Day 1 - July 31: Troutdale, OR

Although technically "Day 1", it really is just a travel and introduction day.  I left Bend about 8 am with plans to drop my luggage at the hotel in Troutdale and then carry on to the NW side of Portland to find Mary's house where I was going to leave my car.  But - it appears that there is an option to just leave my car at the Troutdale hotel (for a fee, of course) for the duration of the trip.  That sounded just too easy, so that's what I've chosen to do.  I haven't spoken to the manager, though (she's not in until the morning), so hopefully there won't be any surprises.  People trickled in through until about 2, when our orientation started.  There are lots of familiar faces amongst the troops.  In addition, there were a few women (who I also knew from previous trips) who were here to see us off.  So - kind of like old home week.  And, I've met three women so far who have never been on a WT trip before.  All in all, it seems like a great mixture.  

No surprises in the orientation.  Give-aways this year include a jersey (which looks quite nice and appears to fit according to the sizing chart) and a buff.  I passed on the water bottle and the safety triangle; I brought my own.  

On the various TA trips that I did I seemed to be one of the few people who rented one of the WT bikes.  There seem to be a few more rentals among this group.  I hope they all have better mechanical performance than I did with mine.  Not sure yet how many e-bikes there are, but there will certainly be a fair representation.  The WT rental e-bikes appear to be the incredibly heavy variety.  

After having a single room for the last two WT trips, I have decided to go back to sharing a room on this trip.  There were certainly a lot of positives of having my own room, but I figured this would be a way to get to know more of the women.  

How quickly the day has gone.  Up and at 'em early in the am.............  The weather for the next few days looks to be stinkin' hot.  

Troutdale:  Population 16,300

The city serves as the western gateway to the Historic Columbia River Highway, the Mount Hood Scenic Byway, and the Columbia River Gorge.  It is approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of Portland, Oregon and is part of the Portland Oregon metropolitan area.  Troutdale is located at the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia rivers.  Eight percent of the population were under the poverty line in 2020.