Another great day in Oregon

This is just one of a zillion scenes that can be seen while riding through the Columbia Gorge. This is from a bike path above I-84 on the south side of the river. You can see the river and the north (Washington) side . There is a postcard shot every minute and it is frustrating that the camera can not capture what the eye is actually seeing. Perhaps a better camera operator would do this more justice but this is what I have to work with.

The Bridge of the Gods runs across the Columbia at Cascade Locks . I had to find out why the name and learned that about 300 years ago a land slide blocked the river near here and the local Indians named it "the bridge of the gods". That landslide eventually was washed away , but when this bridge was built the name stuck. It cost $7.50 to cross and besides taking you to the other side it would be worth it to tell folks that you crossed The Bridge of the Gods as well.

New friend Art Addleman , formally from Reading Ohio near Cincinnati, standing by his limo waiting for a call from several ladies who were near by at a wine tasting event. Art and I hung out under an overhang for an hour waiting for a rain shower to pass by, Very interesting man, I could have talked to him for the rest of the day. He had some very detailed stories about the Mt. St. Helens eruption and the effect it had on the area--even 300 miles away. Art is also a part time bartender in The Dalles and clued me in on the "scene" in town. Although it sounded pretty exciting , this old biker was looking for a place to get some shuteye--also my clothes are due for a washing so it is best that I avoid a lot of social contact right now.

One of the aspects of riding along a highway, especially an Interstate, is that you see so much stuff that gets lost and/or thrown away there. Saw some interesting items and it made me think of my dad who passed last year. Pete , a product of the Great Depression, was infamous for spotting and stopping to pick up any items he saw along the roadway that might have some value or use in the future. He would stop anywhere , much to the chagrin of my sainted mother Rose who could not understand why a discarded bolt or a dented gas can was worth adding to the large pile of stuff already back at the farm. Some (my wife and sons) would say that I inherited a good deal of dad's joy on other people's discards and they are probably right.
Being a bit of a world traveler himself in the day, Pete would have loved this trip but probably more so all the cool stuff laying along the road. Although it hurt me to pass up that run over damaged vice grips and flashlight as well as all the many bungie cords and rubber truck straps , I just did not have the room to carry it all. I did stop and pick up a perfectly good purple magic marker, which I am sure will be of some use during this trip.

As a tribute to Dad I stopped and picked up a short length of chain to carry the rest of the trip. Pete specialized in collecting peices of roadway chain--there are still barrels of the stuff at the farm, over 50 years worth.
So here is a pic of the chain I picked up to honor pops.


It was a great day to be alive and biking in Oregon. This Columbia Gorge is a national natural treasure. Rode to The Dalles (which is french for "the dolls" about 40 miles and enjoyed every inch.
Started in Cascade Locks at the Eastwind Drive thru and ordered one of their BACON-cheeseburgers. This is a hell of a sandwich with equal parts bacon-hamburger and cheese. I took one bite and I immediately had a vision of Lou Fischer a good friend from Ohio and a lover of all things pork/beef. Lou if you are reading this you have to make the trip, I guarantee you will find it to your liking. Afterwards I talked to the cook and complimented her style. I also warned her that a guy named Lou would drop by someday and for her to take care of him. She wrote his name down.

While riding on a stretch of I-84 I was visited by the dreaded FOB-OH (flat on back -on hill). It could have been worse , like in a rainstorm. There was a turnout near by that had shade and I had no problem fixing flat. Actually had 3 different folks stop to see if I needed help. Oregon is a wonderful place.
Today is The Dalles area looking for the wind surfers to watch. This is advertised as the Windsurfing Capitol of the World.