Circumnavigating the Gorge…

You know, I’ve visited a few places in my time and I have a few favorites.   I have to tell you that the Columbia River Gorge is right at the top of the list.   This area, in a word, is beautiful.  We sure are having a good time, and tomorrow it’s over as we fly back to California.  But I’ll be back.  I love it up here.

Sue and I flew to Portland on Southwest (my favorite airline) for a quick 48-hour circumnavigation of the Columbia River Gorge, and it has been fantastic.  I wish I could tell you I did the ride on a motorcycle, but it was four wheels for us on this trip due to the limited time I had to do it.  We picked a Hyundai Veloster at the National rental lot in Portland, mostly because of car’s color and its styling…

It’s an interesting car and it sure is pretty.   I’ve probably put a couple of hundred miles on it in the last two days and the gas gage tells me I still have more than half a tank of gasolina left.

The drill on the Oregon side of the Gorge is to stay on Highway 30, the Historic Route that roughly parallels the Columbia River.  The views are stunning and the road is just perfect for a motorcycle adventure.  We have to organize a CSC ride up here sometime.

Most of the photos I posted yesterday were along this road.   The views today were equally as breathtaking…

This is a premier wildflower area, and they were out in force today.

A shot of the Columbia River in the Rowena Crest area…

We crossed the Columbia (after riding east for most of this morning) at Biggs.   That’s the same place we crossed into Washington on the 5000-mile Western America Adventure ride.  Once we were in Washington, we turned left on Highway 14. That’s Mt. Hood (a snow-covered inactive volcano in Oregon), as seen from west-bound Highway 14 in Washington…

Another view along Highway 14…

Sue and I couldn’t decide which side of the Columbia River Gorge was more scenic.  The views and the roads are impressive on both the Oregon and Washington sides.

Hey, check this out…it’s the Bridge of the Gods, one of my favorite places on the planet.   Riding through this area without riding across the Bridge of the Gods would be a crime against nature.   Here’s the view from the Washington side…

…and here’s what it looks like as you drive across…

And one more photo, this time from the Oregon side…

We’re staying in Hood River and it is a nice little town.  We just had a fabulous dinner in a local restaurant outside the tourist area.   Yeah, I’ll be back.  I love this place.

Our hotel is right on the river, and as it turns out, it is a favored spot for kite boarding and stand up paddling.  I shot a few photos of that earlier this afternoon.  It looks easy from a distance, but up close, these guys were working hard.  It was a lot easier just taking pictures than it would have been to do it.   Next time, maybe…

And folks, that about wraps it up.

I’m thinking this would make for an ideal two-day adventure ride, and Hood River is the place to stage out of.    If any of you CSC riders would like to set this up, let me know!