WE TAKE A BIKE RIDE ON THE HISTORIC COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY TRAIL

Wednesday was our first official day of work but, since it was our Ranger’s day off (as is today), we weren’t able to start our training in the Visitor Center.  We DID have the key and an alarm code to get in, though, so went down to see if we could retrieve the two bikes stored there and determine what would be needed to prepare them for riding (we knew one had two flat tires).

One of our duties is to keep the trail free of hazardous debris: rocks, tree limbs, quantities of pine needles.  The volunteer before us “blew the trail” daily, using the heavy-duty blower mounted on the front of the Gator. 

The trail itself is very winding, with lots of undulations.  Fast-moving bicycles fly down some of the hills in excess of 30 miles an hour (no speed limit).  Since the unwieldy Gator travels the center of the trail to blow the debris off, it seems to us to be the most hazardous thing we have encountered on the trail so far!

With a thought to fitness and fun, Odel and I hoped to use the two (apparently unused) bikes in the Visitor Center to do a daily patrol, then take the Gator out no more than a couple of time a week.

As we were pumping up the tires of the unused bikes, Ranger Diane arrived.  When we told her our plan to patrol on the bikes, she was enthused; she said the bikes had been purchased for the volunteers, but none of them wanted to ride.  It’s understandable – the round trip is just under 10 miles, and there is an uphill stretch of about 1 1/2 miles that is truly a challenge for us. 

We got the bikes ready, put on the helmets, and headed off up the hill from the Visitor Center.  It was fun to be riding again, and we had grins on our faces in spite of the difficult uphill return trip.  We gained first hand experience of what it is to ride the length of the trail (the better to help our visitors).  It seemed like everything was going our way: we are settled in a wonderful site, beginning to learn our “job”, have a couple of bikes to ride and a great trail…

Odel’s phone rang soon after we got home, with bad news.  His father, who was hospitalized about a month ago (age 92), then moved to a care facility, was back in the hospital and not expected to live much longer – a matter of hours or perhaps a few days.  Just about 24 hours later (today), he died.  It was not unexpected news, and Odel was not close to his father, but needs/wants to help with the resulting decisions and responsibilities.  He has a plane flight out on Saturday morning, likely to be gone for a week. 

We took the Gator out this morning, as planned, to blow off the trail in preparation for tomorrow’s big bike race.  I wanted to make sure I knew how to start both the Gator (easy; use the key in the ignition) and the blower (TOUGH; pull a rope like a lawnmower), so I could blow the trail alone next week.  Tomorrow we will get a day of Visitor Center training together, then I’ll have the volunteer duties to myself for a week (with two days off).  Guess I will be training him when he returns.  :)

Our weather radio went off earlier today with a severe thunderstorm warning for an area well east of us.  We haven’t heard that alarming sound in months!  A few hours later the local news showed the wild weather in Portland (50 miles west of us), including pouring rain, localized flooding, and downed trees. A huge line of severe storms moved through, both to our east and our west, with nothing but a heavy breeze and a few drops of rain here in Hood River.  Good!

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORIC COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY (HCRH) BEGINS

On Tuesday morning, Ranger Matt Davey arrived at our site around 10 am to get the Gator in traveling shape and teach us how to use it. It is a two-seater utility vehicle with four wheels, a little bed for hauling “stuff” behind the two seats, and a blower on the front to blow leaves, small rocks, pine needles, and other debris off the trail. He showed us how to start and operate both the Gator and the blower, then Odel and I drove the Gator down the hill from our site to the Visitor Center so Matt could show us how to get in, disarm the alarm, and let us look around.

Remember, you can hover your cursor over these photos for a caption, or double-click to enlarge the photo.

Driving through the tunnel on the Gator.	Driving through the Catchment area.

After a quick intro to the Visitor Center, Odel and I went into Hood River (about 2 miles to downtown) so I could get a temporary library card and pick up some books. We snagged some lunch to bring home, then set out on our first Gator ride!

Our section of the HCRH is about 5 miles long. From our end of the trail, it is 3 1/2 miles to the mouth of the first of the two (side-by-side) tunnels – the Mosier Twin Tunnels. Before you enter the tunnels from our side, you enter the concrete Catchment area, a huge concrete superstructure built to protect trail users from the rockfalls that have plagued the road through this section since it was built in 1916. From information gleaned in the Visitor Center yesterday (which I will be studying thoroughly, of course!), I know that it was built to withstand a 5,000 pound rock falling from 200 feet. WOW.

I don’t know how much this rock weighs, but you can see the effect it had on the rock guardrail. The asphalt of the trail in this particular area is pitted and gouged, signatures of the numerous rocks that have bounced their way down the steep gorge wall, onto and over the trail.

The tunnels and the catchment are a little tricky on the Gator. We drive the trail very slowly, keeping an eye out for fast moving bikers (and they are VERY fast moving, especially now when the racers are preparing for Friday’s time trials). The tunnels are dark inside, and the catchment is very narrow. We debated whether to speed up through those points (to get through them as quickly as possible) or where to continue our slow crawl (so we can stop more quickly if necessary). More experience needed. :)

After our exploration of the trail, it was Luna’s turn for some quality outdoor time. She loves our new site, and has been very good about sticking around. About the only thing that tempts her to leave the patio is the sighting of a lizard, which is good for about 20 minutes of entertainment.

For dinner, we popped back into town to try Dixie’s Southern Grub, a restaurant we had spotted on our way to the golf course. Outstanding! We sat on the front porch of a converted house, next to a lilac in full bloom. Like many restaurants in the areas we most enjoy in Oregon, Dixie’s uses local, organic and/or sustainably grown produce and meats in their food preparations. It all was delicious (check out the menu here), but Odel pronounced the bread pudding, with bananas and coconut baked into it, the BEST he has ever had. I agree.

SETTLED IN HOOD RIVER, OREGON, FOR TWO MONTHS

We had an easy drive yesterday from Canby to Hood River, under 100 miles.  Ranger Davey met us at the Visitor Center (where we will work) at the west terminus of the Columbia River Gorge Historic Trail (a paved multi-use trail).  We each got a set of keys to unlock the various gates and doors we will encounter as we work, then we drove on up to our site at the head of the trail.

This will be “home”for the next 2 months, while we volunteer as Trail Hosts.  Hover your cursor over any photo for a description:

After we settled in, we visited the post office to arrange to receive our General Delivery mail; to Indian Creek Golf Course to verify that players 65 and older (Odel) can play this gorgeous course Monday through Thursday for just $25; and to a nearby grocery store to check out their offerings.  Back home, we headed out on the trail for our daily 10,000 steps – right outside our door!

Monday and Tuesday are our days off.  Wednesday through Sunday we staff the Visitor Center from 10 am to 2 pm and take care of the building and the trail (don’t know the details yet).  Since Ranger Davey (Matt) is off on Wednesday and Thursday, we’re going to meet him this morning to learn about the visitor center duties and (we hope) how to operate the Gator that we will use to “patrol” the trail and blow away the debris.  There will be a bicycle race on the trail on Friday (a time trial for the Mount Hood Cycling Classic), so we want to have it in good shape!

Off to meet the Ranger…