New Bikes and Brewery Tour

Yesterday we had to take the car back to Gresham to replace the brake pads under warranty, then did the Wal-Mart thing, and by the time we got back Fed Ex had delivered our bikes. Unfortunately, they forgot to put the front fork in Jim’s, so we only got mine  put together. His fork is due in tomorrow, we hope. This is my shiny new red Rans Street.

We both went for short rides, getting everything adjusted, and it sure is fun. I went for a little longer ride last night, and in order to get out of the project after 5pm, you have to have your ID to open the gate. No problem. I rode around the fish hatchery area and came back to the entrance gate, pulled out my ID, scanned it, but nothing happened. The gate would not open, even on my numerous attempts. Since I had no cell phone with me, I rode around looking for security, and they finally showed up. Guess Jim would have come looking for me eventually.

Today I had a doctor’s appointment in Hood River, 25 miles east of here, so we decided to make a day of it and check out a bike trail and visit the Full Sail Brewery. They give tours on the hour, and we arrived just before 2. We were the only ones there, so we got our own private brewery tour.

Full Sail is an employee owned company, and they are doing very well. The first year they were open,  in 1987, they produced 9,000 gallons of beer. Last year they made 4.3 million gallons, and are planning an expansion in the near future. This is where the bottles are filled, capped and inspected.

And a day’s production. They must have been stacked up at least 20 feet from the basement level.

For those beer drinkers out there, if you ever see Full Sail, be sure to try it. It is sold in 22 states right now. All the beers we tasted were great, and actually the Amber Ale has been one of Jim’s favorites since he first found it in Texas last winter. They also have a pub, and we ate an excellent tempeh sandwich there. The restaurant overlooks the river, and we were hoping to watch the kite and sailboarders but unfortunately there was no wind today. Guess we’ll have to go back another day.