The forecast said showers all day and I woke to the rain pitter pattering on my tent. Not again. If I was going to ride in the rain once again, I needed to be heading toward a nice warm room and a hot shower so I made a reservation at Motel 6 on the other side of Portland in Troutdale, then hopped on my bike. After a first hour of climbing, headwinds, and sketchy shoulders, the rain diminished to an occasional trickle and I was back in the world of wide shoulders and the occasional bike path. I celebrated the cessation of rain with a Dairy Queen Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Party Blizzard.

The Motel 6 in Troutdale had that typical Motel 6 smell. It’s a mixture of stale smoke and Febreeze that hits you like a wall when you walk into the room for the first time. I hope it doesn’t get into my clothes. Now for a shower….