Today was incredible! The first half of the day I biked along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The route today passed by many large waterfalls and beautiful scenic vistas. The weather was perfect and traffic was light, I was a very happy biker! I ate breakfast at the lodge at the very impressive Multnomah Falls, the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States. I was seated at a great table with a view of the falls and had the best breakfast of the trip. After breakfast I visited several more waterfalls and the Vista House which sits 733 feet above the Columbia River Gorge. Amazing views! From this point on it was pretty much downhill all the way to Portland. The bicycle route through Portland was very nice and there were bikers everywhere! Being a larger city I pushed through quickly and biked onward to the town of Saint Helens. It was really cool to see Mt. Hood in the distance from Portland after spending several days so close to the mountain. After reaching Saint Helens I ate dinner at Sunshine Pizza which was very tasty and then worked on my last blog update. It was pretty much a perfect day.
Historic Columbia River Highway
Horsetail Falls
Cruising down the highway
Multnomah Falls
Breathtaking in person!
Latourell Falls
Loved all the waterfalls!
Wahkeena Falls
Chillin
A walk in the woods
Bridal Veil Falls
Looking down on the Gorge
High above the interstate
One of many old bridges along the Historic Highway
Shepherds Dell Falls
Such a beautiful area!
The mist felt great!
One more waterfall picture
Columbia River Gorge
The Vista House
View of the Vista House from picnic area
Houses on the river in Portland
Mt. Hood from Portland
Crossing the St. John's bridge
Great place to spend the night
August 11th - 20.20 / 3,065.75 - St. Helens - Rainier
After doing laundry and stopping for some groceries I hit the road. The temperatures were in the 70's but it had rained all day. I just took a short ride to the town of Rainier and had the afternoon off. I ate a late lunch along the river and enjoyed watching the huge cargo ships pass by. After a long nap I took a walk around town and spent the night relaxing. Overall an uneventful day but still really nice. I was excited to see the ocean tomorrow!!
Industry along the Columbia River
Cargo ship banked on the Washington side of the river
Looking West down the Columbia
August 12th - 63.04 / 3,128.79 - Rainier - Fort Stevens State Park
I woke up to it still raining and a little chilly but after breakfast was back on the road. I biked along the hilly highway through rain all day until I reached the city of Astoria and then the sun came out and the rain stopped. I knew when I heard and then saw sea lions along the Columbia River I was getting close to the Pacific Ocean. I was very excited to see it for the very first time and after a stop at the visitor center I pushed on to Fort Stevens State Park. The park is on the Ocean but I still didn't see it from the campsite so I quickly set up my tent and headed for the beach. It was an incredible feeling seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time! I relaxed on the beach and watched the sunset, it was wonderful! When I got back to camp I met several other bike tourists on there way down the coast. I had a few beers with new friends and fell asleep to the sound of the Pacific Ocean's crashing waves. So relaxing!
A foggy rainy morning
Astoria, Oregon
Columbia River - just before it meets the Pacific Ocean
My first view of the Pacific Ocean
Met a friend on the beach
August 13th - 43.23 / 3,172.02 - Fort Stevens State Park - Nehalem Bay State Park
Happy to wake up to a nice sunny day again! I started my bike ride down scenic Hwy 101. Parts of the ride were inland while other parts were along and high above the Ocean. After changing a flat tire I ran into Devian, one of the bikers I had met at camp the night before. We rode together for the rest of the day and stopped to check out the scenery at several amazing overlooks. There were a couple big climbs but the downhill sections were so much fun!! After setting up camp in the hiker/biker area we were treated to a Coast Guard helicopter demonstration in the park. I hung out with Devian and Tony again and made plans for our ride tomorrow.
Very popular sign
Me at Cannon Beach
The Oregon Coast
Noisy tunnel
Breathtaking views along Hwy 101
Just outside the park
Coast Guard chopper landed at the park
August 14th - 50.25 / 3,222.27 - Nehalem Bay State Park - Cape Lookout State Park
Today was somewhat chilly and cloudy but overall a really nice day. The ride started out pretty flat and passed through the countryside which reminded me a little bit of Wisconsin. After climbing a big hill I ran into Tony at the top and rode with him for the remainder of the day. We stopped for a really tasty Italian dinner just outside of the campground and brought some wine back to the campground. The hiker/biker site was awesome at Cape Lookout. We were very close to the beach and the campsites were very nice and secluded. It was one of my favorites so far. After some wine, a nice sunset, and plans for tomorrow I fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the ocean.
Peaceful road through the country
Tony crusing down 101
Hiker/Biker campsites all down the coast
Sunset at Cape Lookout
I could get used to this!
View from my campsite at sundown
August 15th - 58.77 / 3,281.04 - Cape Lookout State Park - Beverly Beach State Park
Allthough it was cloudy when I woke up it turned out to be a beautiful day on the Oregon Coast! After some coffee I hit the road with Tony and we instantly climbed a huge hill. After reaching the top we ran into some fellow riders Dirk and Dawn, very nice people! We cruised down the very fun winding steep hill and stopped for breakfast in the town of Pacific City. We went over several nice hills and had some incredible views of the Ocean throughout the day, lot's of fun! In the pirate town of Depoe City we stopped for Mexican food and then rode up the last big hill before camp. From there it was downhill into Beverly Beach State Park, another nice hiker/biker camp.
The Pacific Ocean
Capsized ship
Tasty breakfast
Taking a break on a bridge
The beautiful coast
Riding partner Tony
The signs make it easy to follow the route
Top of one of the many hills
August 16th - 20.24 / 3,301.28 - Beverly Beach State Park - South Beach State Park
Today we made plans to have a short day to get caught up on laundry and stuff. After a stop for coffee I rode with Tony through the city of Newport and crossed the Yaquina Bridge. Very fun but somewhat scary as well! We set up camp at South Beach and then crossed the bridge back into town again to do laundry and eat lunch. After crossing the exciting bridge for the third time we stopped at the Rogue Brewery for some beer samplings. The beer was very fresh and delicious! We bought a couple to go and headed back to the park to make dinner. Started a fire and cooked up some chili, potatoes, and corn on the cob. Yum! Another delicious meal and fun filled day.
Yaquina Bridge
Rogue Brewery
Taster Tray
No comments:
Post a Comment