On our first full morning in Hood River, we decided to do a cycling excursion with the fam along the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. I think it was about 20 miles round-trip from the shop to Mosier and back.
Formerly U.S. Highway 30, it’s now closed to cars, and the trail curves around cliffs overlooking the Columbia River. It was the most scenic bike ride I’ve experienced. Joe and I rented a tandem Raleigh road bike from Discover bike shop in Hood River. Joe said that the joke on RAGBRAI is to call tandems “divorce bikes.” He thought it would be funny if I took a picture pretending I threw him over the cliff:
Riding a tandem as a couple definitely demands extra communication, trust and patience. I couldn’t see over his back, or break, shift or steer, which took some getting used to — especially as we climbed the curvy highway up to the trail head. Once we got in a rhythm and Joe started calling out when he planned to shift, or when we needed to coast and we figured out a somewhat elegant mounting and dismounting, it was totally fun. Of course, we had a flat about a mile in, but the shop outfitted us with a spare tube and thankfully Joe knows how fix things.
For people who live in more mountainous areas, the trail is relatively easy. We Midwesterners are used to things being a little more flat, but we survived. My cousin Beth was a total trooper!
It only makes sense to pause for scenic vistas, right?
One of the neatest features was riding through these old tunnels:
We heard there was a cute ice cream shop in Mosier from two women who loaned us a bigger pump to fix our flat, and the thought of a creamy celebratory cone definitely provided the inspiration to power through some of the hills. Once we got there, we learned the ice cream shop had closed. Thankfully, a convenience store next door to it had frozen treats. I enjoyed my favorite – a caramel magnum bar – while looking out at a totem pole.
It was uphill after our treat, but once we got back to the scenic overlook, we were able to coast back to the trailhead.
Still married!
After not biking for the duration of my pregnancy, it felt amazing to get back in the saddle. I’m still struggling a bit to get back into shape post-baby, but I so appreciate the ease with which my body moves now that I don’t have a big belly altering my center of gravity and the insane swelling in my legs and feet has gone down.
I’d love to bicycle up the trails to the Ankeny Aquatic Center, like Joe and I did last year, but I think we’ll have to wait until next summer, when Emmett’s big enough for the bike trailer.
So touched all the Kelleys came and impressed at how much you all did !
Meeting and holding Emmett was definitely a highlight!