the view from here: larch mountain, oregon

as the sunny days have been few and far between this spring, we have managed to make good use out of any and all the sunshine that comes our way. this past weekend, we drove out to Corbett, Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway. we ditched the car, and then rode the 15 miles straight UPHILL to larch mountain. quite the challenging ride as there was hardly a break in the climb, but what a breathtaking view awaited us at the top! we had views of Mt. Rainer, Mt. St Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, AND Mt. Hood. any one of those mountains by itself is majestic, but put them all together, and there are no words to describe it. after a picnic lunch, then came the fun part. the ride down! nothing like the wind blowing at your face and the sun on your back to feel alive!



the view of the gorge never gets old


three of the five mountains seen from the top


finding parking is never a problem with bikes


after a long and tedious trip up, we made it, finally!


the scenery was stunning in the sunlight

portland to salem. test ride #1.

a few weekends ago, luke and i set out with some dear friends, brandon, victoria and cole, on a bike adventure, in preparation for our trip down the oregon coast in june. we had been invited to the bonfire of a friend, rachel, at her parent's house just outside of salem, oregon. we decided that it was the perfect opportunity to ride down from portland to rachel's front door, practicing the same amount of miles that we will need to ride daily to make it down the coast. we loaded up our bikes with our sleeping bags and bungeed the other necessary goods on top of our scavenged panniers, racks, and buckets. i must say that we were the most RAG TAG bike touring group that many of the cyclists we came across on the road had probably ever seen. all five of us rode 60 miles on day one down 99E, with a stop for delicious, authentic oaxacan food in woodburn. we were greeted by the most hospitable hosts, who fed us and watered us well. cole, luke and i passed out under the stars on the shore of the willamette river. the next day, we were pampered with a filling breakfast and headed out onto the WILLAMETTE VALLEY BIKEWAY that led us 80 miles back to portland, through pastoral fields and newberg, oregon. thank goodness the rain held off the whole trip and the sun even came out, leading to some nice spandex tan lines. and i'd say 140 miles in two days? not too shabby...



the nail that went through luke's tire somewhere around woodburn.


enjoying the scenery on the willamette valley bikeway.


the rag tag bike gang


rachel and her dad, our lovely hosts.


pete and ethel


cole, en route