Location: Mt. Rainier National Park, WA
We are so incredibly exhausted that we might not make much sense tonight...give us a little leeway. We didn't get to bed until after midnight last night and were up again by 6 this morning. We were eager to bike the next stretch of the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail before it became too hot. Rubber hit the road and trailhead by 8:30. The first stretch of the trail was like stepping back in time, imagine taking the old Model A out for a drive. We cruised past rock walls and spectacular wildflowers on a moss covered road. When we entered the forest part of the trail it was thick with ferns, lush waterfalls, completely canopied and beautiful views overlooking the Columbia River and the abrupt rock hills on the Washington side. It was one of the best biking trails either one of us had ever been on. At one point we were barreling down the hill and came to a screeching halt at a stop sign that appeared from nowhere. Good thing we stopped because we were confronted by 50 steep steps. Really? How did the cars do this? So, we carried our bikes down the steps and were suddenly riding next to the freeway for a short while. We eventually made it to a fish hatchery and then to downtown Cascade Locks. The trail wasn't marked at all at this point and we spent a bit of time riding thru the town, backtracking, and taking a side trip to visit the locks. After picking up a better detailed map at the Visitor's Center we realized that the trail was the bike lane thru town and continued on several city streets. Our goal was to reach Wyeth Campground which should have been 10 miles from the trailhead. Ah, ignorance is bliss. What we didn't know was that to get there we had to climb 2000 feet for a good two miles. Denise was amazing! She kept my spirits high and lead the way up, up, up the hill that went on and on. This was the hardest bike ride I've ever done because of the elevation gain without rest. We finally made it to the campground (14 miles) getting a nice long downhill to end the first half of the ride. Neither of us were looking forward to the climb back. At the start of our return we were battling the blazing sun and riding against the wind. Oy! And it was a bitch...
Let it be known we made it! We rode it the whole way and even managed to carry our bikes up the steps bone tired. (We do have a pact however that whatever happened on the trail stays on the trail). All in all we rode 25 miles, 2000 feet of elevation gain, in 4 hours with a bunch of photo ops and a lunch rest. Next in order was a 4 hour ride to Mt. Rainier - - which doesn't have showers. It was unanimous that we sneak into a campground close by and find a shower. Mission accomplished.
To continue with the theme of this trip to explore the backbone of the Cascades we took a two lane paved forest road from the Columbia River to Mt. Rainier, via Mt. Saint Helens. It was the prettiest drive of the trip. The wildflowers were like nothing we have ever seen. It was as if someone had planted them for the benefit of the traveler.
As we entered the Gifford Pinchot National Forest we were surprised by foxglove in purple and white, 5 and 6 feet high lining this stretch of the highway. As we climbed in elevation we were also greeted with miles and miles of lupin, yellow flowers, white daisies, red indian paintbrush and lush ferns. I don't think today's photos can adequately capture how stunning these wildflowers were against the verdant green forest and blue skies. We were in a mellow mood and pretty tired so it was nice to just quietly take it all in.
We arrived about 6:30 at Mt. Rainier National Park and lucked out with a great campsite. The campground is pretty packed, but somebody above is looking out for us because we have consistently landed the best spots almost every night and have had perfect weather. After a dinner of a yummy salad and finishing off an open bottle of wine (with an ibuprofen chaser) we are ready to call it a night. Tomorrow we are giving our bums a rest and not riding the saddle so a hike is in order. Stay tuned.
