Labour Day on the Banks-Vernonia Trail

I love to ride my bike in the summer, especially on organized bike rides that aren't horribly challenging (read:big mountains). One of the groups I have been riding with is the Tour-de-Cure group, via my friend Robin's Joy Riders group. Early in the summer, I challenged Robin to ride the Banks-Vernonia trail with me before the end of summer. Jeff and I had done it with a group of friends the year before on our recumbent tandem and it had been a killer of a ride for us, due to the twelve miles of uphill that is difficult on a recumbent tandem. With my road bike, I knew the ride would be much easier, although it is a 42-mile return ride, which I haven't done for a few years. 

We settled on Labour Day for the ride, which dawned clear but not hot, my favourite riding weather. Jeff had to leave for a job site, so he sadly missed out.

The rail line was originally built in 1913 to transport passengers, timber, and freight. The line was abandoned in 1973, bought by the Oregon Department of Transportation in 1974 and transferred to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in 1990. After twenty years of improvements, the trail was completed in 2010. It is eight feet wide and crosses twelve bridges and the Buxton Trestle, an old railway trestle that is 600 feet long and 80 feet high. A second trestle at Tophill was destroyed by fire and is now bypassed by a series of infamous switchbacks, where several friends have ignominiously bitten the dust. The trail is 21 miles long and tens of thousands of people use it to run, walk, and bike along every year.

Robin always has the necessities of life. In this case, salt-water taffy.

Ellen, Lauren, David and I rode over from Newberg together.

In a car, silly.

Robin (with her beloved Percy) and I stuck together on the uphill, while the rest of the pack forged ahead. We were quite happy.

Ah yes, the dreaded Tophill. Try riding down the switchbacks if you dare, but don't come crying to me if you topple, 'cause I warned you.

We started in Banks and, twenty-one miles later, we stopped for luncheon in Vernonia. The restaurant was crowded with like-minded bikers and service was at a snail's pace, but we were kind of okay with that. 

Besides, there were men in uniforms to look at. Although, they were not quite the eye candy of this day.

After an unmemorable lunch, but a lovely long rest, we headed back to Banks. Lauren vowed to NOT try to keep up with her husband this time and we rode together. There she is in the distance.

Here we are on the Buxton trestle. Still smiling. Lauren, you look so stinking cute!

And strangely, the twelve miles of downhill was harder on my body than the twelve miles of uphill, which makes no sense at all. But we made it all the way back in one piece for which, considering my track record of late, I was very grateful.