Great morning for a bike ride...shame I'm in the van today, but someone has to do it.  After yesterday's bike assembly and orientation, I think everyone was eager to get on the road this morning.  I think the first clue was the fact that breakfast didn't open until 7:00 and when I went in at 6:45 there were 80% of the riders sitting in the breakfast room.  The good thing was they were just socializing...or at least that was their cover.  Underneath that calm facade lurked AAA personalities just begging to explode.  But calm was maintained and even when the breakfast lady started putting out the food, everyone restrained from eating it all before she set it down on the counter.  Of course I'm just kidding (a little)...this group seems to have a great even temperament and I feel will be a pleasure to work with.

The morning started out great.  The staff was busy sorting through the luggage marking computers and nonessential bags, helping with rider prep, and sorting mechanical gear.  We have so many alumni riding with us that everything went smoother than normal (15 of the 24).  The weather was cool and sunny and it was a Sunday morning so the traffic leaving the motel was pretty light to non-existent.  It didn't take long for the reality that Oregon isn't flat to sink in as 1.7 miles from the motel our terrain started to rise...and significantly to say the least.  The climb got pretty steep until the 6.4 mile point where the riders were treated to a great descent into the valley floor below.  From there to the first SAG, we rode through open farm land with great views of the mountains around us.  Pretty much in this area we saw a variety of crops to include grape vineyards.  Everyone really enjoyed the views and the terrain until finally realizing just before the SAG that the high terrain we were seeing lay between us and the coast.  The thing I really appreciate coming from the hot south is the flowers and landscaping of farmhouses.  Everywhere we'd find colorful flower arrangements that just perked up the countryside.  In Alabama, anything that pretty would just wilt in the sultry summer heat. 

After the 2nd SAG we pretty much continued to go up and down until reaching David Douglas Summit at a mere 1309 feet on hwy 23.  From there the terrain was rolling but dropping to the coast...whew, we knew we had to go down sometime.  Today was definitely a good test of their climbing legs.  I sure missed the hill climbing by being in the van but I'm sure I'll get my share before the ride is over, but I need to spend the first couple days in the van to get the website caught up and to make sure everything is running like it's supposed to...I've got another great crew so that's the least of my worries.

I spent the afternoon checking on the riders to make sure everyone was still moving OK.  I got to the front about 17 miles from the finish and Barb was able to go through them again before they got to town.  After she went by me, I settled in for the afternoon with the back end until they got close to town.  We survived the first day of significant climbing and a couple tunnels where I sat along the road to pace the riders through and to slow down the oncoming traffic.  Just another day in the life of a tour leader.

Seaside is a great little coast town complete with touristy things to keep everyone busy.  It also gave us our first view of the ocean...just a taste of what was to come.  Several riders went exploring town and spent some time at the beach...why not, town was flat.  I basically got in and got the chores done...mechanics, rap, and prepare for dinner before doing this web page.  All in all it was a great first day and we are just getting to the coast.  Tomorrow we start south...did I say SOUTH???!!!  Oh, I forgot...my south is a long way east too...in Alabama.  Wonder if they talk funny in these parts in THE south?  See you tomorrow.