Biking the Mosier Twin Tunnels

Well it was my boyfriend's birthday and we thought we would take the day off from work.  It was going to be another beautiful day in Portland.  So we had decided to take our bikes and head east.

It had been a couple years but we have always liked the Mosier Twin Tunnel trail, east of Hood River, Oregon. You can hike, bike, rollerblade, ride skateboards or even ride horses.  It is a beautiful trail along the Columbia Gorge.  The wild flowers are in full bloom and vibrant in beautiful colors.  The last time we had taken our bikes on this trail, we were both still riding our Cannondale mountain bikes but they had road tires on them.  It doesn't matter which you decide to do, because some of the views will take your breathe away.

Depending on how enthusiastic you are, you can either do the easy route (1.8 miles round trip) or the moderate route (9.4 miles round trip).  Since it is still so early in the season for us, we decided to take the easy route and am I glad we did. 

I have to start by saying we ended up getting to the trail later than we had planned.  We originally had wanted to start the trail in the morning, but didn't actually get started until after 2:30 p.m.  We decided to grab lunch before the ride.  That may have not been the smartest move, but the weather was gorgeous in Hood River and I was excited to be there.

As we started the ride, it was a slow incline and I kept thinking this was going to be pretty easy.  The trail is paved and a very smooth  ride.  We traveled through the tunnels with ease and made our way to the Koberg Beach State Wayside.  The air was humid, so we were definitely drinking a lot of water.  We decided to start back.  The start of the ride back was not as easy as the original start.  The incline is higher and with the humidity, it made it even harder.  I wasn't going to let this defeat me.  I was determined to keep biking up this incline without stopping until I was able to reach the top.  Especially, since a young man had just passed me on his skateboard heading up the incline as well.  There were times when it felt like my pulse was beating so hard, that my head was going to explode.  Plus, since we ate lunch right before our ride, I felt like I was about to have a second glad at my food.  We had finally made it to the top and knew that any other incline after that was going to be 10 times better than what we had just gone through.  

It was a great ride on a beautiful day.  I learned a hard lesson on this bicycle ride and that is not to eat right before your ride.  I will treasure that memory for many bicycle rides to come.

Riding Terwilliger in Portland

It was another beautiful day in Portland, Oregon.  Of course, I wanted to take advantage of it by going on a bike ride.  Since I have been going on a few rides around town, I knew I was ready for something a little more challenging.  Ride up Terwilliger Boulevard.

I started the ride, like I always do, from NE Portland.  Usually the route I would take when I am going to do a bike ride up Terwilliger is along the river, across the Hawthorne bridge, up Hawthorne, make my change on to Broadway, then a short skip on SW 6th, to Terwilliger Blvd.

I had ridden this ride a lot last year, so I was a little skeptical as to how I was going to do on my first try.  And to my surprise, I did better than what I thought.  Broadway was definitely a challenge, but I knew if I set my pace and took it slow, I could make it all the way without stopping.  Since Broadway seemed a little challenging, I knew I was in for it with riding up Terwilliger.

The day was perfect.  The temperature was just right.  It wasn't too hot, but it wasn't cold.  I started on a slow pace up Terwilliger thinking I would take it like I did Broadway.  It was challenging in certain spots, but it was a lot better than I thought it would be.  Or Terwilliger was just being kind to me knowing this was my first attempt this year.  Once I had completed the ride it was the best feeling I could have imagined.  I did a lot better than I thought I would.

If you are looking for a good ride around town with some challenging parts, you should definitely think about taking Terwilliger for a spin.  I know the thought of riding it can be scary, but it is the best feeling in the world when you have completed the ride.  Give yourself a challenge, it will give bike riding a rewarding experience.

Learning to Bike Ride With Clip In Pedals

Last year I received a Cannondale Synapse road bike for my birthday.  I figured I needed to have all the right bicycle equipment on my new bike to help me look the part of an avid cyclist.

The bike came with most of the riding equipment that I would need, but I wanted to have clip in pedals.  I had been going to spin class for almost a year at my local gym and had been using them in class.  The pedals made me feel like I was using my legs more to pedal, which was giving me a great workout for my legs.

In class I used the Lateral Release clips that were easy to use and to clip in & out of.  With my new bike I chose to get the Shimano Ultegra, which are similar to the Look pedals.  I did not realize what a difference it would make.

Like I mentioned the Lateral Release were easy to use.  The Shimano Ultegra was a whole new learning experience.  Since they were new pedals, they were not quite as easy to clip in & out of.  Though it does have a handy allen wrench so that you can adjust them to your fitting.  The first day that I went on a ride, luckily I was with my boyfriend, I felt very awkward.  I had to keep reminding myself that my feet were clipped into the pedals instead of just on the pedals.  

We thought we would go on a ride through town, simple, easy and not too hard.  Think again!  We had come to a stop light and I was slowing down.  I thought that if I go slow enough that I would be able to keep my feet clipped in, then the light would turn green and off I would go.  The light stayed red, I came to a stop, by the time I realized it, it was too late to remember my feet.  I fell over like a domino.  There is nothing more embarrassing than to fall over in front of a few people on the street when you are trying to look good.  All I could do was laugh.  My boyfriend just looked at me like I was crazy.

That wasn't the only time I fell over.  We had just started and had only gone down to the end of our street and came to a stop, again forgot my feet were clipped in.  Luckily, this time I fell on grass.  My boyfriend just looked at me and said, "I feel like I am riding with an 8 year old."  I was laughing so hard I was in tears, because I did feel like an 8 year old.

I have had another incident with my pedals, but I am still learning.  I don't feel that it will ever become a second nature skill for me.  I will always have to remind myself that I have my feet clipped in.  Though I have only been riding with them for almost a year, maybe after years of rides, then I will be more comfortable with them.  As long as I am on my bike, pedaling...I look good!