Day 3 Portland to Hood River

Up the Columbia River Gorge

We were all a little relieved to have just the 75 miles today. It was promised to be a nice ride down the gorge with fantastic views of the Columbia river as well as the odd dragon and we were not disappointed. Today was the that we were split into groups with separate start times. The goals were not to clog up the roads with the peloton and to arrive at the lunch stop at about the same time. This seemed to work pretty well but there might be some adjustments going forward as we all adjust to the workload. My little group of four pulled me through efficiently and safely. We did burn a pack of matches on a pretty short but steep climb and we were put in our place by guide Megan who glided up and around us to the summit making us feel our years to go along with the leg burn. Good on her it was a joy to watch such grace and style.

We were however brought quickly back to reality by a stretch of road under construction along the interstate. Our road ride quickly turned to a difficult gravel adventure. I’m happy to report that all made it through safely and one or two of us actually enjoyed the change of pace. We now are resting overnight in Hood River which is a town wedded to the river and surprisingly the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort. A lot of camper vans, kayaks and overlanders noted in this adventure town.

Looking ahead (not too far!) to day 4, we have a big day ahead with almost 100 miles with lots of climbing. Day 4 was always a tough one on Ride the Rockies and will see how the old legs hold up. It will be hot so we will have an early start to avoid the heat. If you made it this far please reward yourself with this short video: