Thank god my mom used to read me the story about the little engine that could. I tapped into that wisdom this weekend when Alex and I went on our first "bike tour."
We parked at McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale, loaded our paniers on our bike racks, and made the "short" ride to Ainsworth campground 25 miles away. Did I mention we forgot to check out the elevation report for this ride? Again. So it wasn't the steepest hill in the world, I mean, no Mount Si, but still, Alex had not yet installed my granny gear, so any slope greater than 1% feels like Everest.
But I made it. The whole way. Without walking. Yay! And loved it. Bike touring is like a perfect combination between backpacking and roadtripping. You get the exercise and self-satisfaction from the ride, but you can have access to amenities like eating out, or staying at hotels. Sounds just about perfect to me. This was a preview for what we plan to do a few more times this summer. I think it suits us well. And we didn't even fight once.
Jo at the Vista House, after a 900 foot climb sans granny gear. And yeah, that's about 50 pounds worth of crap on the back on my bike. I had to bring a book, a magazine, and my knitting. You know, just in case I got bored.
Alex cooking our dinner at Ainsworth Campground, a few miles past Multnomah Falls.
Our campsite. Yeah, I'm knitting. Dork.
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