Philomath Parade Ride

Our 1st group ride...
Sat July 14, 2012
Late morning start. No problemo as this is not a race. We stopped in Philomath to watch the parade. For me, 15 minutes is tolerable, but 2 hours is a death sentence by suicide.  Anyway, we eventually motored on.
The ride was through country roads of Oregon. Nothing complicated or difficult. It was a lovely outing for "Sunday Cyclists" but certainly not my cup of tea.

Morning Sunshine !

A better look at our setup...

40 Foot Billy and Thomster out on the highway...

Billy off the highway

Back at camp

Cycle Oregon Weekend 2012

Day 2, Drive from Kelso to Corvallis OR.
Friday July 13, 2012 :
The Dodge Caravan performed great on route to Corvallis OR. from North Vancouver BC. Weather and road conditions were also great. I did all the driving, as Kerry is a born navigator (hmmmm), also, his time was freed up to aid Thomster Monster when aid was needed. Thomster, by the way is the 3 yr old (officially in a few days) boy created by Kerry and his wife Karen. (his real name is Thomas). Thomster Monster did quite well during the longish drive. We stopped a couple times to let him run around and raise hell. And Hell was indeed raised.
We arrived in Covallis OR around 4 pm and got set up at the University site. There were two large open fields with room for around 2000 participants (don't quote me on that #). We threw our tents down near the slew of porta-potties. Within waking distance was a field set up with a band stand to listen to live music and tents for massage, bike products and also a beer tent. We sat for music that night. Thomas enjoyed the company of others more than the band. Kerry played policeman while I vegged peacefully. The weather was perfect for live music, too bad that the band sucked. Content was good, but execution was not.
Organizers and others alike got up to speak about the history of the Cycle Oregon infused with arguably humorous stories. zzzzzz...
All meals are included in the package, unfortunately, beer is not.

Sun is overexposing the shot. Anyway, my tent is the small green one at the right, Kerry 40 Foot's tent is the blue one to my left. This area will fill with tents later.

Thomster Monster with his fav toy. A Tonka Truck. Not exactly as depicted.

Caravan Man

Day 1, North Vancouver BC to Kelso OR
Thursday July 12 2012
Me, HIGHWAYCAT  and Shirley decided that it was time to broaden our horizons and share some  experiences with other living beings...
The living beings that I speak of are :
Forty Foot Billy, Thomster the Monster, Tonka Too Much, and Broadie Barbie.
In a fine rental Dodge Caravan, we headed south into the land beyond THE GREAT LINE. Once passports were put away, we were free to roll along the I - 5 as joyfully as we desired.
We stopped for a boo at a Craft Fair in the Portland  OR. area. A great spot to stretch our legs, see the sights, barf, find snacks and mingle with our southern counterparts.
After some behaviour modificational asserting, we were back on the road. (Car seat physics)
Town of choice to bail on was a groovey village called Kelso. (Groovey, because we were tired and lost all stamina required needed for a larger journey))
It was 9 pm ish, so we dialled in calories and I found some watery American Beer as we settled into Motel Happy Time as Le Tour De France transposed into the motel room walls to my delight.

Highwaycat is excited at the prospect of crossing the great line...

Thomas let it all out at the craft market

Thomster and 40 Foot seek ice cream while Tonka waits in the foreground. This at the ferry to Bremberton. In a bid to escape the super nasty I-5 for a while.

Kerry met an interesting fellow while waiting for the ferry. Lets call him Clam Chowder Head Ned.

Thomster and Billy 40 Foot on the ferry to Bremberton WA. That's me in the window's reflection. The guy to the left in the white T-Shirt was a Syrian spy. I know these things. The red bag to the right is my handlebar bag. HWC is hiding inside. She's afraid of new people.

Looking back at Vancouver's buddy, Seattle

A father-son moment

Down time at Motel Ooo Lah Lah Kelso OR. Tour De France on the box. The only Brit to win ever ? Not positive however, Bradly Wiggins seals the Yellow Jersey. Nice. Love the sideburns. Thomster is waiting for an Armstrong comeback....