Day 5 - August 4: Hermiston OR - Walla Walla WA

54 miles.  1631 feet up, 1137 feet down.

Breakfast at 7 and departure close to 8.  It was already 24C by the time we were on the bikes.  It took us a few miles to get away from the rural properties on the outskirts of Hermiston.  I'm sure glad that stretch didn't last long.  No scenic value and a few loose dogs looking for someone to chase on a Sunday morning.  Rural residential and some farming in evidence.  Mostly cattle and some crops.  And - a few bison mixed in.


Soon enough we were on to State Route 207, then at 7 miles we were onto US 730.  Shortly after that was the turnoff to Hat Rock State Park.  With lots of time on our hands, most of us turned into there to take a look.  Hat Rock is said to be the first distinctive landmark passed by Lewis & Clark on their expedition down the Columbia, and is one of the few remaining sites not underwater. 

Roadside rock formations



Shortly after that diversion the highway moved closer to the Columbia River/Lake Wallula, and the scenery improved accordingly.  





We saw lots of pelicans out for a Sunday morning float.  One looked like it had a mini-me with it, but it was too far away for a picture.





At about 19 miles we crossed the state line into Washington..............















Some roadside scenery as we moved away from the lake/river.





At about 37 miles I was waiting for the RWGPS voice to whisper in my ear that it was time to turn off towards our second SAG stop of the day.  She failed to do that, so I sailed on by.  I realized my mistake fairly quickly, but decided against backtracking.  I had enough water to last me to the end so I just carried on and corrected at the next freeway exit.  Off in the distance of the picture below is the road I was supposed to be on.  I could see it from where I was, and it paralleled the highway so "route development" wasn't too risky.


Some cattle are in for a "square meal" at some point...............


Getting closer to Walla Walla.  Lots of wineries and farmland.  A mixture of cowboys and vintners.  I didn't stop for many pictures on this last stretch.  I was just ready to be done and get in out of the heat (which hit 41.9C before noon!)








Rest day tomorrow - yay!


The Ride:

Garmin:  89.92 km.  1471 feet up, 1021 feet down.

RWGPS:  90.6 km.  806m up, 654m down.

Temperature range:  24C - 41.9C

Calories burned (according to Garmin with heart rate monitor):  690

Calories consumed in the last 24 hours:  thousands more than that!


The Route:


Walla Walla WA:  Population 34,060

Walla Walla's history starts in 1806 when the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered the Walawalatama people near the mouth of Walla Walla River.  Other inhabitants of the valley included the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Nez Perce indigenous peoples.  In 1818, Fort Walla Walla, a fur trading outpost run by Hudson's Bay Company, was established and operated as an important stopping point in Oregon Country.  Abandoned in 1855, it is now underwater behind the McNary Dam.  The city eventually developed into an agricultural centre and is a popular source for onions, apples, peas, and wine grapes.  As of 2020 there were over 120 wineries in the greater Walla Walla area.  Washington State's official vegetable is the Walla Walla sweet onion.  The cultivating of wheat also grew in importance over time.  In July 2011, USA Today selected Walla Walla as the friendliest small city in the US.  Walla Walla is Nez Perce for "place of many waters", because the original settlement was at the junction of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.  18% of the population live below the poverty line.  














Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1 - July 31: Troutdale, OR

Although technically "Day 1", it really is just a travel and introduction day.  I left Bend about 8 am with plans to drop my luggage at the hotel in Troutdale and then carry on to the NW side of Portland to find Mary's house where I was going to leave my car.  But - it appears that there is an option to just leave my car at the Troutdale hotel (for a fee, of course) for the duration of the trip.  That sounded just too easy, so that's what I've chosen to do.  I haven't spoken to the manager, though (she's not in until the morning), so hopefully there won't be any surprises.  People trickled in through until about 2, when our orientation started.  There are lots of familiar faces amongst the troops.  In addition, there were a few women (who I also knew from previous trips) who were here to see us off.  So - kind of like old home week.  And, I've met three women so far who have never been on a WT trip before.  All in all, it seems like a gr...
Read more

Day 30 - August 29: St. Helens OR - Portland OR

Image
38 miles.  2895 feet up, 2916 feet down.   Last day......  a bit melancholy.  A short day for the riders and a busy day for the guides.  We were away from the hotel about 8-ish.  Thankfully we weren't on the busy US 30 very long.  We were through residential areas and rural properties pretty much right from the start.  Saw this empty logging truck parked at one of the houses.  Just FYI - this is what they look like when they're not hauling logs. Once again I found the light challenging - both to see the holes in the road and to be sure that drivers could see us.  Maybe I'm just being paranoid.  Kudos to all the women riding this tour.  There were a couple of minor spills (riders tipped over at low or no speed), but no injuries or accidents.   Another mile or so on US 30 and then into the town of Scappoose at mile 10. Another 1.7 miles on US 30.  While the traffic noise was unpleasant, there were some nice flowers...
Read more

Day 28 - August 27: Manzanita OR - Astoria OR

Image
45 miles.  3111 feet up, 3137 feet down. Another beautiful day where it's hard to remember what this morning was like.  First up - Emily had prepared smoothies and amazing breakfast burritos for us all.  I could only eat half my burrito, so took the rest of it for lunch; yum!  It was tough to say farewell to our lovely seaside setting............ We could see where we were headed, though.  The notch between the rocks and the trees on the far left-hand side of the picture below.  And that's on the downhill, so we'll be climbing for a bit to get up above that.  Our biggest climb of the day right out of the gate. The climb begins gently enough. Great views out over the water in a number of places. And here's some of that rock up close. Looks like kids' surf lesson time at the Short Sands Trailhead turnoff (mile 4.6)  More cruisin' on the downhill. This is a look back at the Arch Cape Tunnel.  I couldn't find the button to activate the "cyclists ...
Read more