Level 4...clear!

Through the gorge and out to the west coast!

Getting to Hood River was pretty difficult.  The headwind was strong and never really let up.  The scary thing, though, was the occasional gust of cross wind.  Anything that blows you sideways is bad when you've got freeway traffic on one side and a river on the other.

Between The Dalles and Hood River I finally got off the interstate and onto the Historic Columbia River Highway.  This stretch really saved my day mentally, and gave me some views of the gorge I had been missing.  The HCRH had almost no traffic, and at some points was pedestrian only.  It wound 500 feet up to the Rowena Crest overlook, then down into the adorable village of Mosier.  It was pedestrian-only from there, including the Mosier twin tunnels, and a long, twisting descent into Hood River.  I got into town long after sunset, but since I was off the road my bike light was sufficient.  My only scare was a "recent bear sighting" sign, so I sang my No Bears song as I rolled through the woods.

Yesterday from Hood River to Portland was awesome.  Either because of topology or the simple fact that the road was now lined with trees, the wind was gone.  I did a couple stretches on the HCRH, including a visit to the Horsetail and Multnomah Falls.  I was so happy to have easier travel thought the prettiest part of the gorge.  And of course ending on a high note will leave me with fond memories of the whole thing.  I reached Troutdale, then it was city streets all the way in to Portland.  As expected, there were lots of well-labeled bike routes all the way in.

I'll be in town a few days, then off to the coast for the last leg of the trip!