Day 30: To Corbett

July 19, 2006

I was tired when I woke up this morning. I got up at 8 and on the road at 9:30. First I took the 1.5 mile bike trail to Starvation Creek Falls.

Unfortunately I had to backtrack 1.5 miles to continue going west. And unfortunately I had to go another 3 miles on I-84 to get to Wyeth Bench Road which is a peaceful country road that climbs 500 feet in a forest, then drops back to the river. It took me into the town of Cascade Locks where I stopped for lunch at a place called Char Buffet, a large restaurant with a great view of the Columbia River and the Bridge of the Gods. The food was fairly good. The restaurant seems to be popular with blue-haired tourists.

West of Cascade Locks is another section of bike trail. It has good views of Bonneville Dam but there is also a huge staircase with 60 stairs. This photo was taken by another bike tourist. He and his partner had only one day to go to finish their cross country tour that started in Virginia.

Not exactly an ideal bike trail. This is less than HALF of the stairs. It took two trips to carry my stuff to the top.The ramp on the side of the stairs is too narrow for a bike with panniers.

Bonneville dam and lock. It was the first dam built on the lower Columbia river.

I parked the bike and hiked a mile each way to see Wahclella falls. It's not very impressive compared to most of the other waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge.

I hiked a mile each way to see Wahclella Falls. 65 foot drop.

I'm now on the western side of the Cascades and the foliage is very lush. Most of the time the route is in dense shade. After Wahclella Falls I had to ride another 3 miles on I-84, then a few miles on a frontage road right next to I-84. I finally got to the Historic Columbia River Highway late in the afternoon. I rode this section on a bike tour in 1998.

Most of the Historic Columbia River Highway is in dense shade.

These guard rails are very graceful but probably very weak.

The next waterfall stop is Horsetail falls which is right next to the highway. You can see it without even stopping.

Horsetail Falls plunges 176 feet right next to the road.

I took a longer stop at Oneonta Gorge. I walked 1/2 mile into the narrow gorge to see the waterfall. It was great fun and it was amazing to feel how much cooler it was in the gorge. It was the highlight of the day for me because I had never seen it before.

I really enjoyed hiking in Oneonta Gorge.

Some wading is required to get to the prize...

The prize is 70 foot Lower Oneonta Falls, with a swimmable plunge pool.

Then a short stop with the crowds to see Multnomah Falls, the highest waterfall in the Pacific Northwest. Very impressive but I've seen it several times before. It's so popular that it has its own exit on I-84, and of course a huge parking lot.

Multnomah Falls drops 542 feet and 69 feet.

A mile past Multnomah falls I hiked down to see Bridalveil falls and up to see Latourell falls.

Bridal Veil Falls is the only big waterfall below the Old Columbia River highway. It drops 130 feet and you have to hike 1/3 mile to see it.

Latourel Falls drops 249 feet over an impressive overhanging basalt formation.

The old highway bridge across Latourel Creek was built in about 1920.

Seven big waterfalls in one day. Four I had never seen before. The climb to Crown Point starts almost immediately past Latourel falls. The road climbs gently (5% grade) to the viewpoint and museum on a bluff 800 feet above the Columbia River. The best view is looking upstream. It was especially good because the sun was so low in the sky at 7:30 PM.

No bike rack in the designated bicycle parking area.

Then a stop at the Portland Women's Forum overlook for another spectacular view of the Columbia Gorge. From there it was a short mostly downhill ride to the Crown Point RV Park in the town of Corbett. It was the only RV park I stayed at on this tour. At least they had two grassy tent sites. It cost $13.50 and I was happy to pay it because it was the only place to camp in the vicinity. I arrived at about 8 PM.

Today was partly cloudy with a high of 80F. Once again I had a headwind all day. But the wind wasn't as strong as it sometimes is. Today was a very long day because I spent so much time visiting waterfalls, hiking, and taking pictures. Days like this are what bike TOURING is all about.

Distance: 44.2 mi. (70.7 km)

Climbing: 2460 ft. (745 m)

Average Speed: 8.8 mph (14.1 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 41 mph (65.6 km/h)

Hiking: 4 mi. (6.4 km)

Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 1,354 miles (2,179 km)

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Charmaine RuppoltI agree - bike touring is all about taking your time, seeing the sights, taking pictures, hiking, etc.! :)
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