September 27, 2024 – I'm in Portlandia!

    From The Dalles, after it stopped raining, I went to the riverside bike trail and met a couple named Kristina and Joel. They are both from Portland area. They were going on a stroll in The Dalles; a getaway from the city. They told me to check out Eagle Creek hiking trail, Rowena Crest, Crown Pointe, and some of the waterfalls along the way to Portland. They were very friendly and informative about what was to come ahead on historic Highway 30. I left them and headed out on historic highway 30...aka the Columbia River Highway. I climbed the winding road to Rowena Crest, and was mesmerized at the scenic overlook atop the bluff. The view was absolutely magnificent! You could see for miles both east and west, up and down the Columbia River Gorge. I took several pictures and appreciated God's handiwork before heading down the towering cliff to the small town of Mosier. I would have camped out at Rowena Crest, but it was very windy on the hill top and it started raining. So, I found shelter under an awning at the Mosier School. I slept out in front of the school building underneath an awning, that used to be a gas station. A few people saw me, but no one seemed to mind all that much. I didn't get kicked out; thank you, Jesus!

    The next morning, I rode into Hood River and ate breakfast at the Egg River Cafe'. Immediately, after locking up my bicycle, a gentleman with hair like Einstein or Bob Dylan came up and boisterously, joyfully began speaking with me. He asked me to eat breakfast with him and I gratefully accepted his invitation. His name is Walter. He asked to hear about stories from the road, but he did most of the talking. He was so excited to speak and talk about his life. I was earnestly listening and on the edge of my seat. Walter is a camera rigger for Hollywood movies. He works for a company called Spydercam. He is also a mountaineer, mountain climber, scaler of glaciers, and search and rescue. He has an exciting life and many awesome stories. He has worked on films like Z Nation, Spiderman, Game of Thrones, and other action-packed movies. How cool is that! He has also done search and rescue on Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens, and other mountains and glaciers in Oregon and Washington. A pilot recently committed suicide and crashed his plane into Mount Hood. Walter was going up the mountain after breakfast to clean the wreckage off the mountain. Another story he told me is about a man who fell into a glacier crevice, and the fall literally scraped his entire face off. The man was dead upon the fall, and Walter retrieved his body. He told me another story about a group of three friends that went up to hike Mount Hood. A bad storm came in and they became stuck on the mountain. One man was found frozen to death in an ice cave. The other two men were never found. All three assumed to be dead. Walter was excited about my adventure. He kept saying that I was LTD: Living The Dream. I really feel like I am, but my stories are no where near as extreme as Walter's stories. Walter also wind surfs on the Columbia River. There is a strong prevailing northwesterly wind, and the river is always high due to the dams along the river. Walter payed for my meal, another man gave me $20 after hearing about my travels, and I turned around and gave our waitress a $20 tip just to be generous and thank her for a job well done. Everyone was pleased and the meal of heuvos rancheros was so delicious. It was by far the best breakfast I've had the entire bicycle tour. Walter gave me some daps, and then we parted ways. He went off to the mountain and I went back onto the Columbia River Scenic Byway. 

    Oh yes, I forgot to mention that Walter suffers from Lime Disease. A tick can carry 100s of different types of diseases, one of which is Lime Disease. There are 47 different types of Lime Disease. He says suffering from the disease is the single-most hardest thing he has ever had to overcome in his life. One of the main things his variation of Lime Disease does is cause all the joints of his body to feel as though he has bad arthritis. He says it is detrimentally painful. Also, the disease saps his energy. Sometimes he sleeps for 30 hours straight. He'll get up for a few hours and then pass right back out. Keep Walter in your prayers. Surely, he will overcome. The doctors have him on some meds, but it can take a very long while to take effect. He is in the waiting process now.

    As I continued down Old Highway 30, I pedaled from Hood River to Cascade Locks. From there I rode to Eagle Creek Campground, and I set up my tent early in the day. Then, I went hiking on Eagle Creek Trail up the gorge. I saw a few spectacular waterfalls along the hike and was blown away by the gorgeous gorge vistas. After the hike, I made it back to the campground and talked with the camp host for a while. His name is Colton. He is a camp host and is paid $600 a month. In addition, he has service to free water, electric, and a campsite. His main job is as a residential construction plumber. He has a nice work van that is equipped with many shelves and containers for his fittings and tools. After talking with Colton, I went to sleep as the night came in a falling'.

    Today, I have pedaled out of Eagle Creek and got turned around pretty bad. I thought I had to go back to Cascade Locks, cross the Bridge of the Gods, get on Highway 14 on the north side of the river in order to get back on Old Highway 30. I was mistaken. So, I pedaled all the way back to Eagle Creek campground. It was probably an 8-10 mile mistake, and I was greatly perturbed. It turned out the bike trail went down the wrong way of a one way road. I finally figured it out and I was off in the right direction once again. Along the ride today, I stopped at Horsetail Falls and rode by all the other waterfalls including Multnomah Falls. Multnomah Falls is the largest and tallest waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge. I didn't stop at any of the other falls due to heavy tourism, and my desire to make it to Portland by night fall. I did stop for a while atop Crown Point scenic overlook and vista house. This was by far the most grand overlook of the entire gorge; beautiful, awe-inspiring views of the gorge in both directions.

    From the vista house, I rode to Troutdale, Gresham, and got on the Springwater Corridor. This corridor is a walking and biking path; one of the many located in the Portland metropolitan area. I was running a little late to meet Jaime. Jaime is the trail angel I met in Yankton, SD. She is letting me stay at her house for a few nights here in Portland. Now, I am writing this entry at a brand new library here in Portland. This library is known as the Holgate Library. I'm heading to Jaime's house to meet her at 6:00pm. Finally, I'm in Portlandia!