Past Portland

Mike, Chris, Jon and Bruce as Mike and Chris were about to leave the trip on Sunday.
(Bruce's bike featured!)

Bruce on the St John's Bridge, Portland, Monday.

We had McMuffins for breakfast this morning in Scappoose, and rode about 10 miles on Highway 30. It was full of trucks. The river was out there somewhere to the left, but we weren't looking. The bridge to Portland, above, was just as busy, and we walked across it instead of riding, the traffic and the rails not quite what we liked.

Portland has great, marked bike lanes, and it was easy to move around, people giving way, leaving space, waving you on. We had a little trouble finding our way approaching the airport, but worked it out, and then suddenly we were on a trail that followed the Columbia, a close-up view. Passing Government Island, you might be seeing what Lewis & Clark saw -- trees and untrammeled shores. On the near side, there was a lot of development into the water -- boating facilities, sheds, even houses in gated communities, with garage doors for boats!

We rode toward Mount Hood, our talisman, and made 40 miles before calling it a day here in Troutdale, east of Portland, where we're staying at the Holiday Inn Express. (Chris and Kristi will remember this -- they made reservations here, then backed out of them, using Jon's unpredictable bike ride as an excuse. But when I checked in, mentioning that I was Jon on a big bike ride, the clerk said, "Two beds, then?")

Our best day yet.

From the St. John Bridge

Mount Hood in the distance

A swim before breakfast.
Parking lot on shore. 

Pretty nice riding.
Uninhabited Government Island is on the left -- you can camp there and there are walking trails,
 but you can't get there without a boat.
Mount Hood, faintly, left of center.