Hi Corrie, at a co-op bike workshop who had done it last year. The man assured us (when his girlfriend was out of the room) that the hardest part of the ride was "vayting for her at the top of the hill." Later, we found out from his other half that he'd just ditched her until nearly the end! It wasreassuring, appalling and hilarious all at once.

The first day was pretty uneventful. Apart from jitters due to the fact that neither Russell nor I had ever done 100 miles in one day(!) it went pretty smoothly. Camping at Centralia College was fantastic, with acafeteria, live music and much appreciated bathrooms. It was funny seeing a roomful of cyclists, having already ridden 100 miles, sit down only to m watch another group of cyclists riding a stage in the Tour de France.

On the second day we finally saw some hills. Although it was getting harder to leave the rest stops, this was my favorite day. In the morning it was all rolling hills and great forested scenery. We crossed the Lewis and Clark bridge over the Columbia after lunch, when it had been completely cleared of all traffic. Amazing. In the afternoon we were lagged by hunger (lunch had been less than stellar) and by a lone tack on the shoulder I happened to run over. However, we blasted through the last thirty, mostly downhill, miles into Portland and managed to hit the tail end of the finish line festival.

My favorite parts of the ride were camping, the bridge and any time I could tuck into a downhill. Yes, I left *both* my locks behind this time.

Thanks for asking :-P

Elaine