Exploring the Gorge on Independence Day

I woke up early again today.  Like 3:30 AM early.  Not because that was the plan, but because the temperature was hovering around 40 degrees on the morning after we were finally able to break out the tents.  My sleeping bag is only rated at 40 degrees, which means I probably should not use it for anything under 60.  I struggled to stay warm and doze until about 5:00, and decided it was time to take a nice long, warm shower.

Ken was already packed up and ready to go, so I threw everything on the bike as quickly as I could and we were off.  After a quick breakfast, it was a fast 170 miles to our next destination.  The mileage for the day kept decreasing as we we able to add extra mileage during the days before.  The ride today will mark the last day of the outbound rides that were planned to be entirely interstate...

With about 100 miles left on the route to Cascade Locks, we hit the Columbia River at Blalock Canyon.  Here, and later at Philippi Canyon, the river had eroded the landscape over time.  The canyons were marked by sheer rock walls and, at times, it felt as if I could hold out both arms and scrape the canyon walls with my left hand while testing the river water's temperature with my right.  We fallowed right along the water's edge for most of the next 60 miles.  At one point during this leg, we rounded a bend at John Day Dam and were greeted with a spectacular view of the snow covered Mt. Hood in the distance.  It was a scene that would play out many times during the ride...

As we closed in on our destination, the Columbia River cuts through the Cascade Mountain range.  The slopes on the Oregon and Washington sides of the river are not as steep, and they began to fill with evergreens.  By the time we hit Cascade Lakes, the slopes were covered by this vegetation.

We found a campsite for the night and quickly put up our tents, then we were off to explorer the area.  No deadlines and no destination...  We it historic US-30 heading west towards Portland, where we were greeted by huge crowds and some awesome scenery.  Horsetails Falls, Multnomah Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, among others.  The Last gem on the route was the Vista House, which lent a birds-eye view of the Columbia River Gorge basin.

Tomorrow, we begin our days on the back roads of the northwest.  Pictures later...