What an amazing time we had at the festivals at the STP’s halfway point in Centralia and the finish in Portland. Truly, they made for one big happy glow. Words don’t do it justice. Maybe a few pictures will.

The halfway point, with festiviities and some lodging at Centralia College.

Lots of people camped out. We were not among them.

As valuable a marking as any Dan Henry.

Chilling at the Beer Garden.

He was a happy guy and wanted everyone to know.

This was such a great scene.

Happy campers.

This was the perfect touch. Literally.

What’s going on in there?

A great way to wind up the first 100 miles.

At the end of 204 miles, a great party.

These kids didn’t ride, but they made us happy.

Relaxing after a shower in the shower truck.

The folks lining the streets and the entry into the park were just amazing. It was WONDERFUL to be welcomed that way. Thank you!

Cascade Bicycle Club’s STP ride was packed with rest stops of varying sizes and shapes — many of which were mini-stops run by community groups raising money for their organizations.

First stop: REI rest stop in Kent.

As much a party as a rest stop early on.

It was sort of like being at a cocktail party. Without the cocktails.

The mini-stops were run by local groups as fundraisers. Very cool!

Nice to get a spare Clif for the jersey pockets.

We didn’t need lemonade, but how could we not stop!

His family has been providing this service for two decades during the STP.

More long-time providers – serving banana bread at the top of a hill.

The Winlock rest stop was the sight of our favorite photo opps.

What a great old building.

The Hipsta version, Take 1

The Hipsta version, Take 2

The Hipsta version, Take 3

The scene from afar.

Photographing chickens: an integral part of any ride.

One of many rooster pics we took.

Rooster and the rest stop crowd.

A nice touch on a perfect day.

Another great cause!

This is the egg.

Love the egg.

A passing train added to the atmosphere,

We started out just taking pictures of the chicken …

…. But a guy driving past told us we were supposed to get on it. So we did.

Fun for the whole family!

A little bit of home, here in Washington,

We both love old signs like this.

One of the motorcycle support crew.

At the Castle Rock rest stop.

This woman at a mini-stop was a hero, with temps in the high 80s.

The folks at each of the stops were really special. Spending time with them made the ride really personal, and they did us a huge service in return. Also hugely important were the random people along the route who clapped or rang cow bells or held signs or, a couple of times, held a hose for us to ride through as the temps hit the mid-80s.

Piper likes to go on rides and he tries to herd other riders, according to his owner.

He also likes to play at rest stops.

And Timothy is happy to oblige.

Piper, on a ride.

Bliss.

This guy and his dog were a fixture along the STP route. We encountered them several times. One of many cool sights along the way. The unicycle guy was another; too bad we got no photos of him.