Product Review

Picture yourself in front of miles of neat rows of blossoming apple and pear orchards with a single, nearly-conical glacier-covered mountain grandly behind them. Is this real? It can be when you stop for a view along the orchard trail in beautiful Hood River Valley, Oregon! That mountain is Mt. Hood, Portland s gem of recreation and resources offering some 9 months of skiing every year (even through the summer!) and a bear of a climbing conquest for you cyclists. Other lone-standing snowy peaks of Mt. Jefferson to the south and Mt. Adams to the north are also attractively visible on your rides. No video of this region would be complete without a stretch on historic highway 30 along the forested ridges above the mighty Columbia River. Historically this was the final leg of Lewis and Clark s original trail! And like so many scenic national parks roads this is yet another fine road built by the CCC during the 1930 s. The famous waterfalls along it such as Multnomah are visually speaking, simply some of the most spectacular on the planet, tumbling hundreds of feet over mossy cliffs in a Pacific Northwest rainforest setting. By contrast the terrain is much more arid just upriver on your ride from The Dalles to Mosier, also on route 30. A stiff breeze whips the trees and yellow-flowered fields into a lively spring dance as you bank around the white wooden-railed corners. After the heart-pounding ascent, you ll appreciate stunning views of the gorge and wide, windblown river from the top. Come n get it! 74 minutes in length.