Empty sail in Hood River

Day 12 Hood River, OR

We started the day in northeast Portland.  It always takes time to ride through and or out of a city and today was no exception.  Once we did we were on the very scenic Old Columbia Highway.  It was Saturday and this is a popular cycling route so we saw many riders flying by us as we lugged our loaded bikes up and down the rolling hills.  The peak of the experience was a spot called Vista House where there is a beautiful building and a spectacular view of the Columbia Gorge.  An amazing site.  Then there was a very long descent to the gorge floor.  The next incredible sites were two wonderful high waterfalls, the largest be Multnomah Falls which is hundreds of  feet high.

We finished the day riding on I-84 for about 15 miles.  In MN it is never legal to ride on an interstate but in Oregon, at least on this one, it is.  It is the only road which connects Cascade Locks with Hood River.  There are accommodations for cyclists so it is not as bad as it could be.  There is a tunnel on the interstate and bikes are directed to a bike path off the interstate to bypass it.  The only draw back is a set of very steep stairs, probably 50.  It is not at all easy to get these loaded bikes down stairs.  At least we did not need to go up the steps.

As we rode along today I felt a real lack of motivation and my legs felt tired and heavy.  I struggled up slight grades that should have been easy.  I knew that the huge mountains ahead were going to be at least as challenging as the previous ones and I thought more than I could handle.  To my very great regret I made a decision that I can not continue the trip.  It was very difficult telling my great riding partner because I know he really wants to continue on.  I can not.  I think this is the best decision for me and I will just need to deal with it and hope that it will work out OK for Jim.  

Having made that decision we stopped in Hood River, OR.  We had planned to go on about another 20 miles or so.  At this point Jim wanted to continue to ride to finish in Reno, our original destination.  He knew he could not, or at least should not, continue alone on the route on less travelled roads going over the high passes that are on the Adventure Cycling route maps we use.  He spent the evening on his laptop with topographical maps looking for a more direct route.  Eventually he had it and proved again his resourcefulness on the fly.  

It is supposed to be fun and it is very much fun.  When, for some combination of reasons, it does not feel like fun one needs to reflect and make a decision that is best for yourself.  That is how I feel about this.  As much as I do not want to abandon or disappoint my riding partner I need to make the best decision for myself, and Kelli, of course.  So, for me this is a big deal.  It means not finishing a project I spent months planning and invested a lot of energy and resources.  It is not what I want but it is what it is, something which has to be.