I rode my November 200k today - Perm 2521 Portland-Aumsville-Portland - solo as usual. It's become my go-to perm, replacing the ride up to Ripplebrook which is sadly still unavailable due to wildfire damage. I've gotten a little fat and out of shape, so I squeaked in just under 10 hours. Forecast called for no rain, high about 51, mostly sunny. It was misting a bit at the start, which had me a little worried because I left my heavy rain jacket at home. No worries, that cleared up pretty quickly and it turned into a sunny day. The start is about 11 miles from my house; I grabbed a coffee and pastry there and headed south. PAP is an out-and-back that runs pretty much south with just a few east/west jogs. For clothing I had a wool Oregon Randonneurs jersey, SIR windbreaker, and PBP vest up top, shorts and leg warms down below, with wool socks and shoe covers. The ride starts with a fast two-step downhill on 45th street that's there waiting for you as a sharp two-stage climb at the finish. I stripped the windbreaker as soon as the sun came out, and stowed that for the rest of the ride. The ride is urban and surburban for the first 15 miles or so, mostly on bike lanes. Aside from the occasional trash can in the bike lane (Grrrr) and leaf and twig buildup, that was pretty uneventful. Leaving Oregon City southbound is a long curvy downhill - a climb I find unpleasant in the dark on the return. The bike lanes end, but traffic is light as the road becomes rural. The first control is a convenience store at 25 miles, where I just snapped a pic and ate some of my pocket food. The next section is quiet roads through orchards; very pleasant. The view opens up as the terrain flattens, and today a snow covered Mt Hood was visible. Southbound, Mt Hood and smaller peaks and foothills are on the left, flat on the right. The ride skirts the edge of Canby, goes through Mt Angel, on to the control in the tiny town of Monitor at 40 miles. I'd heard there was a store newly open in Monitor, so I'd planned to eat there. No luck with that, so on to Aumsville. Roads are pretty straight and mostly flat; there were a few miles of unusual traffic; signs indicated my route was the detour route for a closed road. Somewhere along the way it occurred to me I was rolling along really well, which could only mean one thing: tailwind. Dang, not what you want on the out leg of an out-and-back. Aumsville is pretty sparse with amenities; I rolled my bike around the mini market, picking up some water, coffee, and a couple burritos, and ate those outside. Northbound I found the headwind was there, but not as bad as feared. I was chilly the first few miles, but eventually warmed up with the effort. My decision to not layer up would come back on me later. In the town of Mt Angel, mile 83, I stopped at some food trucks and had an excellent Russian hand pie. From Canby, I decided to try an alternate route to Oregon City so I wouldn't be climbing that hill in the dark. A short bit on 99E, with wide shoulder, took me to S End Rd, which turned out to be not the best choice. Indeed I avoided climbing in the dark, but End Rd had far more traffic, no shoulder, and some sharp climbs that had me crawling. I won't use that route again. Darkness fell as I came into the suburbs, and the temperature dropped. Now would have been the right time to don my windbreaker and even roll down my rainlegs. Alas I just pushed on. Bike lanes, rolling hills, and the final climb up 45th street to the finish. Riding home in the dark on the Springwater trail, I felt my blood sugar crash and power output also crash. Fortunately, a small convenience store just off the Springwater gave me the opportunity to buy a coke and Twinkie. When I finally got home, I realized how cold I'd gotten; I had the shakes, and it took a warm shower and a bowl of chili to warm me up.