Cruising the waterfalls to Portland

July 4, 2023

Ainsworth State Park is a great launching point for our final day in the Gorge and last day on the road. We don't get far before the show starts.

One mile from the campground we ride up to Horsetail Falls. We are practically alone here and I am zoning out on the sound of the falling water. I could fall asleep to this.

A little water music to go...

Not long after Horsetails Falls we ride up to the Oneonta Tunnel, one of four tunnels on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Completed in 1914, it was blasted 125 feet through the bluff. After I-84 bypassed the historic highway in 1948 the tunnel was filled in. Almost 60 years later it was dug out, renovated and opened as part of the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail.

Oneonta Bluff towers over the tunnel ahead.

After burning up in the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, the tunnel was restored and reopened again in 2021.

Graceful, sturdy-looking railings on the Oneonta bridge

We pass lots of cyclists on the scenic route today. I think it's the best way to experience it.

It's just a few more miles to the next natural wonder - Multnomah Falls. You need a timed entry ticket to come here by car. On bikes we waltz in whenever we like.

At 620 feet, Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the U.S. The upper section plunges 543 feet to a pool and then drops again under the dramatic Benson Bridge. It's quite a sight to see.

In Benson State Park, possibly part of Wahkeena Falls. I wish we had time to hike around all of these beautiful waterfalls.

There are more waterfalls to be seen here from the hiking trails. For today we'll settle for what's right off the road, which is pretty amazing.

The kids climbing around below Bridal Veil Falls are part of the show

We've only ridden nine miles and have already seen more wondrous sights than I could imagine in this short time. The public and private investment that has restored this scenic highway is such a gift.

I want one more sound clip to take home with us...

Now we get to the climb of the day, an 800 foot ascent over 3 miles around switchbacks through Guy Talbot State Park. Considering that it's Independence Day, the traffic isn't bad on the scenic road and drivers are patient. I guess most of the cars must be on I-84. Barry sprints up the hill. I'm content to plug along at 4 or 5 mph.

At the top of the hill on Crown Point we arrive at Vista House, another brainchild of Samuel Lancaster, the visionary engineer who designed the Columbia River Highway. His idea was to build "an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite." I can get behind that. Edgar Lazarus designed the octagonal stone building in Art Nouveau style. It was completed in 1918.

I get a few cheers from onlookers as I round the last curve

It's 1:30 when we ride into the center of Corbett to find an old time Fourth of July celebration complete with dunk tank, face painting, food trucks and live music. We still have 30 miles to go, gonna need some fuel.

Glad to find the food trucks here. Barry gets barbecue, I inhale a big slab of strawberry shortcake.

While we're here I check in with Tim Shepard, a new friend we met through Terry and Mary Fran, our longtime friends in Portland. Tim has kindly offered to store our bikes at his South Landing condo. We'll see Tim in a little while; he's going to ride up and meet us for the final push into the city.

After lunch we get our reward for the work chugging up to Vista House. Over the next seven miles we drop 800 feet on a mostly empty road down to Troutdale, at the west end of the scenic Columbia highway.

In Troutdale we cross the Sandy River Bridge. Built in 1912, it was the first modern bridge on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The bridge spans the Sandy River Ford that served generations of settlers on the Oregon Trail. Below the bridge kids are rafting and playing in the water on this hot July 4th afternoon.

What a thrill ride this has been through the Gorge over the last three days. I would have been happy to spend a couple more days exploring this area. Maybe after they finish the bike trail to Hood River we'll come back and do the whole 75 mile scenic route again from Troutdale to The Dalles. Construction is underway on the Mitchell Point Tunnel project that will connect the last segment from Viento State Park to Hood River, eliminating the need to ride the six miles on I-84 that we did yesterday.

We've burned up a lot of the day and it's getting hot. There's 20 miles to go, better get cracking. At least the course is pretty flat from here. We continue along the river past the marina on the Marine Drive Trail, admiring the powerboats and sailboats on the water. It's lucky there's no headwind today.

My faithful riding buddy right there in the rear view mirror

There's almost 10 miles on this easy trail.

Tim finds us on Vancouver Way and leads us south through the city to a maze of bike paths and bridges along the Willamette River. A big July 4th celebration happening on the river adds a level of chaos to the scene. Barry and I are both fading, our water bags are hot and nearly empty and I'm so grateful we don't have to navigate this on our own.

1922 Steel Bridge, a vertical lift bridge that carries train, bike, pedestrian, auto and light rail traffic. It's one of the most multi-modal bridges in the world.

We cross over the Willamette River on the Tilikum Bridge which is open only to pedestrians, cyclists and transit. I love the elegant cable-stayed design, similar to the Clark Bridge at home near Alton IL.

Tilikum Crossing, the Bridge of the People

We bag two more trails on the west side - the Moody Avenue Trail and the Willamette Greenway - on the way to Tim's place. Tim and Terry arranged for us to finish the ride here so we wouldn't have to climb one more ridiculous hill at the end of the day up Burnside Road to Terry and Mary Fran's place. Really good call, we're done for today. Tomorrow we'll ride to a bike shop that will pack up the bikes and ship them home.

Thanks to Mary Fran for the short finish line video...

Thank you Tim for leading us safely to the end!

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Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 1,301 miles (2,094 km)

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Comment on this entry	Comment	6

Andrea BrownWelcome to Portland, I hope you enjoy your stay.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamTo Andrea BrownThank you! We had some good R&R time here. I'll be back with an update in a day or so.
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1 year ago

Kelly IniguezThat's an excellent last day of the tour. I've enjoyed riding along with you!
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamTo Kelly IniguezThanks Kelly! We really had no notion of what the Gorge was when we planned the trip. I can't imagine a better finale for scenery.
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1 year ago

Mike AylingThanks for an informative journal.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamTo Mike AylingThanks for following along, and for the technological intel on my bike. It was a solid machine for the trip, even if the low gears did slow my roll more than usual.
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1 year ago