May 31: Gotta Love Those Curves
Heading east today to practice using my new Insta 360 to film footage off the handlebars of my Harley, I set my sights on one of the curviest, most scenic stretches of road in the Pacific Northwest – the Rowena Curves. The ride there and back was almost as breathtaking.
Starting out on highway 14 on the north side of the Columbia River, I followed the water’s edge past Cape Horn, twisting and turning under the overhanging tree branches alongside the base of the steep rocky cliffs on my left. Enjoying every delightful water view of the gorge stretching out into the horizon between the clefts of the gorge, I passed a long train chugging towards me pulling hundreds of pink and brown cars.
Turning south to cross over the river at the Bridge of the Gods, I shifted into a lower gear and concentrated on maintaining an even speed and a loose grip on my handlebars, giving my bike a little room to slide on the slick steel surface while buffeted by a strong crosswind. The shiny grey trusses of the cantilever bridge provided a stark yet beautiful frame for the glorious natural water views spanning in both directions.
After a short stint on highway 84 east, I exited at Mosier, turned onto the Historic Columbia River Highway, and made my way up the winding hills to the Rowena Crest Viewpoint. The strong winds provided a refreshing breath of fresh air while I soaked in the sun and took in the views of the bright yellow grass, rounded brown rocks, and dark green trees surrounding the immense stretch of river water in both directions.
After attaching my Insta 360 to the rear of the bike, I headed down to Rowena, swooping back and forth and leaning into the s and u-shaped curves carving a trail to the bottom of the foothills.
Unfortunately, the rack on the back of my bike was not wide enough to provide a secure mounting surface for the clamp holding my camera, and the stick with the device still attached ended up coming to rest on top of the bag on the back of my bike.
Turning around at the base of the hill, I reattached the clamp to the thicker bars on the front of my bike, filming the glorious curves and panoramic river views both with and without a selfie stick attachment.
Coming home, I traveled alongside the south side of the river, enjoying the views to the west of the silver blue choppy waters punctuated by white frothy waves whipped by the wind, bright blue skies interspersed with cotton candy-shaped fluffy white clouds, and dark looming brown cliffs on both sides. What a great day on the bike!
