7-13-2013
Hi everyone!
We have been out in woods and out
of touch, so I try to get you caught up. We wanted to start out in a more gradual
way, so for the first few days we shortened the route a little to warm up.
Last Wednesday we left Ashford
and took the Skate Creek road to Randle. Just like the last few days, the
weather was perfect.
Mount Rainier from Skate Creek |
The ten mile climb was no big deal, and the road was
quiet. We stayed at an RV “resort” campground near Randle. It had a golf course
and we were able to watch approach shots to a green from our tent site.
The next day we tried a real
test, Randle to Eagle Cliffs. This was a forty five mile up-and-over to the
Swift reservoir on the 25 road. We did about a twenty four mile 3600’ climb
with the last four miles over ten percent grade. We did just fine. Esther’s
foot is not going to slow us down. The 25 road goes south between Mount St.
Helen’s and Mount Adams. It is very scenic and quiet with just a little bit of
helicopter logging (Smile). Just past the Swift reservoir we stayed at a small
campground named Eagle Cliffs that is truly off the grid. It had 24hr water
pressure, but the generator was turned off at 6PM so the office/store closed,
and all the lighting was turned off. I brought a lantern in to the shower room
for light. It was really dark at night there. We also had no cell phone
coverage since Randle, so we left our phones turned off.
In honor of the great bike trip
Pete, Geoff, and I took to Yellowstone, we cooked up some “Flathead Lake
Special” at Eagle Cliffs. This special treat is made from canned chili, ramen noodles,
and canned corn. It was delicious!
The next day we left Eagle Cliffs
to head down to Stevenson, WA. We had to climb out of the Swift reservoir area,
and that climb started as soon as we left camp. It was shorter than the
previous day, but still very steep.
Mt. St. Helens from the 25 Rd. |
Curley Creek Road |
We left Stevenson WA today and
crossed into Oregon at Cascade Locks. We walked over most of the Bridge of the
Gods due to the steel grated deck on the bridge. Esther did not want to risk a
hard landing on her foot.
It was a great view from the bridge.
We had a hard
time finding a place to stay near Hood River. We ended up tonight in a B&B
in Odell OR. The B&B is on a Winery south of Hood River. They grow apples,
pears and grapes here, and the locals are nice.
Sunset at the Pheasant Valley Winery |
We are going to get a nice
breakfast tomorrow, which we will burn by cycling to Government Camp. I don’t
think it is very steep, but it will be a climb most of the day.
Esther and I have biked in this
area several times before and it is a favorite of ours. You have great views of
Mount Adams and Mount Hood from here and it is all agricultural. Nice quiet
farm roads.
We will be in rooms more in the next week, so
you will hear more from us.
What did you think of Hood River? We are headed there in early August. See any good hiking trails as you biked along?
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