Or: How I fell in love with my bicycle again. After the awesome ramble out to Mason Hill, I wasn't planning to do any more riding this weekend, but a social engagement fell through so the first thought I had was,
"eff it, I'm going to Crown Point." I have evidence of this: https://twitter.com/secretasianman/status/455385037743988737 But really that was a straw man. I really wanted to go to Bonneville Lock & Dam, and probably Cascade Locks, home of the Char Burger and The Bridge of The Gods, roughly 50 miles distant. I packed plenty of fruit and nuts and water, but forgot my maps, so I did some psychic navigation to Troutdale and the Historic Columbia River Highway. The Easterlies were strong today; I had to just pick a lower gear and spin my way on the flats. It was not my favorite thing but the skies were so blue and Mount Hood was so clear I nearly forgave the wind. The highway leaves Troutdale and enters the Scenic Area proper after crossing the Sandy River. I took Woodard Rd., which is one of the first turns off the historic highway, which takes you up the bluff in a direct fashion. It was a hoot to see cabbage fields I had last seen when I did my birthday ride on New Year's Eve. Woodard is a pretty honest direct climb. To stay on the ridge (or close to it) I needed to move over to Mershon, which has a few pretty rollers. This dropped me back onto the historic highway just outside the Town of Corbett. In short order I hit the main vista spots, the Women's Forum, Crown Point (where I hung out at the picnic area nobody ever seems to use), Multnomah Falls (which reminds me of Disneyland more and more every time I visit), and the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, where you can see GIANT STURGEON. The last six miles of the ride to Cascade Locks was on the Trail portion of the Historic Columbia River Highway, which I've come to like. Except for the stairs. Oh god the stairs. The first restaurant you reach when you get to Cascade Locks is the Char Burger, which is currently undergoing renovations, so I ended up eating in the smaller restaurant in the basement, which is less "guns on the wall" and more "waterfront dining". Oh well. BURGERS WERE HAD. I use the plural because I took the burger of a customer who left after ordering. MORE CHEEZBURGER FOR ME. I'd known that I wouldn't get back home before dark, so I was a little apprehensive of riding on curvy country roads at night, but as it turned out, this was the most magical part of the ride. By the time I'd reached the touristy areas, almost all the cars were gone, and all I had to deal with were clouds of Gnats. As the sun disappeared and the temperatures started to fall, I found I had more energy. I've noticed this before--riding gets easier when it's cooler. So here's the magical part: All the small towns were really quiet, and way more charming at night than during the day. By 10pm most all the businesses are closed, and it's just so quiet. I heard frogs! I adjusted my dynamo light to point a little higher and I was able to see far in the distance; the stars were out and the moon was nearly full. I returned back via Marine Drive, which is a road that is built atop a flood control dike; It was a gorgeous night to return to Portland that way, and the radar speed reader clocked me at 15mph, which I'll take any day. Pictures prove something, but mostly that I'm thinking about planning more rides that go late into the night. ~100mi, leave noon, return 11pm. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumachrome/sets/72157643935581004/ -- "I want the kind of six pack you can't drink." -- Micah -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
