| Volcanoes of Washington Bike TourSeptember 10 - September 23, 2003 |
Today was another day of climbing, similar to the ride from Whistlin' Jack's to Mt. Rainier. The final ascent up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood was said to be a challenge. When a strong headwind is added, it makes for a difficult day of riding.
The early part of the ride from Hood River was a gradual ascent along low traffic back roads that wound through lush apple and pear orchards. The picking crews had already started the harvest as we passed. The morning was clear and we had views of Mt. Hood. Mark outdid himself with an excellent lunch at Sherwood Campground in the Mt. Hood National Forest beside the Hood River. His pineapple, grape, etc. fruit display was such that several photos were taken to preserve the moment. We also feasted on the fresh bagels that we had picked out that morning at the Hood River Bagel Co. and rhubarb pie for desert.
We needed a good lunch to be able to tackle the final ride to our hotel, the historic Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. First we had a long gradual climb to Barlow Pass at 4155 feet. A
strong headwind made the climb more difficult. Mark suggested forming a paceline to fight the wind. I usually don't like to ride in a paceline larger than 2 - Kerie and me. Our pace can vary by a lot depending on terrain, time of day, mood, etc. In a paceline it's difficult to vary the tempo much. But in the spirit of teamwork, we joined our comrades. We were able to stay in a good line for a long stretch, until we reached the dreaded Hwy 26.
Ironically, Hwy 26 is labelled as a “safety corridor”, kind of in the spirit of Bushspeak in that the meaning is usually opposite of the words. Vehicles flew by at what seemed like 70 to 80 mph. One truck came within a few inches of our left shoulders. This stretch lasted for only a few miles, but it was depressing to know that we would be leaving on this route the next day.
We were now left with the final six-mile climb to the lodge. It was a long, steep climb, and we counted the miles down as we rode at about 5 mph. The mist rolled in again and the temperature dropped. It seemed like it took forever to go from the mile 2 marker to the mile 1 marker. The last ½ mile was very steep and we were exhausted and frozen when we reached the van and lodge at the top.
The lodge is an impressive building, built by the Works Project Administration using local craftsmen and many works of art were created specifically for the lodge. The Friends of Timberline have a good website that tells much of the story of the lodge. There is also a good movie shown daily that is very informative.
I didn't care for the lodge at first, probably because there is an adjacent ski lift and much of the area around the lodge contains skiing slopes. As with most ski areas, there is a raw, unkept look to the grounds. The lodge grew on me after seeing the film and walking through the building and noting the many finer details of the construction and decoration of the place. 
And once you enter the building and take a look out the rear picture windows, the view is stunning. I think it would be more stunning had one walked to that point as you must at Mt. Rainier. This being national forest land, some of the land doesn't seem as well cared for as a national park.
The Cascades Dining Room is truly a gourmet restaurant with excellent service. It didn't seem appropriate to be on Mt. Hood and not sample one of the beers from Mt. Hood Brewing Company, located nearby in the town of Government Camp.