January 1: What a Way to Start the New Year!
Waterfalls Cascading down cliffs, chest-high drifts of snow piled up along the side of the road, and the sparkling blue waters of the Columbia Gorge, highlighted by sporadic rays of sunshine. I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year than with an awesome ride with two of my favorite riding partners – Gene Lord and Leo Guzman Fernandez.
Today’s ride started out with a stop at the Trinity Road Riders Polar Bear Run registration. It was fantastic to see hundreds of bikes lined up outside Cycle Gear in Portland, where bikers had the opportunity to register for a variety of rides in the area, eat Krispy Kreme donuts, and buy t-shirts and pins to commemorate the day. I so much enjoyed spending time talking with old and new friends before hitting the road again.
Rather than take one of the prescribed “Polar Bear” rides, Gene, Leo, and I elected to head further East along historic highway 30 to Vista House and then The Rowena Crest Viewpoint. What an amazing day!
The Historic Columbia River highway spans 75 miles from Troutdale to The Dalles and passes one glorious waterfall after another. As we passed Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Horsetail Falls, and Multnomah Falls, the road twisted and turned through one fun curve after another with the waterfalls bouncing off the stone cliffs to our right and the Columbia Gorge stretching out in front of us and to our left. The sun came and went, adding periodic sparkles to the water and a promise of the summer to come.
Because the weather has been so cold and much of our route along the scenic highway was covered by trees, there was quite a bit of snow along the sides of the road and piled up along the banks. Some of the snow was chest high and we passed at least one snowplow. This snow and the gravel left in the middle of the road to aid cars traveling in winter conditions added to our sense of adventure as we navigated carefully around one obstacle after another.
After lunch in The Dalles, we headed back the way we had come. This time more of the clouds had lifted and we were able to get a great view of the Columbia River from the Rowena Crest Viewpoint. I was so encouraged and inspired by the view of vast-reaching blue waters, the foothills on either side, and the curvy road below. Further west the Vista House viewpoint had also cleared, allowing us to see more of the Columbia River on our way home. The grand finale was the breathtaking views of the snow-capped peaks on the lower Cascade Range on the Washington side of the gorge as we headed back into Portland. What a great start to the New Year!
