Sandy to Cascade Locks, Oregon Friday, May 17, 2024
It’s funny, I’ve been to the Pacific Northwest a bunch of times, but I’ve never seen the Columbia Gorge. Time to rectify that situation.
I was a little wobbly, mounting my titanium steed for the first time in a week, and the dropper post took some getting used to, but I soon got the knack of it, and I was in hog heaven. Swooping down from Sandy to the river also boosted my spirits. But what really snapped me out of my funk was the dazzling view from Vista House, my first look at the legendary Gorge.
Another downhill swoop into that valley and past one spectacular waterfall after another, I was running late, so only had time to photograph one of them.
There was a campground just beyond, and I considered it, but it’s going down to 40° tonight, and I thought it best not to push it, this early on in the tour. The road I was on, the Historic Old Columbia Highway, was narrow and twisty, but the cars were on it for the scenery (I-84 went right next to it) and were tolerant of bikers. It gave out into a bike trail, which seemed dreamy at first, but it turned out to be one of those trails constructed at the same time as the interstate, that loops back-and-forth under the highway, with lots of sharp ups and downs. After one steep climb, I was hopeful for a nice glide downhill, but was dismayed by a 90 step concrete staircase it took a white-knuckle half hour to ease my heavy rig down. I was so frazzled I forgot to notice I had passed the Bonneville Dam, at the time the largest in the country.
My destination was the Bridge of the Gods, so named for a natural crossing that was felt by the First Nations to be a gift from the Great Spirit.
To me it loomed large as Cheryl Strayed’s destination in Wild, made into an equally compelling movie starring Reese Witherspoon. I had to rent it tonight. The movie is pure gold from start to finish, but this scene always tears my heart apart. https://youtu.be/Wj1Mu3yM-uc?si=JQ6UlWrREMssCG82
Distance 44 miles, 698 total. Time 7 hours with stops. Elevation gain 2,350 feet
©️ 2024 Scott Luria
The Ends of the Earth 