As we drove out to Happy Valley Park we thought about how much this year's ride was starting off much the same as last years. It was raining! Last year the weather was so miserable that everyone stayed home! We were hoping that would not be the case this year. We drove up to the park and much to our dismay the gate was locked. How could that be? The sign said it was open from dawn to dusk. Bec got the number off the Park sign but no one answered. We were forced to park outside.

We were very surprised to have five tandems show up. This is a very hilly ride. What the heck were they thinking? Are they crazy? Didn't they read the ride rating? Some brave folks on single bikes showed up, too. We handed out happy face cookies for a Happy Valley Ride. We hoped it would help get people up the hills. We gave the usual speech to the usual suspects and then we opened up our coats to display our animal print jerseys, which we had worn in honor of all the animals turning out to ride the hills on this rainy winter day. It gave everyone a giggle. They are a bit over the top, which is exactly how we like it.

We decided to spend the day with our friends, Cathy and Gordon, who were riding their recumbent Bikee Tandem. The others went on ahead. Riding hills in the rain sure makes a person hungry. We were stopped at the DQ in Damascus when we got a call on the cell from the rest of the group. They were hold up in the A&W in Boring. They were not sure if they were going to continue on the long route or turn around and take the short route. At any rate, everyone was having a good time. We ended up stopping at another DQ about 2 miles from the end. We decided that we should have a new rating for rides, DQ and A&W. The short route is a 2DQ ride and the long route is a 1A&W ride.

We appreciate all those animals who came out to do this very difficult ride in terrible rainy weather. They were all strong and dedicated riders.