Day 5: Cascade Locks, OR to The Dalles, OR: Tough climbs..nice tailwinds!

Updated: Jul 23, 2023

Friday June 9, 2023, 47 miles (76 km) - Total so far: 215 miles (346 km)

Today’s Route:

Today, the first leg of our trip was a 20 mile stretch from Cascade Locks to Hood River. Challenging climb out of Cascade Locks with grades of 10-15%! Nice ride on the Historic Columbia HW and trail. As the final stretch of the bike trail is still under construction, we were forced to ride on Rt 84 for about six miles. The shoulder was narrow where construction was underway but otherwise was pretty comfortable. We were glad to get off 84 and into Hood River. We visited a of couple bicycle shops; I needed to upgrade my cycling shorts for ones with “thicker” padding! We then had a very nice brunch/lunch at Broder OST, a Swedish restaurant at The Hood River Hotel. Hood River is so nice. We were very tempted to call it a day and spend the night. As there was no room at the inn, we had to push on. The climbs over the next 27 mikes were more gradual and the views from the trail along The Gorge were amazing. The last five miles were on a nice bike trail that ran right along the River and circled around two large Google data centers. Thankfully, the trail ended at the Bargeway Pub and Restaurant where we stopped for an early dinner - great Wagyu burger and beer/cider selection! The restaurant was adjacent to a wheat harvesting facility where we were told that millions of dollars of wheat is loaded onto ships which head out the Columbia River to the Pacific. We rolled into The Fairfield Inn about a mile later for a wonderful hot shower and an early night.

Weather:

The day started out with a light drizzle and about 55 degrees. We got to try out our rain gear but quickly shed it as we began our climb. The drizzle stopped and the day remained mostly overcast which was nice for riding. We had a tailwind in the afternoon that helped us up those hills. We met a local lady who told us the wind had literally blown her bike out from under her!