Hood River cycling tour

Spring has finally sprung. Matt and I have put away all our winter gear: skis, snowboards, boots, shovels, the works. We cleaned the cobwebs off our saddles (and basement!) and took off to Hood River for a tour of the cherry blossoms, and to experience a Columbia Gorge windstorm the area is so famous for.

Here's a map of our route, borrowed from the tour de hood website. 42 miles and 4669ft in elevation gain. Sound fun? We thought so.


The cherry orchards were spectacular.

The view from the top (of the first climb).

We paused at the top to enjoy the view and snap a photo, but the 40 mph sustained winds chased us down the hairpin turns as we sought shelter in the Dalles

Though the view isn't quite as spectacular, the 1800ft summit of the second climb was a milestone. The second half of the tour was directly into the wind, starting with a solid 7 miles up this foothill. As Matt and I climbed a particularly exposed portion, I noticed I was moving at 2.8mph. I can walk my bike 3.3mph.

We paused to enjoy a nice roadside waterfall and a brief sunbreak in Mosier. Only 6 miles to go!

The tour was a success. We got back to the cars tired but looking forward to a local Full Sail microbrew and some food before we headed out to the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

It was a long day and Matt wanted to find a secluded spot to sleep it off. So around 10 pm we headed out of Hood River and up Hwy 35 to find Tucker Park, a county campground situated directly on the Hood River. There are around 90 campsites at Tucker Park, though we only saw three groups of campers. The campsites were fantastic, here's a photo of ours. Though we were only there for a few hours in the morning, I know we'll be back.