September 14: A Smorgasboard of Delights!
What a smorgasbord of delights! After meeting up with Rose City HOG to ride up to North Bonneville, Leo Guzman Fernandez and I split off to head out on an epic route that had it all – stunning gorge views, sweeping canyon vistas, winding river roads, snaking hillside figure eights, and towering mountain peaks.
Our morning started off at Volcano Harley in Gladstone, where we met up with almost 20 other bikers heading up to Washington. It was great to connect with old friends and meet new ones before riding as a group up highway 205 and then east on highway 14 to North Bonneville.
From there Leo and I split off onto the Cook Underwood Road to feast upon one majestic view after another of the far-reaching waters of the Columbia Gorge, its silvery blue rippling surface beautifully highlighted by tall, yellow grass in the foreground and rolling green hills in the distance. A large vulture swooped and swirled in the sky above us, the sun reflecting off its broad wings.
After briefly turning onto highway 14 again, we headed north on highway 141 towards Glenwood, this time treating ourselves to snow – topped, postcard-perfect visions of Mount Adams, its volcanic rocky edges bursting through the wispy cloud cover to the blue sky above, providing a scenic backdrop for the myriad fields and farmlands at its base.
Heading past Glenwood, we wound our way along the upper edges of the hillsides along the Klickitat River, giving us a bird’s-eye view of the green valleys rising from the riverbed far below us. Turning off on highway 142 south, the road narrowed, and traffic thinned as we descended the hillside along the river, pausing to let a flock of wild turkeys cross the road in front of us.
After reaching the base of the Klickitat, we crossed the Columbia Gorge at The Dalles, heading west along historic highway 30 to Rowena. After so many delightful treats earlier in our ride, navigating up the tightly wound figure eight curves snaking up the hillside felt like eating the cherry on top of an already delicious dessert.
Not to be outdone, Leo then led us south on highway 35 along the backside of Mount Hood and then west on highway 26 towards home. Even though most of Mount Hood’s snow cover had melted from the summer sun, there was still enough of a bright white snow cap to provide yet another wonderful mountain view before the end of our ride. What an amazing day on the bike!
