Monday we were pretty sore after our long day of hiking, but we were determined to get out for one more road ride. Today's ride was out the Historic Highway, from just outside Hood River to Rowena Loops. The ride was a little shorter today (~30 km), which was good because both Justine and I were a bit tired. It was another warm, sunny day, and the ride up along the highway overlooking the river was spectacular.
A view of the Columbia River from the start/end of our ride.
Wild flowers, with Mount Hood in the background.
The ride took a little less than 2 hours, and with a reasonably early start we were done, and back in town in time for lunch. The ride itself was great, but sadly I don't have many pictures to share. After lunch we headed out on a bit of drive, just to see what else was about. We stopped at a cherry orchard and picked some fresh cherries and raspberries (amazing), then made a stop at one of the local wineries. We weren't that impressed with the wines, but some of their fortified products were very tasty. The woman running the tasting room provided us with a good tip on one of the new microbreweries in town, so we headed down to the waterfront to check that out.
Orchards and Mount Hood
The Pfriem Family Brewers has an amazing space right on the river, in downtown Hood River. We sat at the bar and did a bit of a tasting menu, sampling some really excellent beers. If you are in Hood River, I highly recommend it. We were there for a little while, then took a walk along the path in the new park space created along the water. This part of town has changed a lot, and it was nice to see the improvements they have been making.
Clouds obscure Mount Hood as the evening starts to fall.
As it was starting to get towards sunset, we headed out to a lookout we had discovered on one trip. It provides amazing views of Mount Hood, with the sun setting behind you. We stayed there for a while, getting some pictures of the mountain in different light.
The last sunlight on Mount Hood.
Sunset
Back at the campsite, we made some dinner and set-up for our last night camping. It was another beautiful night, and we made one last campfire and toasted some marshmallows. Later that night, once it got dark I played around with some long exposure star shots. Nothing too exciting, but a start. Before too long, it was time to call it a night, and get to bed ahead of packing up and heading home the next day.
There were lots of stars to be seen every night as we sat at our campfire.