Well I did not visit Trillium. I don't think I had one more pedal rotation in me after the climb up Hood.
The climb itself was not so bad. It was the wind! It was brutal! In my face the whole time. I would bet a good 10mph, I took the shuttle to Parkdale. I was glad I did as I doubt I would have made it otherwise.
Though the ride was absolutely beautiful. I could not get over the enormity of the mountain once I was nice and up close. This was my first major pass climb. I have never been that up close to a mountain of that size, even in a car.
The gorge itself was also awesome. Difficult but well worth the ride. I am so glad I did it by bicycle. No way would I want to do it by car. The traffic around Multnomah Falls was unbelievable. The only issue was the stairs just before Cascade Locks. An unpleasant surprise after a difficult day.
I also did the section of trail that goes from Hood River to Mosier. I did not go all the way to the Dalles and missed that one scenic overlook that looks so cool. I leaned my bike up against the wall not too far from Mosier. I thought it best to not go too far when tt started to take off on me due to the wind.
I was hoping to go all the way to the Dalles and just take the shuttle back if it was windy but it was the July 4th and the shuttle was not running. There were a couple of other places shut down too. I think that will be the last time I will be in the middle of a tour on Independence Day.
Good thing I turned around when I did as I got a flat on the way back.
And I got to save up some energy for that climb the next day.
They are supposed to have the trail open all the way to Hood River by 2022. That is going to be awesome.
