Troutdale to Hood River

The day started out with pleasant temperatures, so we headed out about 7:15 AM. The first twenty miles were manageable climbs and some long downhills. The scenery was beautiful with views of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River. There were lots of waterfalls and hiking trails but not enough time to do much exploring.

As the temperature edged into the 90's, so did the intensity of the ride. We had to enter on to Interstate 84, not a bike friendly place! Though there were good shoulders most of the time, the debris from truck tire blowouts and glass, plus the speed of the traffic, made for some intense riding. I was leading my pack of three and got a rear tire flat; one of those wires from the truck tires, about 2 inches long. Then two other riders caught up to us and we entered a construction area on a bridge where the road narrowed. There were signs up to share the road with the bikes but only a few truckers were able to change lanes before coming upon us. Trucks pulling campers came very close to us. It was the biggest challenge I had to deal with since I started biking! I was praying all the way that my little group, now grown to five, would get safely over the bridge and onto a bigger shoulder. Later we heard others walked the whole thing. We had a short stint off I-84 where another person in our group got a flat. We had lunch near The Bridge of the Gods which connects Oregon to Washington. To avoid I-84 for a few miles we climbed 1.5 miles up a pretty steep grade before flying back down to the interstate. We were back on I-84 for ten miles, but the shoulder was better. The Best Western in Hood River is where we are staying tonight. We are having Salmon and Steelhead cooked on the grill tonight for dinner. My roommate tonight is Penny from Hawaii. Todays stats: 57.17 miles.