April 25, 2000 Tuesday
We woke up at 7:00 AM, took one look outside and went back to bed. It was raining fairly hard and we did not feel like getting soaked again. We finally got up at 8:00 AM, and went to enjoy the Comfort Suites continental breakfast. We ate breakfast, and it was a rather poor one, with no fruit, when we got back to our room and looked outside, it had stopped raining. We packed the bike, checked out of our room and starting riding.
Mary Kay found some literature that told about the old Columbia Gorge Highway and how the stretch between Hood River, and Mosier, was being restored. According to the literature, the restoration was completed in 1999 and the route would be open to bicycle riders and to hikers. I wanted to go that way so we went through Hood River, on the old Columbia Gorge Highway and starting climbing a series of switchbacks just east of town. We climbed for a considerable period of time until we reached the west end of the bike path. There we found a backhoe digging a ditch on the right side of the path and putting the dirt on the path. An Oregon State Department of Highways employee waved us through so after Mary Kay used a portable toilet, we proceeded past the backhoe. It was a very pleasant ride. No one else was around, we did not meet any other bikes or hikers and then we came to a gate that had signs all over it that said "DO NOT ENTER, CONSTRUCTION IN PROGRESS, DANGER STAY OUT". Since we had just come down a long hill we ignored the sign and proceeded east. After quite a while, we came to some construction equipment and finally to a couple of workers. We stopped and asked them if we could continue and they said yes. We continued and did not meet any more construction until the end of the bike/hike path. There we found another backhoe digging a hole on the side of the bike path but his backhoe was across the entire bike path. When he saw us I motioned if it would be OK to go around the hole he was digging on the grass next to the bike path. The backhoe operator motioned for us to proceed and we went around his hole. After we got back on the bike path another man asked us if we had come all the way from the east entrance. We replied that we had and he said we shouldn't have. However, by then we were back on normal roads. This is a gorgeous ride and should be taken by anyone who has the time to make a loop form Hood River, to Mosier, and back.
While we were coming across from Hood River, I noticed that the back tire was soft. I pumped it up and it seemed OK. At Mosier, we stopped at a gas station under their canopy because it was sprinkling again. I rechecked the tire and found that it was low on air again. I decided to change the tube. After much effort and about 30 minutes time, the tire was changed.
As we left Rowena, to The Dallas, I noticed that the back tire was thumping. We stopped several times but I did not see any major bulge that could cause the thumping. As we left lunch, Mary Kay pointed to the tire sidewall and showed me where the tire sidewall was failing. I looked at it for a long time and decided to try to get to the end of the day before I replaced the tire. The bad spot was where some very large object had caused the flat in Portland, on Sunday. We left The Dallas, on the Interstate because there is no other road going east. With the tail wind our speed had remained above 18 miles per hour except on a couple of small hills. We left the interstate at Celia, and went back to the old Columbia Gorge Highway. We again checked the rear tire and it appeared to be OK. We cruised along at 18 to 21 miles per hour until a 1/2 mile before Biggs, when the rear tire failed. I spend the next 30 minutes changed and replacing the rear tire on the bike. We then finished the ride on the old Columbia Gorge Highway to Rufus, where stayed the night.