Lolo Pass Ride and Sunriver

Four years in a row I've stayed at a trailer in Sunriver when I did the Pacific Crest tri for free with the understanding I would help the owner build his house. Well it was pay up time so I went to Sunriver Saturday and then all day Sunday and a couple hours Monday helped build a retaining wall. My job was to mix concrete.
Because I was going to be gone for the Sunday long run, coach Denise decided to run with me Friday morning. She had a class at 1030, so we decided to start at 745 giving me a few hours to sleep (I work until 12 midnight). We were doing 14 miles and did a 7 mile loop from the club to start and then stopped in to see if another girl would run 3 miles with us and she couldn't get away. So back on the road and we did a smaller loop and Denise had to get to her class. Her foot pod said 11.5 miles done, my GPS said 10.5. So I did a 3.5 loop by myself to make 14 by my GPS or 15 by Denise's foot pod. I think her's was right because I came out with a 10:20 pace and I think we were going faster than that. Then she moved the Saturday morning ride to 6AM instead of swimming first, so I could ride and then go to Sunriver. So 6 of us drove to Sandy and parked in the Goodwill parking lot, by an espresso place of course. We rode out towards Mt Hood and the town of Welches by using country roads that went steeply up and down. It was misting on and off so the roads were wet making the steep downhills not so fun. Got to Lolo Pass Road and turned up that. 10 miles of constant climbing to the pass and end of pavement. We passed a beautiful viewpoint of Mt Hood, but could only see the bottom part of the mountain because of clouds. On the way down Gigi (my bike) told me she was going to leave me if I didn't go fast downhill, what could I do she's a temperamental girl, so I flew down Lolo Pass road and missed the group stopping for a great team photo. I hit a rock in the road wrong and flattened my front tire. Just as I finished changing it the others caught up. I explained what Gigi had said and after that everyone played along and Gigi has a personality now. We took Highway 26 back down to Sandy doing pacelines on the flats and downhills. Got back to Sandy at 58.1 miles and a 15.9 average and a ton of climbing. I got a Chai tea latte and left to go to Sunriver and here's a picture of the retaining wall, it's not done.
The rain stopped on the other side of Mt Hood and Bend and Sunriver were hot and sunny. The top picture is of the Three Sisters on Monday driving home. Drove back Monday in time to work and Tuesday rode with coach Denise for 20 miles and then saw Jon and Julie leaving on a ride and joined them out to the Troutdale airport for 30 more and ended up doing 56.8 miles on Tuesday. Wednesday I swam 3500 and then ran 8 miles at work that night. Thursday a nice 20 mile ride with Anita.
This is a picture of the house Keith has built over the last couple years, mostly by himself there in Sunriver.

Less than two months to the Grand Columbian full ironman (Sept 25th)- I was nervous before Lake Stevens, now I'm excited- I believe I can do it now!!