First and foremost, I am dealing with a technical issue, that is not allowing me to upload pics from my phone right now. So, one way or the other, they will eventually arrive... I promise!
I decided to ride down the Columbia River Gorge, from Pendleton to Portland. More importantly, I decided to scoot up into Washington State, and take their SR-14 along the North side of the river into Vancouver then down into Portland.
I love taking the not so fast kind of roads most of the time. The best thing about this particular road, was that it was slower. Often times, people just whiz on down an Interstate... not taking the time to look, see, observe, experience, and in my particular case, often stop for a few minutes every once in awhile. The landscape changed three times, from arid highland, to mixed, to coastal. The Columbia River did as well!
To give you an idea, my 4 hour ride took almost 6 hours! Now I did stop a few times... just to stop, visit a particular place, fuel, eat, recycle... my point is this: Slow down! If you can't, then build in/add an extra day! And just stop every now and then!
The winds coming up the Gorge often buffet... which adds to the ride, especially when they are headwinds! Then there is the mist, not rain, just the gentle wetting that occurs that lets one know they are literally riding through a cloud! Imagine that for a moment...
When I was working in Flight Medicine, I was blessed by a pilot that recognized a rainbow ahead... they climbed to an altitude that allowed us to see the rainbow as a complete circle. And then, we flew through it! If you ever get the opportunity to experience such an event, do whatever it takes to make it happen!
I arrived in Portland, drove a little farther South than I intended to, and had to back-track up to where I needed to be. I am old school with cell-phone apps, ended up accessing the Internet, got onto a mapping website, entered my current address and where I wanted to go... Two and a half miles South! Oops! Better pay closer attention to directions next time, mister! My overnight host was delayed a little... yet being a nomad biker, I was easily able to entertain myself for a few hours.
A very dear friend, from High School days... for those counting, just shy of 30 years for me... took me in for two nights. I will be forever grateful for their generosity! I am also grateful that I was able to help them, serve others, and make just a small difference one day.
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