Day 79 - July 21 - Viento State Park, OR to Troutdale, OR - Two Old Guys Take On A Continent

July 21, 2023

Day 79 - July 21 - Viento State Park, OR to Troutdale, OR

Stairway to Heaven

Ed’s Story

I slept pretty good last night despite the interstate traffic and trains. I put earplugs in before bed and that helped. They fell out about 4:00 AM and then the noise was heard.

We cooked a hot breakfast before we took off.

We headed out. About 30% of the ride today was on dedicated bike paths. Most of these paths paralleled the interstate but were in the woods.

But what does that mean? Hills. Woods aren’t flat. They didn’t carve out a smooth level path for bikes like they do for cars when they build roads. So….a lot of climbing.

Sunrise over the gorge following a climb.

We stopped for coffee and a strudel in Cascade Locks, OR. This was about the 13 mile point and we already had a major climb.

We continued riding after we left town and ended up back on the bike path.

One of the first streams/mini-falls we saw.

Booneville Lock and Dam after leaving Cascade Locks.

One of the items in our logistics file identified that we had to climb a flight of stairs 40 ft high as there was a disconnect between the bike trail and the road.

They were definitely there. We had to take our panniers off and carry them to the top before pushing the bikes. That resulted in 4 trips up and down as we helped with each others bikes. There was a slot you put the wheel in to push.

Shortly after leaving the falls, we came to a 760 ft climb over 3.3 miles. Slow but made it to the top, where we found….

We worked our way to Troutdale; stopped for lunch and a beer (or two); then headed to the Motel 6. This is seriously one of the smallest rooms we’ve had on our trip.

Had to move the bed to get John’s bike in.

The first room we were given was unsatisfactory. The lights above the bed didn’t work properly; the light above the bathroom sink didn’t work; and the sink was filled/backed up with brown water.

We got a different room after we complained, but it is just as small. Headed to the Oppenheimer movie; a post-movie beer; then back to the motel.

Tomorrow is our last rest day. Our next motel visit will be on the 28th, the day before we fly home.

Until next time, happy biking!

John’s Story

Another dry night. Could have left the fly off the tent. This morning said au revoir to Kevin and Gary and hit the road. There was a pretty good wind, but unless we were down low next to the interstate it wasn’t too bad.

Most of todays ride was on US 30, either as a bike trail or an actual highway. When on the trail we were usually going through a tunnel of trees.

Some of the first clouds we’ve seen in a week. There is moisture in the air here that’s been missing. It’s hard to form a cloud when the humidity is 10%.

Jurassic Park. The T-Rex is behind the big rock.

Very interesting seed pods. I’m assuming there used to be flowers here.

Perhaps I’ve photographed these before. It’s becoming a blur.

The original roadbed for US 30 dates back 100 years. It was the first paved highway in the Pacific Northwest (or so I’m told). In places it is so narrow that two modern cars could not pass one another. It is certainly nice to ride a bike on, especially without motor vehicle traffic.

There was a lot of Queen Anne’s lace just blooming, so I caught it at several stages of opening.

Bill, I see here the red spot in the center of the flower cluster that you referred to that I didn’t recognize in my first picture of Queen Anne’s lace some days ago.

Around here there are thickets of blackberry bushes everywhere, but not all have ripe berries. I finally found a likely spot on the way into Cascade Locks and snacked on several handsful.

For you drivers not on the West Coast, this is what you’re missing.

Another view at the top of the Stairway to Heaven.

I don’t know why they had to tunnel through this little bit of rock 100 years ago instead of going around it.

My shot of Multnomah Falls. Several years ago we climbed the trail to the top, about 600’ straight up. I didn’t see the need to repeat that today.

A closeup of that little bridge in the previous picture.

View to the east from Vista House at Crown Point.

Vista House was part of the original US 30 highway design. The highway was meant to open up the scenic views along the gorge to the motoring public.

It was a lovely miles long descent from Crown Point almost all the way to Troutdale. We sidetracked ourselves to this bar and grill for lunch and a beer about a mile short of our motel.

We Ubered to a theater to see Oppenheimer, then walked next door to another bar and grill for a nightcap, before Ubering back to the motel. Dinner was popcorn, M&Ms and a bottle of water.

Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 327 miles (526 km)

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