Ride to the Big Eddy Campground

I was so nervous about this ride that I had trouble sleeping for a few nights before starting out. I don't know why I get so nervous and it totally overwhelms me. Everything was packed and organized so there really wasn't anything to be worried about. I called Mike the day before we left for directions to his house and to talk about what we were going to cook for the first night's dinner. He gave me ideas and suggested a stove and cookware set to buy. I don't have a lot of experience camp cooking so I really had to think about what kind of food I needed to pack. Smoked salmon and couscous took care to the first dinner and oatmeal for breakfast. I decided tea would be easier than coffee. Camp cooking just doesn't sound very appealling to me. Maybe after a long day of biking anything will taste good. I made another trip to REI. The next morning I headed out to Mike's arriving around 9:30. Dave and Edna drove up shortly thereafter and we all set about getting our bikes set up. Mike is very organized - he even had maps copied for each of us. After a trip meeting and pictures we were off. Mike lives at the top of a mountain and for the first four miles we screamed downhill. At the bottom I realized I had lost my flag. This flag was expensive and I had put in considerable time adding reflective tape - bummer. Edna suggested Mike call his wife to see if she could drive down the hill to look for it and, viola, within 10 minutes I had my flag back - good move. We found trash along the roadside to help tie it down. Dave found some crepe paper wedding bells that had multicolored ribbons which worked really well. As the day progressed we added a number of streamers to it. This flag wasn't going anywhere.

Our first 20 miles flew by. I was so surprised how fast I was riding. Here I was fully loaded with an extra 50 pounds and I was riding 2 mph faster than normal. I've heard people say they always ride faster in a group. I think I could be pushing myself a bit more on my solo rides!! We made our way to Banks in search of the Banks-Vernonia trail. Somehow, Mike and I missed the very beginning of it and turned off to wait for Dave and Edna when we did. I found some low hanging blackberries and set about picking a bagfull - easy pickins. Here was desert for tonight!! The trail continues on paved for a few miles and then turns to gravel. We knew this and were hoping for hard packed gravel. I'd call it medium packed. I was on a trike so stability wasn't an issue but this trail really was suited more for mountain bike riding. I don't know if I could have done it on a bicycle - I certainly would have been very stressed out. It was alright for the first 3-4 miles and then it started getting old. Off road riding is hard on your equipment and your body. Then the gravel started getting thicker. I wasn't happy about it but the trike handled it just fine. Dave and Edna both almost wiped out and had to walk some of the deeper sections. Mike was so far ahead I don't know how he did. The scenery was gorgeous. We were riding under a canopy of overgrown trees and heavy, thick, lush underbrush most of the time. It smelled good too. Edna and I rode together gabbing away and noticed that the trail was also slightly uphill most of the time. Our speed was somewhere in the 4-6 mph range through the gravel patches. Then we came to the washed out train tressle with a very steep downhill and then walked up an even steeper uphill. Walking with a trike is difficult. My lower back was crying out trying to push this beast up the hill. Luckily, the guys came down to help. I was starting to swear pretty regularly by this time. Everyone else really wanted to ride the whole trail to see what it was all about so we continued. How much longer could it be? There were a few paved sections but mostly it was gravel. We went through one section where the gravel turned to big rocks and we had to move some of them out of the way. There was another steep uphill we all had to walk and by now everyone was ready to be done with this trail. We also passed a section where a new state park is going in. This park should be ready for next years ride. Towards the end of the trail we met a group horse back riding. I wonder how they managed the steep uphills? It wasn't too much longer and we finally got to pavement. It was heaven. From here on out anytime we came across rough road the response was always - " Atleast it is paved!". We stopped at a market in downtown Vernonia and then rode the last miles of the day to the Big Eddy campground. Even after riding all that gravel my average speed was still faster than normal - amazing!! I put out some cheese, salami, and crackers while we had showers and set up camp. Then everyone set about cooking dinner. We really had a lot of food and it turned out to be a nice meal. Mike is so organized with his food. Every meal is labeled what day it is for. I took notes of his techniques. I also tried out my new Snow Peak stove which is the same one Mike has. It is so small if I didn't know it was a stove I doubt I would know what it was for. It worked great although I don't know if I would make couscous again. I especially liked the Jenny Craig pasta dish Edna heated up. Another good idea for the future. We built a blazing fire and enjoyed the evening.