"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus, you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of the country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle." ~ Ernest Hemingway

Sunday, June 10, 2012 (Day 4)
Marina Campground, Arlington, OR
Miles:  84  MPH:  13.3  Max:  33  Total:  198

Greeted by the sun and a clear view of the snow capped Mt. Hood as we hit the road early, we were rejuvenated!

Jack decided that he had enough of my scenic up-down, up-down, windy road that meandered through the country side, so he aimed us for interstate-84!!  It's legal in Oregon to ride the interstate!  We cruised along on the wide smooth surface and rode 30 miles by 9 am when we stopped for breakfast.

The specialty in the Dalles coffee shop was french toast topped with glazed bananas and walnuts.  We split it along with an omelet with roasted peppers, asparagus, feta cheese, bacon, and tomatoes!  Five Stars!!  The sun, easy riding, and great breakfast refueled us and we decided that we should attempt to ride further today so tomorrow wouldn't be the near 100 mile day that was planned.

Mt Hood

 Picking up some extra water, a very nice man talked to us about our planned route.  He convinced us that my idea to head south to the town of Joseph and Wallowa Lake was not a good one without any support.  It was remote, few services, and very steep.  Without support, he didn't think it was smart to attempt!  So I guess thoseplaces will stay on my bucket list!  We will now simply head north from Oregon to Washington and then into Idaho rather than the zig-zag path I had planned.  The good news is that it is shorter, so we will have a built in cushion!!

Continuing on 84, we were loving the fast pace.....easily we pedaled at 17-18 mph!  The scenery was spectacular.  Riding along the Columbia River on the border of Washington and Oregon you could see how wind, the river, and God's hand shaped the land.  Oregon was filled with the craggy rocky cliffs of the Cascade mountains, while Washington's landscape contained gentle smooth hills dotted with miles of windmills.  A deer ran directly in front of Jack's bike.  Just Breathtaking!!

First of 2 Flats!

Our high spirits  dampened a bit as we were slowed down by 2 flat tires!! UGH!  Still we biked 82 miles today--the furthest that Jack had ever biked, and we felt pretty good!  Our odometer registered 34 mph for our top speed and we averaged 13 mph for the day!!  Not bad :-)

We reached the small town of Arlington where we thought we could camp in the town park, but we were told it wasn't allowed.  We found a marina close by that let us put up our tent for $10!  We had to use a public bathroom to wash up - again no showers!!  I blocked the door and proceeded to bath in the sink!!  I feel like I'm turning into a cave women!

Hoping to find a bike shop tomorrow to restock our tire tubes!!
Missing Home xoxoxoxoxox