We had a beautiful sunny day to start our Gorge ride. We followed Hwy 30 right out of Troutdale and found ourselves in beautiful scenery. The first part of the day was mostly climbing. The hills were long but the grades weren`t too bad. We stopped in Corbett to get some things for lunch and dinner and breakfast since there is no reliable food source for those meals. Caroline got a great picture of Mt. Hood in Corbett, but I was ahead of her and missed it.
We stopped at many of the sites along the way including Vista House which gives you a great panoramic view of the Columbia River and gorge. There are about 5-6 waterfalls along the route. We stopped at Latourell and Multnomah Falls. The road is in great condition. It is windy and narrow, but the traffic was well-behaved. Most folks were just driving down the road to the next waterfall. For those in a big hurry, I-84 parallels the scenic route.
We could have found lunch along the way, as it turns out, but we settled for peanut butter sandwiches supplemented with ice cream (Caroline) and an Italian soda for me.
The second half of the day was downhill until we reached the river level and then was flat to the state park. We arrived at the park around 3:00. They have a hiker/biker section (I presume to keep us away from the proper folks). But for $5 we can set up our tent. We have picnic tables, nearby showers and restrooms, and even some electricity a little further away. We are sharing the spot with two other folks. One hasn`t been around though the tent is there. The other is a fellow named Erich from Texas. He is riding from Seaside, OR to Maine.
We had couscous and fresh tomatoes for dinner, followed by coffee and hot tea with cookies. Amazing what you can make on one burner.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a repeat of today weatherwise, so we are looking forward to riding to White Salmon near Hood River where Caroline`s new acquaintance, Carol, lives. We plan to stay with her and her husband a couple of days and take day trips from their home. It will allow us to do some of the climbing routes without carrying all our gear.
Stay dry--we hear it`s raining in KC.
Will post as soon as I find WiFi.
Sent from Samsung tablet
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