September 23: Gifford Pinchot National Forest

What a great day to twist and turn through the woods of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest along the south side of the foothills of Mount Saint Helens. Although the mountains were mostly obscured by the rain clouds looming overhead, the countryside around me still bursts with pops of color – tall yellow grass, deep green trees, and silvery blue bodies of water.

Grant Myers and I headed east on highway 14 along the Columbia Gorge this morning, stopping at Cape Horn to take in the magnificent river view – a wide expanse of deep blue water stretching out into the horizon, nestled between the wooded valleys of both Oregon and Washington.

Heading north on Wind River Road, our bikes swooped and glided through the National Forest as we breathed in the fresh mountain air on one delightful curve after another. Temperatures dropped almost ten degrees in the shade of the lush evergreen trees as we continued past Carson.

We pulled over at the McClellan Viewpoint to take in the gently rolling blue tinted hills on the south side of Mount Saint Helens before turning west on Curly Creek Road towards Cougar. I particularly enjoyed this stretch of road as we tunneled through one rich canopy of trees after another with almost no traffic. We continued west along highway 90 with the Swift Reservoir on our left, the shimmering blue-grey waters glittering underneath the overcast skies.

After Cougar we headed south on route 503 past Amboy and into Battleground before heading south on Interstate 5 towards home. I felt so blessed to get in such a great ride before the rain and colder temperatures make their appearance.