Day 2 - August 1: Troutdale OR - Cascade Locks OR

33 miles.  2085 feet up, 2039 feet down.

I remember Cascade Locks well from our Sierra Cascades ride in 2016.  If I remember correctly (and I do; I just checked) we were here June 8 & 9 of that year.  June 10 was to be a huge day for us - 169 km and 8500 feet of climbing.  The weather was crappy - cold and wet.  Thank goodness a forestry road we were to travel on was closed (not yet open for the season) and WT pulled us off the road after about 68 km.  And - Emily fed us grilled cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate in the van while we waited for everyone to make it that far..........

Well - a much different temperature today!  The highest I saw on my Garmin was 37.6C.  Yikes!

We had a nice gentle ride to start us off.  Away from the hotel shortly after 8.  But first, I had to arrange to leave my car at the hotel for the month and move it to a designated parking spot.  Hope it stays well for the month!  Cy had threatened luggage weigh-in the morning, but true to form she got distracted doing other things as soon as she brought the scales out.  I'm guessing I'm pretty close to the limit but I'm not prepared to leave anything behind.  

A little mechanical issue with one of the recumbents before it even hit the road.


Just down the street from our hotel we got on the Historic Columbia River Highway - the original road through the gorge.  The interstate now runs parallel to the river largely at river level, but the old highway meanders up higher.  Benefits of the old highway, besides much lower traffic volume at much lower speeds, included lots of shade and lots of waterfalls.  





The waterfalls along this route are a big deal.  We saw the Waterfall Trolley, and lots of tourists on bikes.  They get driven up to the top of the hill and then ride down while stopping at all the waterfalls along the way.  


Also lots of fruit stands and lavender fields.



First SAG stop at Portland Women's Forum and Scenic Viewpoint.









Back on the road............



Vista House at Crown Point...........




Thankfully lots of shade on the road.


Then the waterfalls started.  First up - Talbot State Park and Latourell Falls.




Lots of moss and moisture everywhere.  Oh, and the trolley bus too.




Next up:  Bridal Veil Falls.


Movin' on..........


To Wahkeena Falls.



Multnomah Fall (and a multitude of tourists).












Horsetail Falls.


At about 26 miles we were done with the waterfalls and the historic highway.  We then started down the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail pretty much through to the end of the day.




Glimpses of the Bonneville Dam.




I visited this place on our rest day in Cascade Locks in 2016.


And finally into the hamlet of Cascade Locks, home of Bridge of the Gods.  The challenge today wasn't the ride itself, but rather making a 55 km ride last 8 hours since we couldn't check into the hotel until 4 pm.  I managed to stretch it out to arrive at 3, so I went down to a local park by the river and had a little nap in the shade for a while.  Nice...........










Great first day!


The Ride:

Garmin:  56.44 km.  2270 feet up, 2252 feet down.

RWGPS:  58.6 km.  681m up, 679m down 

Maximum temperature:  37.6C

The Route:


Cascade Locks, OR:  Population 1,530

The city got its name from a set of locks built to improve navigation past the Cascades Rapids of the Columbia River.  The US federal government approved the plan for the locks in 1875, construction began in 1878, and the locks were completed in 1896.  The locks were subsequently submerged in 1938, replaced by Bonneville Lock and Dam.  Cascade Locks is just upstream from the Bridge of the Gods, a toll bridge that spans the Columbia River.  It is the only bridge across the Columbia between Portland and Hood River.  Cascade Locks is used frequently by hikers along the PCT to cross the Columbia River.  It is the lowest point along the trail and is the largest city directly on the trail.




















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