Sara’s photo blog: Day 2 & 3!
STIHL Tour des Trees Update:
Sara’s submitted a special post for Tree Speak today – she wanted to try and share as much as possible of the perspective that they’re experiencing out in Oregon, and give a little context to the incredible pictures that Neil and Sara have been sending in! Take a look at the places (and people) they’ve seen so far!
Contributing writer: Sara Turner, Urban Forestry Manager.
1. #77/ Haystack Rock; Worthy of a Monet Painting.
This breath-taking landscape near US Route 101 was surely an early highlight when we were headed out of Seaside on Day 2 (a 106 mile ride). The monolith was formed millions of years ago by lava emanating from the Grand Ronde Mountains. And check it out, the rock is in the opening scene of the Goonies! I had to stop and take a photo off the bike.
2. #57/ A Tree Dedication for Bonnie Lee Appleton
Almost everyday there is a special event before the riders head out. Day 2 was a tree planting dedication for Bonnie Lee Appleton, a Hort professor at Virginia Tech. She passed away very recently, and though I never met Bonnie, I frequently used her book, The New York/ Mid Atlantic Gardener’s Book of Lists, to help help me out with species selection choices. Also, it was special to be there with several other MAC-ISA professionals.
3. #103/ My Riding Buddies
I really enjoyed the ride on Day 2. It was long and ardous, certainly, but my riding buddies kept me motivated and we didn’t get LOST! I’ve never rode with a large group and so I’ve really picked up on the importance of communication. The entire group is watching out for one another from front to back, whether its hand signaling for gravel or yelling “Car back.” The 106 miles felt like nothing, I had such a good team to ride with. I’ve seen some really cool plants along the way like Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) and of course the signature Douglas-firs (Pseudotsuga). My favorite has been the horsetail (Casuarina equisetifolia) along the side of the road. I don’t have a picture of it, yet! Maybe I’ll see them again in the Columbia River Gorge.
4. #130/ Tabasco Kevin and Ironman Steve
Taken on the start of Day 3 (80 miles), these are two fellows I’ve gotten to know over the ride. Kevin Jones (center) says Tabasco sauce on the eggs eases the muscle cramps! Steve Tabler rides at a good pace that I can keep up with, but I think that’s because this is his 6th or 7th continous day of riding and he’s taking it easy. He rode down to Portland from Vancouver, BC. There are a lot of men on the Tour and several of them are super competitive – for instance the hammer heads (the guys out in front and always finishing first) are very intimidating. I rode most of Day 3 with Kristin Wild from Lansdale, PA. We helped each other get over the hills. Sometimes you just have to have “girl time.” Day 3 was it.
5. #173/ From Beach To Wine Country and Up
Day 3 started off to be a great ride, with rolling hills and stretches of lush farmland. The Tour organizers teased any closet lushes with two rest stops at wineries. I stuck with H2O and stayed hydrated in order to fiinsh the ride, and I was glad I did because the last 25 miles were mostly hills. It’s true: the view from the top is always better.
6. #181/ My Great Pyrenees Guardian Angel
It has been a record Tour- largest number of riders, but also the most number of crashes. I think 4 people have broken collar bones or a similar injury, and it’s only Day 3! I’ve been riding safe, taken extra pains to be a good road communicator, and have consciously taken my time. I’ve finished close to last everyday, forcing me to rush to get cleaned up before dinner, but I’m glad to enjoy the ride and not sag out (or make a visit to the ER). My special moment from Day 3 was seeing this dog, a Great Pyrenees. This was my first dog as a kid; the breed is in the working class family and guards sheep. I definitely felt under his watch after completing Day 3.
Remember guys, follow Sara here on Tree Speak — and catch all of the real-time action on Twitter with the hashtag #CTdT12. Feel free to tweet back and send your support!
If you’d like to give one (or both) of them a gift to help them reach their fundraising goals, check out the rider profiles for both Sara and Neil.
[...] are excerpts from today’s blog post and from Sara’s post when she and Neil first arrived in Portland several days ago. They stayed [...]
What a challenge – so proud of you Sara – keep it up but be careful. Enjoying the blog
I’m enjoying your blog, Sara — and it was a pleasure getting to know you a little more on Day 3. Do you still have the leftover marshmallows from the bonfire/s’mores at Seaside?!