Day 4 Portland to Portland - Hood River to Condon, OR

 Well today was humbling day, but more on that later.


Day 4 moves us further west in Oregon, riding from Hood River to Condon.  this was going to be a long hot ride with a good bit of climbing.



The first part of the ride was great.  up and out of Hood River with good climbs and really ice descents.  We even stopped for a few pictures.




We left the Columbia Gorge Valley after the first rest stop and did what cyclists are NOT supposed to do - we followed the signs to the interstate and put in a few miles along the shoulder of I-84.  Fortunately, we were a nice long pace line and averaged 28+ mph.

Another rest stop before the pre-lunch climb



Now the fun begins.  Up, up and away we go.



Not a lot going on in this part of the state.  Fields of grain, wind turbines and....a pickleball court!  just happened to look over at a lonely industrial spot and the y had relined the one tennis court for Pickleball.  I assume they have at least 4 employees so they can have a game of doubles.  Found a neat old church at the top of the hill.




After lunch we had another climb.  By this point, it was getting hot and there are no trees providing any shade.  nothing to do, but keep going.  Finally at the top and we see the road sign letting truckers know there is a steep decline, for the next four miles!  No pedaling needed.

The temperature at the bottom of the hill registered >100 degrees.  Now it was time to start the 8.8 mile climb with >2200 feet of elevation.  At the end of the climb, we would still have 17 miles to go to get to Condon.  and we were all ready to be done.  Brutal was the only way to describe what was the hardest thing I have ever done.  Fortunately, I don't have to do it again!  We could see Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams from the top, but it was too hazy for a good picture.  Instead you get these, which were everywhere.




Exhausted and ready to get off the bike, we rolled into Condon.  Not a lot happening here for sure.  No craft brewery so today's beer was BYOB from Hood River.



Tomorrow will be here soon.  



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 36 - Oberlin to Newbury OH

Image
 Our last full day in Ohio.  80 miles on our way to Newbury, OH.  The hills are back for sure.  Today was just a warm up for what we have coming up between now and Sunday. Today we got a scary taste of how impatient drivers view cyclists.  While waiting at a road construction site with one lane traffic, a group of our cyclists were first in line.  The flagger turned the sign to allow them to go, and the car behind the group decided that she should go first.  She hit one of our Trek Travel guides and knocked her off of her bike.  Fortunately no injuries suffered,  The driver wouldn't hand over her license, but the group got plenty of pictures and there were many witnesses. Charges were filed at the local police station. On a lighter note, we chewed up the miles again today and were at our hotel by 2pm.  We have dubbed Ohio as a "photo-light" state.  Just not a lot of reasons to stop and take a picture.  Here are a few of the pic...
Read more

Day 46 Portland to Portland - North Conway NH to Portland ME and the Atlantic Ocean

Image
 We made it!  46 days.  3800 miles.  157k feet of elevation.  What an amazing trip.  The welcoming committee was tremendous.  Family, cowbells, posters, Maryland flags, dogs and champagne. And a tire dip in the Atlantic. We had a nice easy 68 miles today.  The anticipation grew as the ride went on and we could start to smell the ocean.  We arranged for our "lanterne rogue" to lead us to the beach.  74 year old rider from California who road every inch of the trip.  Most of them as a solo rider.  A true inspiration to us all.  75% of the riders were EFI.  No one voluntarily elected to get in the van to cut a day short.  Those that didn't complete every mile were sick, recovering from an accident or temporarily left the trip due to a death in the family.  Wow!  that is pretty impressive.   A trip I will never forget, relationships and memories that will last a lifetime and the knowledge that I w...
Read more

Day 41 - REST DAY in Cazenovia NY

Image
 0 miles and 0 ft of climbing.  This is the last time I will be able to say that until October 2!  The rest day was well timed for sure.  A day for a massage, getting my laundry done by the hotel (best $10 I have spent on the trip) Taco lunch with Heather and Sarah and dinner with fellow riders and the Byrne family(one of our riders is from Syracuse). It was great to see Kathleen's cousin Heather and her daughter Sarah.  We had a nice lunch at Mad Taco here in Cazenovia and a great visit.  They even brought some supplies to get me through the end of the trip.  Some local Syracuse food items and, of course, some local craft brews! This afternoon involved a walk into town and cracking open one of the craft brews lakeside in between rain showers. Yes, Sarah - you made the blog! Tomorrow we head to Piseco, NY.  The forecast is rain and mid 50 degree temps.
Read more