never underestimate the importance of a huge breakfast!

it was great to take a little extra time to prep, visit, relax, etc. in seattle and portland before i left on the journey. very grateful for ka for the hospitality and support offered throughout the week! a week wasn't enough time to pay complete attention to all i wish i could have.

i was worried that i was going to have a hard time sleeping. all week i was excited about what was going on. old friends, bike trip, portland, bike trip. writing this several days after leaving, that hasn't been the case at all. it has been hard to stay awake now.

i planned a pretty casual first day. it ended up being 41 miles i think to ainsworth state park. i wasn't in a huge rush to get going and got stuff hooked on the bike over coffee and a huge breakfast. eggs, potatoes, peppers, bacon, toast, juice.

man, let all that settle; 
we are off. leaving my neighborhood in portland, down 33rd to marine drive. past rodgers marine where i used to work. jets taking off. tugs. boats. trucks. cars. trains across the river; bikes. boots. shoes. feet. we are all just trying to get somewhere. got to do something. my friend rode with me out of town up to vista house. he was excited to be out riding a new road bike.

the bike isn't nibble. could have gone with the smaller rando bag. 3 days food is a good rule of thumb. plenty of water. look at weather. 
the ride out of portland, up to 84, is a calm multi-use trail along the columbia river. you then start to follow 30 and climb into corbett and up to vista house with a spectacular view of the river and the entrance to the gorge.

leaving vista house was a steep downhill that i took full advantage of. when i can, it helps to use the momentum! gentle rollers past a couple waterfalls. multnomah falls. traffic jam, even for the bike. 40 miles to ainsworth state park.

yes it was different fully loaded. my left knee hurt again. i found the hike/bike site. past a little casita. a couple that were about to hike the pch through oregon were set up. it was nice to swap preparation stories.

i played a bit with my camera and tuned up the bike. looked at the map and planned the next day. distance and elevation to the dalles didn't look like too much of a push. organize and pack bags for the morning. left a light breakfast on top and planned to stop in cascade locks before getting on the freeway.