Cell Phone Reception

The plan was to post using our cell phones, but lack of coverage along the coast = no entries.

So here's a summary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIQpRjqBRBo

Race Day

Ideal weather, but the course was one of the toughest I've ever seen. Ashish swam/biked/ran well considering the difficulty of the bike and run legs.

Results coming soon.

Stage 2 - Sandy to Timberline Lodge

It was wet and cold, but that didn't stop us from biking up Mt. Hood. Well, not exactly to the top, but as far as our bikes could take us.

Eric and I started from a small town off US-26 called Sandy. At this point it was raining and about 65 degrees, but it probably could have been snowing and we still would have headed out. The beginning was rolling hills, which eventually turned into a long never ending hill toward Goverment Camp. After a short stop, it was off to Timberline Lodge... 6 miles of out of the saddle pain.

Elevation - Sandy - 832ft
Elevation - Timberline Lodge - 7887ft

Why? Because it's there.

Tour de Portland

The bikes are unpacked ready to go for the west coast trek, so we decided to run some errands and take a bike ride through Portland.

Stopped by the bike store and found a chain ring I desperately needed and bought actual bike rack attachments as opposed to the macguyver setup I currently have. One less thing to worry about along the trip.

We are concerned about our tent and almost bought a new one today. The tent is very narrow and as un-waterproof as you can get. We're going to see if we can find a ground tarp since getting quality sleep is going to be an important part of the trip.

My stubbornness led me to buy a mini spatula becaused I am determined to make pancakes for breakfast. But we still have to buy a pan and pack a small bottle of oil. Maybe I'm being too ambitious, but I've always had a need find things out for myself.

Almost two hours on the bike while touring Portland, and we're hoping to get some swimming in before the end of the day. Everyone in Portland is just the way I expected... friendly and interesting. People actually say hi/give a nod when you walk/bike/run by them.

Besides my sixteen hour trip from Baltimore to Portland, only good things to report so far.

Five Days To Go

I did a practice ride on Sunday with the gear I plan on taking. After a bunch of trips between my apartment, the hardware store, and Hains Point, I finally headed north around 3pm to Montgomery Village from DC. Just before getting to my parent's house, I stopped by Ashish's parents house for some gatorade and a little evidence of my trip.

The test ride went well, the extra weight was noticed mainly on the downhills. the uphills weren't too bad, but most of the hills I encoutered were short and not too steep.

I think I'm ready and excited for the trip.