# August 12th 2023 Riding the North West Country 200k was a 2nd choice ride. I had been looking at several other options, [Vernonia Hagg](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34344528) a similar 200k, or the [Three Capes 300k](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41765948). I ultimately chose the NW Country due to the weather predicted for the day and road conditions. A 300k was going to be too long in the warm temps and the other 200k had a road section that was technically closed, but is passable for bikes. I started the ride early, around 06:30, hoping to beat the afternoon heat. The start put me on a familiar stretch of Cornell and Evergreen Parkway. After the early urban riding, I was out in the classic rural Washington County riding most Randonneurs in NW Oregon are accustomed to. Passing through the second control near the trailhead of the Banks-Vernonia Trail (BVT), I stopped to refill my bottle. Riding the BVT is a mixed bag for me. The trail is in bad shape in a couple of sections and is often busy with other less observant users. Today wasn't too bad with other trail users and one really bad bridge approach had been repaired. Arriving in Vernonia and quickly turning around it was back to the trail and an easy cruise down to Banks. At the BVT trailhead, I again refilled my bottles and headed toward the second scenic section of the ride, Hagg Lake. The ride toward Hagg Lake uses many of the same roads the rest of the Washington County randonneuring routes use. There was one section of construction that has a detour at Thatcher and David Hill Road. I was able to ride through it, using the bike path in the dog park and the sidewalk along the street. The signs show the closure until 8/15/23. Once out of Forest Grove the rural roads become low traffic and the route climbs one of my favorite roads. Plumlee Road is a windy climb, that is a nice spin in a mostly shade-covered area. The first time I rode Plumlee, was the 2018 ORR Orenco-Gaston 104km. Not much has changed in the five years, it's still one of my favorite climbs and descents. At the park entrance, the heat had risen enough to be challenging. Riding clockwise around Hagg Lake, a new direction for me, was a welcome change. The loop is quite lovely, with plenty of rolling hills and rest stops. Traffic is low with mostly wide shoulders. Descending out of the park I was greeted by a warm northernly headwinds, my companion for the remaining 30 miles. The hairdryer for the next 10 miles to Gaston was uneventful. At the Gaston grocery, I grabbed a couple of liters of water, refilled my bottles, and headed on. The miles between Gaston and Forest Grove feel like something I could do in my sleep. Classic roads, low traffic, and some recent pavement make these pleasant, even with a headwind. Rolling into Forest Grove I was tired, I was low on calories, but didn't want to eat, a combo of increased water intake and heat. I knew these last seventeen miles were going to be a slog, something that you learn to pedal through. Right outside of Forest Grove, I was met with a second detour. Quince Street and Northwest Martin Road were closed. I investigated the closure to see if I could route through this one as well. Nope. The bridge is out, and there is a twelve-foot gap that is ten feet deep. Unfortunately, I was too tired to check the sign to see how long it would be out. The signed detour takes you down to Highway 47 and up to Northwest Verboort Road. My detour, which also had road-closed signs, was Northwest Porter Road. There was no construction on Porter Road, it was likely closed to keep the increased traffic off the country road. My detour added about one bonus mile, compared to the signed detour which would have added four or more bonus miles. Back on track and retracing the same roads back to the start I finished the ride more tired than I expected. I had also missed my target of completing the ride in a total time of under eight hours. Even with the detour, I don't feel I would have beaten my goal, the heat, headwinds, and nutrition were my main challenges. This is a good route, with lots of familiar roads, and plenty of services. I also feel I can complete this route in less than 8 hours total time, weather, fitness, and nutrition dependent. I will be curious to see how this route stacks up against the Vernonia Hagg 200k, since they are practically identical, except using Timber Road vs out and back on the BVT. Ride Metrics RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/131105932 - Total time: 8:33 - Moving time: 7:53 - Average Speed: 16.3 MPH - Normalized Watts: 184W - Total Work: 4620 kJ