinator, has come up with a plan to introduce a theme to the affair: an Italian theme. He has retained the services of Giampaolo Pesce and Rita Faglia—Italian chefs extrodinaire—to oversee the creation of the entrées, and Richard is further encouraging all members to think Italian when preparing their potluck contributions. This is not an ironclad rule. Feel free to make and bring whatever your favorite culinary masterpiece may be. But if your skills can encompass something with, say, a Calabrian flavor, then please run with it and create something that will transport us to the world of Cucina Italiana.
As always, we need to throw in a firm reminder about reserving your spot at the picnic. We wouldn’t have to do this, except so many people do not bother with this simple courtesy. So...one more time: please call or e-mail Richard and RSVP. If you do not bother to RSVP, DO NOT come to the picnic! Simple as that. When reserving, also remember to coordinate your potluck items with Richard.
Finally, we will need a handful of club members to assist with set-up before and clean-up after the picnic. If you can help in this, please let Richard know.
RSVP to Richard Stone 292-3006; stonebiker@comcast.net
The Santa Rosa Cycling Club’s participation in the Grizzly Century has become a club tradition. Every year on the first weekend in October—this year, Oct. 5-7—many members head south to Bass Lake to camp together and ride together on the century that may be the most beautiful and bike-friendly century in the state. It began around ten years ago when club member Wendy Page tried the ride and loved it so much she started recruiting fellow club members to go back with her in subsequent years. Her enthusiasm was so contagious, and the ride and support proved to be so wonderful that it soon became a club institution, helped along each year with a modest financial contribution from the club budget (to pay for some of the camping and some of the Sunday breakfast).
Wendy is no longer with us, but her involvement in the weekend continues, as we now call it the Wendy Page Memorial Grizzly Century weekend.
What makes the Griz so special? First of all, it’s a great course. Lovely scenery just outside Yosemite, with all that same big granite and deep canyon scenery that make the National Park so famous. Traffic is next to non-existent on most of the loop. You’ll see more sag wagons than any other traffic, all day long. There are big but not brutal climbs, and there are wild descents, some as long as a dozen miles or more, almost always on excellent pavement. (The century has over 10,000' of climbing and an equal amount of descending.) There are shorter options than the full century, and a longer, 200-K option as well (new this year).
Aside from the great course, there is the great support. Rest stop chow is top notch, including sushi at one early stop and killer home-made sticky buns at another. You also get—for your $40 fee—a very good free breakfast before the ride and a free dinner after. But wait, there’s more: the organizers pay for our campground on Friday night, and the SRCC chips in to cover the camp fees on Saturday night and the cost of fixins for a hearty camp breakfast on Sunday morning as well. Essentially, you pay your entry fee and pay for some gas to get there, and that’s your whole expense for the weekend. Their tee-shirt art is usually excellent as well. Such a deal!
While a few club members opt for nearby motels, most camp together in a reserved campsite on beautiful Bass Lake. There are often cyclists from other bike clubs in the same camp, so the whole place turns into a giant bike party all weekend long. Each year the cast of characters is a little different, changing the group dynamic, but generally, it all adds up to a mellow but congenial weekend.
There has been some talk this year among some members of going down early and logging a few extra miles on the days before the century. We’ve done rides on the Sunday after the century, but this idea of going down early is a new one. Doug Simon seems to be the driving force on this gambit, so track him down for more details if you’re interested.
Our group camp is coordinated by Kimberly Hoffman (579-3754, kdhoffman10@yahoo.com), and we want you to RSVP with her, once you’ve signed up for the event, so we know how many will be in our camp and involved in our camp meals. You can sign up for the Griz on-line or via snail mail with a paper trail. Go to http://www.grizzlycentury.org/grizhome.htm and find out all you need to know about the event. Then talk to Kimberly about our club’s special relationship with this excellent fall century.
This probably should have appeared in last month’s newsletter, but I ran out of space, so here it is, better late than never: it’s a simple salute to the club members who did the Markleeville Death Ride in mid-July. If you are a subscriber to the club’s chat list, you will have had an opportunity to read several accounts of the event by those who were there, and even to have browsed a web page full of great photos put up by Kurt West. (Another good reason to be on the chat list, and if you don’t know how to get on the list, send a query to Craig Gaevert.) Given all the ink that was expended on the blow-by-blow accounts of the ride in that forum, I am not going to try and rehash all the details here. Suffice it to say that the weather was about as good as it could be this year—never a sure thing in the “California Alps”—and that all of the club members who reported in had a fine time. And who might those SRCCers be? Here’s the list I gleaned from the chat list thread: Susan Noble, Bob Puckett, Maury Cohen, Kurt West, Greg Durbin, Lou Salz, Margie and John Biddick, Georg Ockenfuss, Paul and Janet McKenzie. It’s likely there are others, but whoever they are, they didn’t add their two cents’ worth to the e-mail conversation, so they remain anonymous. Congratulations to all the hard-working riders who knocked off this California classic.
Closer to home, the first club ride of this reporting period was Jay Sexton’s More West County Hills. For reasons I cannot now recall, Jay was unable to lead the ride. But as he lives right next to the ride start at Analy HS, he was able to go to the start to had out maps and see everyone off. He reports: “I was really surprised and almost rendered speechless at the crowd milling about in the parking lot when I walked up at ten minutes to nine. I figured that me being an unknown, in addition to my disclaimer (about not doing the ride), would have whittled the numbers down. I think there were at least 25 riders and I was pleased to see around ten women. I only brought ten ride slips, and they were gone quickly. I was gratified to see some familiar faces and I met some riders for the first time. There were a couple of Marin County riders. I was enjoying socializing so much that it was with a start that I realized that I should get everybody going, so at ten after nine I did just that. Boy did I feel melancholy and blue watching everybody ride away. It was a beautiful morning, and turned into a beautiful day.” Let’s assume that all of those folks had a good ride after Jay sent them on their way. We didn’t hear anything to the contrary.
The next day—Sunday, July 22—was set aside for Doug McKenzie’s semi-annual Pine Flat Time Trial Challenge. He sent in a note along with a link to the results. (All past PFTT records are on view when you pull up that page. If you want the details, track down Doug and get the link from him.) “We had about 22 starters from Piner High. A good day for a challenge. Clear, warm, light wind. We headed up Chalk Hill opposite direction of the Vineman. It was fun to watch the tri’s suffer. Some more than others... and they still had the run to do! We got to the base of Pine Flat and another six or so riders were waiting. Some were there to watch, most to race. Deanna signed up 23. It took awhile to get things going and it was heating up. It got to the mid to high 80’s on the climb. Some decided it was a bit to hot for the climb at TT pace and dropped out. Most times are a bit slower than the spring because of the heat and that proved true this time. However we did have a new winner, Ted Simkins, a tri-dude who wasn’t doing the Vineman. (Why? “Too long.”) He’s a pro or semi-pro who does the sprints and Olympic distance tri’s. Jonathan held strong for second, I got third. Some of the top guys were absent this time. Not that I was any faster! Although I did stay within 3 seconds of my spring time. The heat usually gets to me pretty good, so I was satisfied. It was a good ride back, only one got lost... a new rider to the area. I backtracked and picked him up, so all got home safe.”
Doug is referring to the Vineman Triathlon, which was going on along the same roads at the same time. Several club members were involved, either doing the event or working in support.
The last weekend in July began with Janice Oakley’s Franz Valley-Ida Clayton-Knights Valley ride. This fell on the day of the all-important final time trial of the Tour de France (where Levi did so well). I watched the live feed of the race, and as soon as the last rider crossed the finish line, I dashed out the door to ride to the club ride, and got there just in time. I’m not sure how many were there for the ride, but it looked like a pretty good group. Two dozen at least and maybe a bit more. Weather was as good as it could be, in contrast to the last week of July last year, when we actually cancelled the club ride because of excessive heat. This year, it was warm but not sizzling. The big climbs on Franz Valley and Ida Clayton did their usual efficient job of stringing the riders out, but we all regrouped at the summit of Ida, where Charlie Rowell was waiting for us with a rest stop. (Charlie is recovering from a broken collarbone and chose this nice gesture as a way to stay involved with club rides while he mends.) We regrouped again at the bottom of the slinky descent, and that allowed us to put together a really nice paceline—at least 20 riders strong—for the sweet run north on 128 to Chalk Hill. Once on the big rollers and small ascents of Chalk Hill, the group disintegrated somewhat, but folks still rode to the finish in cozy little clusters. All in all, it was just about as nice as a ride could be.
There were two rides the next day. One was Wayne Kellam’s Franz Valley-Knights Valley loop, an almost carbon-copy of Janice’s ride of the day before. I try to avoid these redundancies in the list, but sometimes they just happen. But Wayne didn’t seem to mind. His version skipped Ida Clayton and appealed to a more moderate sector of the club. “The July 29th Franz Valley ride was an interesting one. We had perfect weather, but we had some problems. Rich Stone had ridden hard on Saturday and wasn’t feeling well. He turned back on Mark West around Riebli. A new, to me, rider had had a flat when he loaded up for the ride. He quickly changed the tube. He was flat again on Mark West just above Riebli. This time he found the piece of metal which caused both flats. When we started up Franz Valley, one of our riders lost his headway while trying to clip in and went down. Near the start of the climb up Franz Valley, Rich Grimm had a flat. I told him I would wait for him at the top. When he didn’t show, I rode down about two thirds of the way before I met Rich riding up. His replacement tube #1 had a leak which he didn’t notice until he started riding, so he got to use his second replacement tube. And I got to ride up Franz Valley again. By the time Rich and I arrived at Hwy 128, the other seven riders had gone. I had a good time on 128 tagging behind Rich the whole time. Chalk Hill was fine until we got to the large climb. Rich dropped his chain three times. The rest of the ride was perfect. As we passed Shiloh Park, Alfred Mascy waved us down. He was heading back along the route to see if we needed help.”
That same day, Steve Drucker listed the official century of the month. He sent in this report: “We had 23 starters from Howarth and picked up five more riders or so along the way. The main pack was composed of A, B, and C riders and fell into groups of like riders by Willowside. A few cyclists turned around for a shorter ride before Cloverdale. Janice, Mike, and Terry started early and joined us in Cloverdale. We welcomed several new people to the century rider club again this year. We had a hot, but not excessively hot, ride for July and the usual mild headwinds on the way back. We enjoyed the much improved road on the north end of the Geysers Road near our midway point.”
And that wrapped up the month of July. Kicking off August—while some of us were off touring in Oregon—Randall Ray listed another edition of his Hill and a Bump ride out of Healdsburg. The hill is the same Pine Flat climb done on the time trial in July, and the bump refers to the climb on Canyon from Alexander Valley to Dry Creek Valley. Randall checks in: “We had at least 23 riders for our assault on Pine Flat. Eric and Terry on the tandem gave us a tow out to the base of the climb, where Eric had to stir the pot by calling for a breakaway. I launched a mock attack, but there were eight or so who jumped, hammered past me, and didn’t stop until they ran out of road. The rest of us who made it to the top did it in grunt-n-grind fashion. But at the top it’s all the same: sweet glory! It was hot up there! Two folks reported triple digits on their cyclometers. Almost half the pack made the summit, but we were all treated to those beautiful valley views and that E-ticket ride back down the hill. With such varied abilities on this ride, it was bound to blow up. And it did. By the time the first of the slower riders were rolling into Jimtown, the fast kids were itching to get going. I waited for the rest of the riders, saw a few off, then my little group ran sweep. It was fun traveling opposite the Vineman and Barb’s Race on 128, cheering them on in passing. It was great to see such a mix of riders we had. Thanks to all who came out!”
Randall has been busy on another ride front as well. He has been organizing time trials on Friday evenings, up in Dry Creek Valley. He has been promoting them and sending out info about them—including each week’s results—via the club’s chat list. If you’re not a list subscriber, this may have flown right under your radar. The club has an old tradition of time trials in the Dry Creek Valley, dating back to the mid-80’s, and now it has been revived. If you’re interested in testing yourself in an informal contre le montre, you might want to give Randall a call to find out the specifics. Or join the chat list. However, note that their summer season of twilight time trials is winding down just as this September newsletter hits the street. They will probably do a few more in the Fall, but not a full schedule.
Rose Mello had the only ride listed on the following day: a classic run down to Tomales from Cotati. She tells me she had about 25 riders, a fair bit of headwind, and two flats. But aside from those little bumps in the road, a good ride for all.
That brings us round to the Second Saturday ride for August, which was one of the many club rides exploring the vineyards north of Healdsburg in August. Ken Russeff, Jim Draeger, and Bob Redmond were the A, B, and C ride leaders respectively. Jim weighs in with his impressions: “We had a picture-perfect day for the SS ride. There was the usual large turn-out. I did not take a head count, but I would say there where over fifty riders, all three groups combined. We had about six non-club members join us for the ride. (Yes, I had them sign the waiver, and sent it off to Adrienne.) Outside of Dutcher Creek Road, the ride was fairly flat. Many of us had never been to Grapes and Grounds, our rest stop in Cloverdale. It seemed to be liked by all. We had the workers hopping, and at one point ran them out of coffee. Nothing out of the ordinary to report. From my vantage point, everybody had a great time.” Ken Russeff promised a report on the A ride, but it never arrived. And I never heard from Bob Redmond about the C ride. All I can add in that department is that Jim’s observation about the route being fairly flat does not apply to the C-route add-on: Mill Creek. Even if you don’t go all the way to the top, it’s not at all flat, and if you do go all the way to the top, it’s hill-acious.
On Sunday, Greg and Jan Conklin reprised their tried-and-true Valley of the Moon Ramble, which wraps up with a wonderful barbeque at their home on the hill overlooking Oakmont. The ride name pretty well describes where the route goes. Jan reports that they had at least 30 riders and that at least 20 of those riders hung around for the munchies afterward. She says there were several new folks on the ride, and they were so impressed with the way the club does these things that they are probably going to join up.
Saturday, August 18, featured my contribution to the century of the month series: my Country Schoolhouse Century. I had been thinking about that ride for years...about the idea of riding past as many as we could find of the little one- and two-room country schoolhouses that are scattered over the hills of southwestern Sonoma County and northwestern Marin County. This route passed 19 of them, at least seven of which are still in use as schools. Most of the rest have been converted to homes, and at least three are museums. I had hoped to find out some basic historic information about each school, but an e-mail to Gaye Lebaron produced nothing. She didn’t reply. And another to Schools Superintend Carl Wong produced a cheery, encouraging reply, but no useful information. So in the end, I just listed them all on the map and hoped folks would spot them as they rode past.
We had something like 15 riders at the start, with a couple more on the course elsewhere, working to their own agendas. Much has been said—again, on the chat list—about the brutal headwinds that assailed us at times during the day. The wind was from the WNW and so the hard stretches were heading in that direction along roads like Chileno Valley, Fallon-Two Rock, and Tomales-Petaluma. They really were brutal. But on the other hand, we enjoyed several very sweet tailwind runs: another section of Tom-Pet, going the other way, and all of the Bodega-Roblar reach, plus most of the Marshall Wall, etc. It evened out, as it usually does on a loop route. The group started out all bunched together, but the assorted rollers and the changes in winds as we bent this way and that soon split things up into a C-group and a B-group, and then further into a long, raggedy line of stragglers. A few people missed turns here and there—not surprising on such a complicated route—but I was pleased at how many people did manage to stay on course and not only finish the ride in its entirety, but also to remember to spot the passing schoolhouses as they came and went.
While it might seem that less than 20 riders spread out and split up over many miles of roads would end up being quite lonesome, we did not lack for company out there. We found ourselves on the route of the Holstein Hundred, a well-attended century ride, which I believe starts and ends in Tomales. We shared the same roads for almost 65 miles of the day, although almost always we were going in the opposite direction from them. We saw some club members in the long procession of HH riders, and we waved whenever we saw a familiar face. I expect they were having as much trouble with the winds as we were, but also enjoying the tailwinds where they found them. One way or another, it was a good day to be out on a bike.
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