Troutdale, OR to Hood River, OR

Miles:55.8
Total mileage: 82.6
Climbing today: 3151

This is a long post but has some history, too. Everyone was excited to start the ride today, knowing we would be riding the most beautiful section of the Columbia River Gorge with all its waterfalls. The start was early and what a day it was. We started by riding through the small town of Troutdale and over the Sandy River Bridge, built in 1912. Once past this bridge, we entered the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, a 253,000 acre area.

“Standing here I realized the magnitude of my task and the splendid opportunity presented. Instinctively there came a prayer for strong men and that we might have the sense to do the thing in the right way so as not to mar what God had put there. Samuel Lancaster, the designer of the Columbia River Highway summarized his thoughts this way in 1913 as the survey work for the highway was taking place. It was thought to me one of the greatest engineering feats of the modern age, not only for the technical aspects but for its sensitivity to one of the most diverse landscapes in North America. Mr. Lancaster certainly did well, considering that highway building was in its infancy and the auto was not the dominant mode of transportation. He wanted to make the beauty of the area accessible to all who traveled the highway’s length.

The Gorge, the only near-sea level passage through the Cascade Mts, has been a navigable route for almost 12,000 years. It was never an easy task, however. Falls, narrows, and cascades made river traffic very hazardous no matter the method used to navigate it. People on the Oregon Trail in the 1840 have feared river travel through the Gorge. The construction of the water grade rail line on the Oregon side in the 1880’s helped greatly, but this was not an ideal situation as the people could not stop and start, but were tied to the railroad timetables. Once the road was approved, Mr. Lancaster wanted to incorporate all the “beauty spots” and to locate the road to reach all of them. As it was to be a scenic route, the road was to be 24 feet wide, with no more that a 5% grade (great for us cyclists!!), and curve radii of no less than 100 feet, with maximum scenic advantage and minimum environmental damage to the environment, truly a man with vision. He met all these criteria and more. The construction began in 1913, with lessons learned from a trip to Europe, with dry masonry walls, guard rails with arched openings, and five tunnels. Although unpaved, the road opened in 1915. Official dedication was in 1916, but the entire length of the road was not finished until 1922. The road stimulated huge economic growth in all communities. Restaurants, hotels, auto dealers and camps sprang up to accommodate the hoards of travelers coming to see the marvelous road.

Complaints started about the width of the road, nauseating curves, and faster cars and in 1966, one of the tunnels was dynamited to make room for a new road. Towns were bypassed for the new water grade straight highway and Lancaster’s dream was being destroyed for freeway interchanges. In the 1980’s, however, the increased environmental awareness led to the creation of Friends of the Gorge which successfully reversed the trend to destroy the highway and created the National Scenic area and the road is called the Historic Columbia River Highway to distinguish it from I-84, the Columbia River Highway, the river grade road.

So there you have a brief history of the old road which we explored today. The Gorge is 90 miles long and 2000 feet deep, a near wind tunnel that makes near gale force winds at times. The summer west winds flow opposite the westward six knot wind opposing river current and can create 10’ high waves. Hood River says it is the Windsurfing Capitol of the World but we arrived too late to see them in action. There were just too many things to see today to hurry to Hood River!

Our first big stop, after a long climb, was at the Portland Women’s Forum State Park at Chanticleer Point. There was a wonderful view of the Gorge from there. We could also see the Vista House and Crown Point from there.

View East from Chanticleer Point at the Woman's Forum

It was a large stone structure built on a site visible from both North and South on the road. Unfortunately we were too early to get into the building at Vista Point when we arrived there.

Vista House

Marilyn, Pam, Karen, and Glenna, our SAG driver for the day

Descending from Crown Point was quite a wonderful ride. This engineering marvel of Sam Lancaster’s design and drops 600 feet in elevation and parallels itself five times, with a winding road through a typical Cascade rain forest of fir, maple, alder, ferns, and moss. It was so lush and green, and fairly cool.

The first falls that I stopped for was Latourell Falls and was 249 feet high. I climbed to the top but the better view was about half way up.

Latourell Falls

My next stop was Bridal Veil Falls, a trail leads to the falls which were absolutely gorgeous. It is quite a hike, so there were not very many people there. I also rode a short interpretive trail that made me wish it was earlier in the spring for the wild flowers in this area are supposed to be gorgeous with several rare plants which are only found in this area.

Anne at Bridal Veil Falls

Wahkeena Falls was in an area where the highest concentration of waterfalls in the Gorge was located, a result of floods over 13,000 years ago. There was a really nice spray from this falls as I climbed up closer to see them. Multnomah Falls was my next stop and it was like a tiny Gatlinburg! The lodge there was originally built to capitalize on the booming tourism trade. They built a bridge so that the double falls, the top one 542' high and the bottom one, 69' high, could have a path and later a bridge, for viewing. In 1914, it was the first continuous pour concrete bridge ever built in the USA. The falls were gorgeous and I climbed to the highest point allowed.

Multnomah Falls,the most popular falls, and the most crowded!

There was a 15 year old girl celebrating her Quinceanera, a right of passage for girls, a coming of age event for Latin American cultures. It was like a wedding, with photographers, fancy dresses, and videographers. I was delighted to get out of the packed area

Horsetail Falls was my next stop and by then I was riding and sightseeing alone, though I caught up with the occasional cyclist not from our group. This falls was 176’ high and visible right from the road, whereas many of the others required a short hike. I passed the Bonneville Dam but did not stop there as it was quite a ride off the road. This area was treacherous for those traveling on the Oregon Trail and many lost their lives or possessions.

Denise on the stairs with bike groove!

At the Bridge of the Gods, we had a wonderful lunch stop when I caught up with several of my Southern Tier friends. This was a steel truss, cantilever bridge, linking Oregon and Washington. As we were leaving, a lady came running up to us in a bike helmet and asked for help in loading her heavy mountain bike on her car. Her son had fallen down the road and broken his arm and she was unable to load the bike. We helped, as well as got her bags of ice to ease the swelling on the way to Portland for medical care. So much for excitement. We had to go down a three flight stairway with the bikes but it had a concrete “tray” to roll your bike on as you walked! Fun! Some of the ride today was on the OLD road, which is now a wonderful bike path. It was lush and green with foliage and quite cool.

The worst part of the day came after all these wonderful sights and experiences and that was a 10 mile ride on I-84 (yes, it was legal). The shoulder was wide but had a fair bit of debris and the traffic roared by. All of us were happy to get to the town of Hood River after that experience, hot, and scary.

Hood River was a busy town with bike shops and artsy stores, galleries, and shops. I had a very long day and headed for the hotel after buying a rear view mirror for my helmet. I just cannot live without it and the loss of mine in Portland was disastrous! We had a delightful meal of steelhead trout and salmon, grilled to perfection by one of the rider’s families. It was delicious, with salads and fresh bread, it was a meal worth talking about!

Evening facing east in Hood River

PS I saw an ad in a magazine in the hotel tonight which said that Hood River is great for fishing, hiking, shopping, wine tasting, geaocaching, cycling, and rafting! Sounds like a great place to vacation!