45 miles / 5749 total
The last day! I didn't string it out, I just got on with it, with a bit of a lump in my throat. The rest of the valley road was also just as gorgeous. When I got back onto highway 30, I knew that I'd made the right choice to take the valley. It was back to a boring highway and traffic (although there was a large shoulder so it was ok.)
It was an awesome ride into Portland though. There was a steep climb off the 30 to get to the St John's Bridge where I had to mix it with the traffic, but once on the bridge, Portlands infamous cycle friendly road planning kicked in. There were 2 lanes across the bridge, one of which converts to a full cycle lane if there are any bikes, nice! Going through the suburbs was also great with cycle routes marked through the quiet suburbs and cyclists encouraged to take most of the road rather than cower in the gutter.
Arrived at the Bike Friendly Hostel, which was great. The owner has set up the hostel to cater for cyclist, although a lot of people staying didn't seem to cycle! There was a fully kitted out workshop in the basement and the owner lend out gold standard Kryptonite locks. This was great as I only had a small cable lock, which is fine for out in the sticks but not in the city so this was very much appreciated!
It was an awesome ride into Portland though. There was a steep climb off the 30 to get to the St John's Bridge where I had to mix it with the traffic, but once on the bridge, Portlands infamous cycle friendly road planning kicked in. There were 2 lanes across the bridge, one of which converts to a full cycle lane if there are any bikes, nice! Going through the suburbs was also great with cycle routes marked through the quiet suburbs and cyclists encouraged to take most of the road rather than cower in the gutter.
Arrived at the Bike Friendly Hostel, which was great. The owner has set up the hostel to cater for cyclist, although a lot of people staying didn't seem to cycle! There was a fully kitted out workshop in the basement and the owner lend out gold standard Kryptonite locks. This was great as I only had a small cable lock, which is fine for out in the sticks but not in the city so this was very much appreciated!