Well, even though it was quite wet most of the ride, Mr. East Hill and I made it through the 50 mile version--although by the time we account for the wrong turns, it was more like 51+ miles .

We got started quite early, leaving at 8.05 am. We began by following a group of Boy Scouts who were intent on getting a merit badge out of the ride. At least one of them finished before we did, but I never saw the rest of them after leaving them in the (virtual) dust after a few miles.



The start of the ride. We were numbers 28 and 29 . Yes, it was raining.



The first rest stop. Yes, it was raining.



Yours truly, with my new-to-me Rodriguez. Yes, I was wet from the rain.



My very understanding spouse, who was very pleased to make it to the first rest stop. He was riding his Trek 4300 MTB...



Nothing like a lahar warning to remind one that one is in an interesting geological location!

It took us around 4+ hours to get all around the course. We were joined at one point by a Puyallup Bike Police officer, then lost him at the second rest stop (for the 50 miler people). We had a great time, even if it was wet. I need to work on convincing my husband that his road bike would be a bit faster, but he feels more comfortable on the MTB, especially in wet conditions.

East Hill