Dolly's Bike Blog

The boat docking was delayed this morning due to overnight traffic through the locks.  We finally docked at Umatilla, OR around 8 am and quickly loaded onto buses toward Pendleton, OR.  We were actually let out at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute where the trucks also distributed our bikes.  The museum had displays about the history of the Indian tribes of the area and how they were affected by white immigrants and later treaties.

We then cycled 9 miles into the actual town of Pendleton and enjoyed the Underground tour highlighting the town’s history.  Lunch was in the Saloon at Hamley’s, before we again boarded buses to bypass some “yucky roads.”  We were driven to a remote crossroads near wheat fields and dirt roads, the buses were unloaded, the bikes were unloaded, and off we rode, mostly downhill for some hot, dry 20 miles back down to the Columbia River.  While many teams opted to quit there, we continued on for another 10 miles along the river, crossing out of Oregon into Washington, before loading the tandem onto a truck and ourselves onto a bus.

The boat had moved upriver to Sacajawea State Park at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers.  Once everyone had boarded, the boat continued up the Snake River through 4 locks overnight, docking at Nisqually John Landing.

This blog post delayed due to non-existent internet connection in the remote areas upriver.  I’ll write a final day summary and add some photos, now that I am back in the land of internet.

I was mistaken in my last post.  We were docked Thursday night at The Dalles.

After being greeted by Foozies and Cowboys as we got off the boat (representing the early history of the town), we biked from The Dalles along the Riverfront Trail to the Oregon Museum of Discovery. In addition to lots of information about the Lewis & Clark expedition, we saw a Raptor Show, with a red-tailed hawk, a horned owl and an American kestrel.

Back on the bike we made our way up a 2-3 mile long uphill to Rowena Crest – beautiful view of the River but a slow, steady climb.

Continuing west again, we stopped in the town of Mosier for coffee and Porsches – a local has a collection in the building adjoining the coffee shop.  Definitely thought of my son-in-law Matt and his love for all things car-related.

Another climb back up to the cyclist/pedestrian Mark Hatfield Trail, a more gentle climb than the previous one to Rowena Crest.

From there we decided to try one of the “Fruit Loops” into the Hood River valley.  Another steep climb with an superb view of Mt. Hood to the south, as well at Mt. Adams to the north. We realized we were too tired to do the additional 20 miles (good choice as some of the roads turned to gravel we were told).  We found our own route back into Hood River, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Celilo Restaurant in Hood River before riding to the Wal-Mart parking lot to drop off our bike and ride a bus for the remaining 20+ miles back to the boat.

The boat had back-tracked from The Dalles to Stevenson, WA, while we were also biking west. The boat set off promptly and will be cruising all night to dock at Umatilla for our Saturday ride.

35 miles, 2375 ft ascent.

We opted for the 12-mile longer route today.   At times, we regretted that decision as we struggled with some steep uphill over the first 6-7 miles.  Twice we got off the bike to catch our breath and let our heart rates return to something close to normal.

The anticipated vistas from Chanticleer Point and Vista House were not quite spectacular due to morning haze, but still the river is picturesque and immense. Our route was mostly along the Historical Columbia River Highway, beside Interstate 84.  We rode past multiple waterfalls, stopping for a longer time at Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon, falling over 600 ft.  Though there was plenty of water flowing, I can imagine far greater intensity earlier in the spring as the snow melts.

Continuing east, we stopped at the Bonneville Hatchery with its many ponds of fingerling salmon, as well as trout and sturgeon.  We wandered at the Bonneville Dam and Lock and saw the fish climbing up the fish ladders.

Crossing over the Bridge of the Gods to the Washington side, we stopped at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center and learned much more about the formation of the Columbia River, and continued into Stevenson, WA to board the boat.

Shortly after we completed our bike ride, the boat set off for an evening cruise, back west on the Columbia River, so that we could experience the Bonneville Lock and see the lowering of the boat from upriver to downriver, approximately 60 ft at this dam.  We also saw Multnomah Falls from the river – a different experience.

Overnight the boat will go further east up the river to Umatilla, OR, near The Dalles.

38.98 miles, 2975.7 ft ascent.