June 28, 2013: MIM Day 13, Biggs to Cascade Locks OR

Today we rode 67 miles with 2300 feet of climbing in 5 1/4 hrs of bike time, on the Oregon side of the river. A surprising number of miles were on the shoulder of I-84. We enjoyed some spectacular Columbia Gorge scenery today.

As you can see, yesterday's desert has given way to much greener vistas.

We came around a curve and suddenly there was Mount Hood in all its glory. The town in the foreground is The Dalles, pronounced like "Dalz" with a short "A".

These photos were taken from the shoulder of the interstate, where we rode about half our miles today. Partially that is because in some places there is no other option, but toward the end of the day it was hot and we were tired, so we chose it over a steep climb on the alternate route.

A climb we were glad to have taken was to the top of the Rowena Crest. This shot was taken while still on the way up.

Yours truly, at the top of Rowena Crest. It was actually a pleasant 400 foot climb at 5%. The photo below tells the story of how it got to be that way.

If you look carefully, you will see a recreational rider coming up on the right side of the loop.

The geology of the Gorge.

Another view of the cyclist riding up the hill. He is one of more than a half-dozen we encountered. The climb is very popular with locals.

One of the local riders was kind enough to take this rare shot with both of us in it.

The problem with riding on the Interstate is not really safety, but rather the amount of debris in the shoulder. Here's Fred fixing his second flat of the trip. Inspection of the tube later in the day showed both the initial puncture and several "snake-bite" punctures that resulted from the time it took to stop.