Portland or Bust!
Saturday
morning, July 14, 4:45 a.m., Louise Clem, Jim Humenik, & Jay
Sweetman (SnoJoker) left Husky Stadium in Seattle for their 204 mile
bicycle ride to Portland. They braved the crowds of bikers and
pedaled their way south. Stopping to rest only briefly
approximately every 30 miles, and stocking up on Gatorade and Clif
bars, they arrived in Portland at about 8:45 p.m. Toward the end of the
ride it started getting dark, but it least it cooled off a little. I
was the sag person, in a white Toyota, not a purple hearse! I
offered moral support, and cool drinks at every stop. The riders
were lucky enough to avoid flat tires or run-ins with cars.
Once in
Portland, there was an encounter with a stopped freight train,
first they went around it, then the bicycle route took them "over" the
train.(Since the train was stopped and the bikers were anxious to
finish the ride, many of them literally climbed over a flat railcar
with the bikes!). I was stopped by the same train, and drove
around the end of it with the red lights flashing. Then I went on a
short tour of downtown Portland trying to find a way around the train.
Alas, I did not see the "official" finish, but arrived a few minutes
later, only to see Louise, cracking open the champagne!
Lynne
