February 12 - Winter Wonderland

Snow, snow, and more glorious snow! What an amazing treat! Today’s ride was full of great food, wonderful friends, and one snow-capped mountain peak after another. The ride started at Latus with a Rose City HOG group ride east on highway 14 in Washington along the Columbia River Gorge. The main group turned south at the Bridge of the Gods to Cascade Locks while several of us continued up the gorge to extend our ride.

I love mountains and water and always feel especially blessed when I can see both of them in one day. Crossing over the Columbia River into Washington from Oregon, the air was crisp and clear and the skies bright and sunny, accentuating the views of white-tipped Mount Hood to the east.

The trip on highway 14 east along the Columbia Gorge was particularly scenic because of the vivid contrast between the sparkling blue rivers, lakes, and streams to the south and the red, brown, and yellow cliffs and rolling hills to the north.

After traveling east past Carson, we headed north on highway 141 towards Trout Lake, giving us breathtaking views of both Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams. The road towards Glenwood Station was filled with lots of nice twists and curves as well as lots of snow on the side of the road, making the trip seem like even more of a winter adventure.

From Glenwood Station, Leo Guzman Fernandez and Grant Myers and I took backroads into Goldendale, driving cautiously as we encountered loose gravel in some turns and one dangerous stretch of ice in the shade cast by the enormous mountains surrounding us.

Lunch at the HonkeyTonk Bar and Restaurant in Goldendale was off the charts amazing. The hamburger was moist and perfectly seasoned and the hand – cut fries were tender and flavorful. Both of them were absolutely delicious accompanied by the homemade barbeque sauce. In fact, I liked the fries so much I ordered an extra serving to share with Leo and Grant. Good food, good friends, and good riding – it really doesn’t get any better than that.