| Volcanoes of Washington Bike TourSeptember 10 - September 23, 2003 |
We awoke to a beautiful view of Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters mountains to the south. When I asked the desk clerk if our room had a view of the mountain, meaning Mt. Hood, she said that all the rooms have a mountain view. Now that the clouds had cleared and we could see from our window, I realized that she was right.
One advantage to making the climb to Mt. Hood was the downhill on the ride to Roslyn Lake Park, on our last day of riding on the tour. I was up early and took a short walk behind the lodge to watch the sun rise and the mist settle in the valleys below. Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters were visible to the west, and Mt. Hood was golden in the early morning sun. Kate was also there, getting some quiet time before taking care of the "guests" for the final day.
After a good breakfast at the lodge, including the make-your-own waffles that Mark had been raving about for days, we took our time leaving. The route was nearly all downhill, which meant we would arrive at the lunch spot soon. The trip off the mountain was spectacular. I reached over 40 mph within the first 500 meters, and averaged about 35 mph to the entrance road. Kerie even passed a couple of other riders.
The part of the ride that I dreaded was getting back on the “safety corridor”, Hwy 26 for 12 miles. Traffic came in waves, with most motorists doing 50-60 mph. There was a good shoulder except along a stretch under construction where we had to merge with traffic that didn't want to slow down. Riding on Hwy 26 was about the only part of the trip where motorists seemed as inconsiderate as they usually are in the East.
After turning off of Hwy 26 at Zigzag, it was a beautiful ride along what someone referred to as old Hwy 26, part of the Oregon Trail route. Even the short, tough hill climb up the Devil's Backbone didn't seem that difficult. The sky was still clear and we caught glimpses of Mt. Hood over our shoulder throughout the morning.
At Roslyn Lake Park we enjoyed our final lunch that was topped off with root beer floats made with hand-crafted root beer and primo ice cream. After gathering for our group photo 
, we all piled into the van and headed for Portland, about 30 miles away. Most people were dropped off either at the airport motel or the airport. Syd, Kerie and I were staying in downtown Portland, and Mark and Kate were willing to drop us off at our respective hotels. We were sad to see everyone for the last time, and I think we both felt a little lonely sitting in our room at the upscale Hotel Lucia.
It was a great trip, and once again Bicycle Adventures did a first class job of providing for all of our needs. I'm sure we'll book tours with them in the future. Maybe next time we'll economize and try the Oregon Coast Budget tour.