Cycling Across America – Day 4

St Helens to Troutdale

43 miles / 850 feet climbs

There was no alternative today but to take highway I30 to Portland. Pretty much a 30 mile straight stretch of road. It is a highway and not a freeway but the size, weight and speed of the monster trucks, their proximity to us as they thunder past, their noise and fumes mean that had there been any alternative, we would have taken it.

Knowing this and dreading the ride, last night I seemed to spend every waking moment with anxious thoughts about cycling along this road and every sleeping moment with nightmarish images flashing through my mind.

Of course in the light of day, things didn’t seem nearly as bad. The highway, as expected was fast, noisy, busy, polluted, and full of the largest vehicles imaginable. There was absolutely nothing enjoyable about being on this road. It was however, straight and predominantly flat with a consistently wide shoulder so we could ride along at a good speed.

Thoughts that we might reach our destination by early afternoon were soon thwarted by debris on the shoulder causing the first of two punctures for John, delaying us for some time. Even with the right kit, knowledge and experience, changing a tire at the roadside is rarely quick. 

On the plus side, the rainstorm that threatened all day never appeared and we followed a lovely bike trail along the Columbia river for the last 15 miles to reach our hotel where we met up with Caroline, Paul and their son Mark. They are staying in Portland for a couple of days and we will meet up with them next in Hood River.

Reflecting on my angst at cycling today, I am reminded of these wise words from Michael J Fox. If only I had remembered them last night!

“Don’t spend a lot of time imagining the worst-case scenario. It rarely goes down as you imagine it will, and if by some fluke it does, you will have lived it twice.”

Michael J Fox