Update32

Update 32 - 9/1/01

We are home in Vancouver, Washington

It is hard to believe that we have been gone nearly a full year!

George's brother Jim, who rode with us on part of the Southern Tier Route last winter came from his home in Phoenix to join us for the last week of our ride.

We left Ephrata, Washington on Sunday, August 26th and rode through George to reach the Columbia River Gorge - locally known as the Gorge at George. Following a route our daughter rides from time to time we "enjoyed" several miles of freshly oiled and graveled road. Spending two hours cleaning our bikes and gear that evening was a real added pleasure! Such are the trials of bike touring and even when things go wrong any day on a bike is a happy one.

The next day we were delayed a little in the morning by a report that the bridge over the Columbia River was closed due to construction. When we got to the bridge there was no indication of road work -- another of life's great mysteries. After crossing the river we rode through the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Jim went up a driveway a few feet so we could take a photo of him in front of some of the ominous looking buildings. Just a few feet further down the road, his front tire blew out. At first we were convinced that it was a victim of "seething neutrons," but later had to admit that the several miles on sharp gravel the day before was probably the real culprit. We booted the tire with a patch and duct tape (how did cyclists ride before duct tape was invented)? and were shortly on our way -- shortly that is as the tire kept blowing out every 15 miles or so. When we got to Benton City that afternoon we checked around town and found that the nearest tire was in the Tri-City area about 30 miles away. Fortunately, our friends Gary and Wanda from Sequim called and were on the way to welcome us home, so we decided to patch the tire as best we could and if necessary they would drive Jim to town and buy a new tire. Upon learning that it could not cause a real emergency, the tire held together fine until Gary and Wanda returned from Kennewick with a replacement.

We visited the Columbia Crest Winery and spent a pleasant evening at Crow Butte State Park, right on the Columbia River. The next day we rode to Biggs, Oregon, again crossing the Columbia. The bridge there is narrow, but traffic was light and we had no problem getting across. Just before town we visited a replica of Stonehenge, built many years ago by Sam Hill and dedicated as a memorial to WW1 soldiers. It is quite a sight, perched on a high bluff overlooking the river, visible for miles up and down the gorge.

From Biggs to Troutdale we were able to ride most of the way on the Historic Highway, parts of which are only open to cyclists. The new section through the Twin Tunnels is wonderful and very scenic. Don't miss this stretch between Hood River and Mosier if you ever cycle the gorge. We climbed over two headlands, the first at Rowena, where the highway makes several looping switchbacks up to the viewpoint. Although high above the river the grades are not too bad as the road was designed for early automobiles which couldn't climb slopes above 6% very well.

The other viewpoint we enjoyed is Crown Point. There is a visitor's center there that was built many years ago and is now being restored.

Of course no trip through the gorge is complete without a stop at Multnomah Falls and we were fortunate to get there early on Saturday morning. Usually it is a real zoo of people on holiday weekends so we enjoyed a Latte' and chatted with other visitors and were off before the big crowds arrived.

A few miles east of Troutdale we met a group of about 20 cyclists from the Vancouver Bicycle Club that rode out to meet us. It was great to see so many of our friends again. After lunch at a cafe that is popular with local cyclists, we had a good ride back across the Columbia into Washington State on the Interstate 205 Bridge with it's unique center of the freeway bike lane.

We had mixed feelings as we completed the final few miles across town to our home. Coming home to familiar surroundings and friends felt great, but we know we will miss being Free as the Wind, somewhere out on the open highway.

George and Sharon Miner

Vancouver Bicycle Club, Vancouver, Washington

2000 da Vinci Global Venture towing Bob Trailer

Free as the Wind - Our one year self-supported tandem tour of the USA, Mexico and Canada

This email is intended solely for the personal use of the addressees. No reproduction rebroadcast, or other use is allowed without the expressed written permission of the authors.




				Update 32 - 9/1/01

	We are home in Vancouver, Washington It is hard to believe that we have been gone nearly a full year! George's brother Jim, who rode with us on part of the Southern Tier Route last winter came from his home in Phoenix to join us for the last week of our ride. We left Ephrata, Washington on Sunday, August 26th and rode through George to reach the Columbia River Gorge - locally known as the Gorge at George. Following a route our daughter rides from time to time we "enjoyed" several miles of freshly oiled and graveled road. Spending two hours cleaning our bikes and gear that evening was a real added pleasure! Such are the trials of bike touring and even when things go wrong any day on a bike is a happy one. The next day we were delayed a little in the morning by a report that the bridge over the Columbia River was closed due to construction. When we got to the bridge there was no indication of road work -- another of life's great mysteries. After crossing the river we rode through the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Jim went up a driveway a few feet so we could take a photo of him in front of some of the ominous looking buildings. Just a few feet further down the road, his front tire blew out. At first we were convinced that it was a victim of "seething neutrons," but later had to admit that the several miles on sharp gravel the day before was probably the real culprit. We booted the tire with a patch and duct tape (how did cyclists ride before duct tape was invented)? and were shortly on our way -- shortly that is as the tire kept blowing out every 15 miles or so. When we got to Benton City that afternoon we checked around town and found that the nearest tire was in the Tri-City area about 30 miles away. Fortunately, our friends Gary and Wanda from Sequim called and were on the way to welcome us home, so we decided to patch the tire as best we could and if necessary they would drive Jim to town and buy a new tire. Upon learning that it could not cause a real emergency, the tire held together fine until Gary and Wanda returned from Kennewick with a replacement. We visited the Columbia Crest Winery and spent a pleasant evening at Crow Butte State Park, right on the Columbia River. The next day we rode to Biggs, Oregon, again crossing the Columbia. The bridge there is narrow, but traffic was light and we had no problem getting across. Just before town we visited a replica of Stonehenge, built many years ago by Sam Hill and dedicated as a memorial to WW1 soldiers. It is quite a sight, perched on a high bluff overlooking the river, visible for miles up and down the gorge. From Biggs to Troutdale we were able to ride most of the way on the Historic Highway, parts of which are only open to cyclists. The new section through the Twin Tunnels is wonderful and very scenic. Don't miss this stretch between Hood River and Mosier if you ever cycle the gorge. We climbed over two headlands, the first at Rowena, where the highway makes several looping switchbacks up to the viewpoint. Although high above the river the grades are not too bad as the road was designed for early automobiles which couldn't climb slopes above 6% very well. The other viewpoint we enjoyed is Crown Point. There is a visitor's center there that was built many years ago and is now being restored. Of course no trip through the gorge is complete without a stop at Multnomah Falls and we were fortunate to get there early on Saturday morning. Usually it is a real zoo of people on holiday weekends so we enjoyed a Latte' and chatted with other visitors and were off before the big crowds arrived. A few miles east of Troutdale we met a group of about 20 cyclists from the Vancouver Bicycle Club that rode out to meet us. It was great to see so many of our friends again. After lunch at a cafe that is popular with local cyclists, we had a good ride back across the Columbia into Washington State on the Interstate 205 Bridge with it's unique center of the freeway bike lane. We had mixed feelings as we completed the final few miles across town to our home. Coming home to familiar surroundings and friends felt great, but we know we will miss being Free as the Wind, somewhere out on the open highway. George and Sharon Miner Vancouver Bicycle Club, Vancouver, Washington 2000 da Vinci Global Venture towing Bob Trailer Free as the Wind - Our one year self-supported tandem tour of the USA, Mexico and Canada This email is intended solely for the personal use of the addressees. No reproduction rebroadcast, or other use is allowed without the expressed written permission of the authors.