Johnston Ridge OB

Another great ride and the perfect weather for it too.

Quick Stats Ride Distance: 84.61 miles   Elevation Gain: 6,904 feet   Average Moving Speed: 14.79 mph

Started riding from the Toutle High School a tad before 8 a.m. and it was only 5 or 6 miles before the leg warmers and jacket came off for good. It was oddly balmy. Usually this ride starts cool and crisp, but starting with an almost muggy feel we were warmed up quickly and ready for all the climbing the day would bring.

On the descent after Elk Rock we saw a few elk again. I wasn't sure at first, as it is tough to spot elk while descending at speed on a bicycle. I have ridden just barely off the pavement on a different ride before, so I didn't really want to experience that kind of adrenalin rush today. Anyway, we stopped to look, but stopped at the worst vantage point possible. Once we gave up and started riding again (yes, it took Amy all of about 4 seconds to start riding again), I did see three elk for absolute certain, though there may have been more.

We stopped in at the recently re-opened Coldwater Lake boat launch and park area. Ride-wise it is located at the low point between Elk Rock and Johnston Ridge. Nice to have another rest area option, and a pretty good location for it too. We didn't actually go to the visitors center, and I'm glad we didn't as it looks like it may require reservations for groups.

We arrived at the Johnston Ridge observatory at about a quarter to noon. Had a nice little break, took a couple pictures with Amy's phone, and then I headed in to start refilling our water bottles. One of the workers immediately came out and asked me to move my bike as it was a fire hazard. It took me a little by surprise, but I was happy to move it. I didn't realize it before but I guess I am now such a fast cyclist that my bike could catch fire at any moment.

We got back to the van around 2:30 p.m. and I was happy to see our moving speed was so high. Here it is compared to previous years:

YEAR	Average Moving Speed
2009	13.96 mph (included drafting)
2010	13.7 mph
2011	13.8 mph (extra miles!)
2012	14.8 mph

Hard to compare to last year's ride as it was a full century with the biggest climb of the ride (2,000 feet in 8 miles) twice, and we therefore paced ourselves accordingly. Still, it is nice to see a full one-mile-per-hour jump.

RIDE MAP IN GOOGLE EARTH:

Maps showing all rides: 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • All Rides