[ORRando] Birkie 200k pre-ride report

[Keith Kohan]

Thursday promised to be a fantastic day for a ride.  So I got up early and drove to Forest Grove in the very dense fog of the Willamette Valley to find the start of the Birkie 200k.  When I got to the Grand Lodge I decided to start a bit late to avoid the morning rush hour traffic and allow the sun to rise a bit more to help burn off the fog.  At 7:27 I just couldn't wait any longer and set off.
This version of the Birkie 200k is a bit different and I enjoyed the revised route very much.  You reach the highest point on the route and are done with the steepest long climb at mile 21.  After that climb the route meanders up to Vernonia and on the Mist and Birkenfeld on a fairly flat course through the Nehalem River Valley.  
On Thursday the fog really didn't disappear until I had been out past Birkenfeld on 202 to the turn around point and rode back to Birkenfeld.  There the sun peaked through the fog.  Alas as many of you know the Birkenfeld Store is no more.  The Birk, a nightclub, now resides there and its website says it doesn't open until 5:30 on Saturday.  The store used to be the place we all stopped for water and food so I'd suggest you leave Vernonia well supplied with food.  
Water and facilities can be had at Big Eddy Campground at about mile 45 on the way out and mile 86 on the way back to Vernonia.  I didn't stop there on Thursday because I had stocked up in Vernonia.  There's also a very small business between Big Eddy and Vernonia that says it is open 24 hours with coffee, soda, and snacks and rest rooms.  I didn't stop there either but that was more of a judgement call on my part.  You'll see when you get there.
Back in Vernonia the route turns off the roads and onto the Banks-Vernonia trail for the next 16 miles.  This week school is out and it was about 70 degrees outside by 1:00 when I got on the trail so there were a lot of families out enjoying themselves.  I was rather surprised that this caused no problems for me.  Everybody stayed to the right or moved to the right as I approached.  Riding on the trail is a bit slower than riding on the road, but I found it to be a very refreshing way to do the later part of the ride.  The only thing I regret is not stopping at the Subway in Vernonia and buying a sandwich to eat at one of the benches along the trail.
Once off the trail in Banks there are plenty of places to stop for water or food but it's only a short distance to the finish in Forest Grove.
There is very little bad pavement on the ride and the roads are mostly quiet with little traffic.  I saw more log trucks than cars by quite a bit.  They were careful, mostly.  I suspect they won't be out there on Saturday.
As I said earlier I enjoyed this version of the Birkie very much.  I especially liked putting the bike trail towards the end of the ride.  It seemed like a relaxing way to sum up a beautiful ride.
Keith Kohan
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