We're in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge, at a town called Cascade locks, which is surrounded by luscious pine covered hills. The river runs wide here, which tells us we're getting close to the Pacific...just one more day until Portland, and Seaside thereafter! The excitement on the team is tangible.
We had a relaxing, awesome ride today. There was a benfit ride along our route, raising money for a cure for diabetes. The people administrating the tour were generous with us. Praveen and I both were given delicious root beer. We saw some blackberry bushes along the way, and were able to have some snacks. We also saw a beautiful bald eagle pass overhead. I loaded up on cherries for the ride at Safeway, and I was able to snack for the entire ride. This morning at the outset of the ride, we stopped at McDonalds and enjoyed some coke and pancakes. The people working the counter set us up with a bit of softserve, to make the pancakes extra special. As we rode by Mt Hood, we were able to watch clouds gather like a halo at the top. There were many wavy columnar joints at our side, before we reached the Cascade Gorge. Finally, I invented what I call the Winkenbow. It involves a wink, and a nugde from my elbow. Hey, you can take the boy out of the midwest, but you can't take the midwest out of the boy!
Until then, John