Favorite century rides ?

[lacorota]

When I can budge out of bed sufficiently early, I like to sneak in a century ride on good weather Saturdays. My favorite (it's close) is looping from Hollywood out and beyond Scapoose, back, lap Sauvie Island, X St. Johns into N. Portland, Kelly Point, east to Blue Lake Park and back home. It's flat as a pancake, but a decent close in ride. I've got other combinations too, but I'd like to hear from others out there what's your favorite 100-miler. I'm surfing for some new turf to ride. I always prefer rides starting from my door (no driving). In a month, we get to move the clocks forward and have some late light to ride by.

[thumbprinterr]

try bridge of the gods and back - east on the 14, cross the bridge, return on the historic highway. epic beauty. check rubbertotheroad.com for details. there's a stretch where you have to ride on the 84 but its only one mile and the shoulder is pretty wide....

[K'Tesh]

I've uploaded a link to my century route.

It's a lot more urban than most though

[Simple Nature]

Have you looked at the "Reach the Beach" route?

http://action.lungusa.org/site/DocSe...pdf?docID=3121

http://action.lungusa.org/site/TR?fr_id=3050&pg=entry

[brock]

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/5117592

[kg/f]

I would not recommend crossing the Bridge of the Gods. It would be like riding on the Hawthorne steel deck, only much longer, with the addition of a 200' drop into the Columbia if you make a mistake. Other than that...

[drosen]

I like riding to Pacific City. Pelican Pub is the best.

Anyway, I ride from my house in the Rock Creek area to Carlton then head west on Meadow Lake Road. It's a tough 1:45 of climbing to 2000 feet but there is practically no traffic until you hit Beaver. You then have a bit on 101 and head to Woods and then to Pacific City. It's about 103 or so. There's a crummy 1-2 mile gravel part of the ride but if you survive that (I've ridden this route three times) you have a very scenic ride.

[Simple Nature]

Originally Posted by drosen

I like riding to Pacific City. Pelican Pub is the best.

Anyway, I ride from my house in the Rock Creek area to Carlton then head west on Meadow Lake Road. It's a tough 1:45 of climbing to 2000 feet but there is practically no traffic until you hit Beaver. You then have a bit on 101 and head to Woods and then to Pacific City. It's about 103 or so. There's a crummy 1-2 mile gravel part of the ride but if you survive that (I've ridden this route three times) you have a very scenic ride.

Would love to see this one mapped out.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by kg/f

I would not recommend crossing the Bridge of the Gods. It would be like riding on the Hawthorne steel deck, only much longer, with the addition of a 200' drop into the Columbia if you make a mistake. Other than that...

I see bikes on BotG fairly often; hikers, too, because it's where the Cascade Crest trail crosses. Speed limit is 15, passing prohibited. Not sure the metal grate part is much longer than Hawthorne, but yeah, you must ride right on the grate, it's quite higher and spectacular, and a bit freaky because it's so easy to see through to the river below. Not easy to fall off accidentally, though, it has a good guard rail.

Thumbprinterr, I have to ask about Hwy 14, though. I've not ridden it and although I occasionally see bikes on it, it's quite narrow in many spots, often minimal shoulders, fast and moderately high traffic volume, and short sight lines. I gather your experience on it was OK? Any suggestions or advice about that part of the ride? Only one comment mentions it in http://www.rubbertotheroad.com/?p=57 and I have to wonder about write-up since it places the Chevron station on the wrong side of Bonneville Dam and doesn't mention the Skamania General Store at all.

[thumbprinterr]

Originally Posted by Alan

I see bikes on BotG fairly often; hikers, too, because it's where the Cascade Crest trail crosses. Speed limit is 15, passing prohibited. Not sure the metal grate part is much longer than Hawthorne, but yeah, you must ride right on the grate, it's quite higher and spectacular, and a bit freaky because it's so easy to see through to the river below. Not easy to fall off accidentally, though, it has a good guard rail.

Thumbprinterr, I have to ask about Hwy 14, though. I've not ridden it and although I occasionally see bikes on it, it's quite narrow in many spots, often minimal shoulders, fast and moderately high traffic volume, and short sight lines. I gather your experience on it was OK? Any suggestions or advice about that part of the ride? Only one comment mentions it in http://www.rubbertotheroad.com/?p=57 and I have to wonder about write-up since it places the Chevron station on the wrong side of Bonneville Dam and doesn't mention the Skamania General Store at all.

the BoG is totally safe to ride over - i did it in a light rain and it was no problem at all. just follow normal precautions - keep a steady grip on the bars, look where you want to go, no sudden accelerations or braking. there is no way to fall off the side without getting off your bike and climbing over the rail, plus the 'roadway' is well separated from the guardrail. looking down while riding over the grating is very surreal, it becomes difficult to gauge the distance to the water in an interesting way.

as for the 14, it is true that there is very little shoulder on stretches of it, i have only done the ride leaving portland on a summer weekday morning and traffic was light to non-existent.