Today was a GORGE-ous day!!!  We rode through the Columbia river gorge after starting off the day with a one mile ride to a morning booster at McDonald's.  It was a really dramatic (and wonderful) change from yesterday's deserts.  As we headed to our stayover at Cascade Locks, we could see Mt. Hood in the distance, a sure sign that we were closing in on our final destinations. 
For a portion of the ride, we climbed to the top of Rowena Crest where we found a beautiful view from the top of the bluffs.  Along our route, we rode with several cyclists participating in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure.  It was a nice change in pace to see more cyclists than cars.  Oregon's Historic Columbia River Highway was really friendly to cyclists, and the people sponsoring the Tour de Cure ride even replenished our riders with bananas and locally brewed root beer. 
The transition from the scenic highway to Interstate 84 was really loud despite the generous shoulder.  It made us appreciate some of the more cyclist-friendly back roads.  Although I-84 wasn't ideal, we were once again surprised to find an abundance of blackberry bushes all along the highway!
As we made it into Cascade Locks after another long day, we can now look forward to tomorrow's breezy (hopefully not windly) 42 mile ride into Portland.  Andrea and Connie are especially looking forward to paying for plastic bags in Portland due to the new city ordinance to charge $$$ for bags.  Use reusable bags!!!