Ed Groth
Saturday July 14th is the Oregon Randonneurs Summer 300km.
It's not a race but a change to ride some nice roads at a relaxed pace.
And it would be great warm up for the wildcat mountain uphill
challenge (well, not really). Finish in 20 hours or less and get a
collectible pin souvenir.
The ride gathers under the Gothic bridge supports of Cathedral Park in
St. Johns, and then heads over the St. Johns bridge. We head north on
Highway 30 for a few miles, and then climb Newberry up to Skyline where
scenery will be seen and rollers will be ridden. After the info control
at Rocky Point Road, check your brakes and then descend to Highway 30 a
few miles outside of Scapoose. This is a good place to grab snacks and
fill your water bottles, since the next food stop is Birkenfeld store.
We follow the scapoose vernonia highway until its intersection with 47.
For those who are into that kind of thing there is an parallel gravel
road with a fun caveat. Email edward.groth at gmail.com for more
information on caveat traversal.
Then we follow 47 and 202 alongside a river and among ranches tree farms
and old logging villages. There is a control stop the the Birk store
with their friendly staff, delicious sandwiches, motorcycle and logging
memorabilia, and impressive liquor selection.
202 leads us to the turnaround of Olney, which now a days is a general
store about 10 miles shy of Astoria. If you have a couple extra hours on
the clock, and you wish to earn the "Goonies Prize", go ahead and leave
the route here to check out Astoria, and rejoin the route on the way back.
On the return route we pass through the small town of Vernonia then
coast down a rail trail to Banks. Water and restrooms at the Banks
trailhead or you can continue on to the Thriftway grocery store a mile
down the road.
Then we take Mountaindale road and Old Cornelius pass. After a few miles
on Skyline and a descent of Germantown road (be wary of a few sharp
turns), cross the bridge and meet back in Cathedral park.
http://www.orrandonneurs.org/rba/2012/Olney-Gothic_Logger/Olney-Gothic_Logger_info.html
$15 registration.
No support, no follow car. Bring tools, warm clothing and lights.
Questions? Email me.
Ed