June 11, 2005
The route was a good one for a "newcomer" ride because it allowed for a bail-out option if the newcomer decided it was too much. Also parts of it are a very popular cycling route for people in the area anyway, so it is familiar. In addition to that, it is a VERY scenic route.
About the scenery ... that area has had some fairly extensive flooding because of heavy rainfalls and melting snowpacks. The rivers were full to overflowing and the whole way around I could hear water dripping, running, or roaring. There was one place where the embankment on the side of the road had given way and came down bringing a tree or two with it. It was all over the road! There were other places where deep gorges had been cut through fields by the running water. Also, the rivers were brown. That sort of took me by surprise! Rivers ... in that area ... are supposed to be a light, turquoise blue.
But because of all the moisture, everything was as green as can be. It was lovely to see!
The terrain varied quite a bit. It was basically flat at the beginning, then we did a hilly leg into the mountains which was a challenge my quads are feeling today, and then it was rolling the rest of the way till near the end where it flattened out again.
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The weather was threatening. There were storms all over the place, circling, moving here and there. I thought for sure I'd be hit by at least one of them -- there were several times I watched one approach and thought, "Here we go!", but they always veered off and the worst I got was a little bit of rain, and a few smatterings of hail.
I have to say ... the people along this route were VERY friendly. The people in the little grocery stores were great, and I chatted with a number of other cyclists who were out on the route, but not on this event. There are so many other cyclists out there on most of the route, that I was waving and nodding every few minutes.
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