Often when you plan trips it doesn't match reality. The planning can be months earlier and almost an escape from reality, like when you are grading student projects on a Saturday night in February and it's clear that the students didn't read the instructions, so you put that aside and plan your trip. You get so excited for months, looking at ACA maps, and reading other trip journals, and looking on google map street view...

But then the real thing comes and you get on your bike. Maybe the weather is bad? Maybe it is hillier than expected? Maybe the route is just not what it is cracked up to and you feel like crap because it's the first day and your legs are still getting used to the shock of what they are being asked to do. It might still be fun but not what you expected.

Well today did not disappoint. The weather was amazing, with tail winds, and the route was great!

I still felt a little punk when I rolled out of the Comfort Inn in Troutdale. And I was a little down at first because I didn't feel strong at all, and my stomach hurt.

"Damn," I thought. "I am riding so SLOW and this isn't even the climb up to Vista Point."

So I stopped in a little country market and got some tea and looked at the map, only to discover I had doing the "Vista Point" climb the whole time, and I was almost to the top!" With that bit of knowledge I realized I was actually riding pretty good after all.

From there it was one pretty scene after another along the original road through the gorge that was built early in the last century and is now a tourist route. Beautiful panoramas, amazing waterfalls, and slow laid back tourist traffic was the rule. There were a lot of cars but aside from the locals everyone else was on vacation and in no mood to rush.

I stopped at several waterfalls, the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, the Cascade locks, and smaller intermediary points of interest in between.

I even lucked out camping. I had met a westbound tourist while I pedaled towards Viento State park.

"....the south side campground is closed," she said.

Which blows because that is the one that is a tiny bit quieter than the north side, which I read was only yards from the train tracks and freight trains come through all night blowing their horn so lowed your teeth rattle, I've stayed at similar campgrounds before and gotten little to no sleep.

Still, there was nothing to do now but pedal on and hope I can someone sleep for an hour or two.

Until I ran across a little US forest service campground, that I read didn't have water but I stopped anyway to check it out.

"Are you the camp host?" I asked the man sitting next to the bathrooms.

"No, I'm charging my cell phone," he said and pointed to the cord hanging outside the bathroom doors.

"You need a solar charger like this one," I said, and pulled out my little Suntactics USB solar charger. He was impressed enough to take a picture to send to his daughter.

"She is always sending me Father's Day gifts I don't want, and usually return. This is one I want."

So Tom and I chatted for a while. He was in the movie business before retiring and he and his wife traveled extensively in Europe. Then I asked about the campgrounds.

"Viento sucks," he said. They pile you one on top of the other and the train noise is unbearable. There are no showers here but they have water now, and it is even hot. And look at the spaces, all spread out, that's because it was build in the 40's by the forest service. In the state parks the jam everyone together."

I could hear the trains but it was at a distance. And there was freeway traffic but that is more like white noise and muffled by the trees and not bothersome.

So, I stayed. Cleaned up as best I could, set up camp, heated up so supper and settled in for the night.

I couldn't have asked for a better first full day of riding.

(Pics soon when I have more time)