This is one of the must do trails in Oregon. That's what I've always heard at least. I think it's true. Last week my wife (Marla) and I rode it and had a great time. It's about 17 miles outside of Hood River, Oregon in the Columbia River Gorge. You ca
n do this trail many ways. Some loop it by adding other trails and /or roads...etc. We chose the out and back. It was a perfect day with no clouds except around Mt. Hood. That's bad 'cause the view of the mountain is one of the great things about this ride. Oh well...I see it every day. The first 4 miles were climbing with some really tech rock sections ending up with a great view of the Hood River valley and an obscured Mt Hood. After that the trail was rolling along with woods and exposure sections mixed in. The dirt was perfect. Moist but not wet and
not too dry. Late in the season I hear it's a dusty ride, which is ok if your in the lead. I was kind of struggling as I was geting over a cold and alergy problems. Plus I had ridden 2 times in Hood River after work this week. Why not? It's only 140 miles round trip (A good after work ride). Marla was getting beat up a bit on her ss ridgid but was doing great. She rode through some of the really rocky sections smoother than I thought she would. She hasn't been riding seriously for that long but is doing great. The descents through the rocks on the way back were super fun with no "off the bike" happenings.So....we ended up only doing 17 miles. Marla was really worked and said her legs had never hurt that bad (that's a good thing right?) Looking back it was a great ride and I'm glad we were able to share it. My wife is a Mountain Biker!
