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Gorge Ride 2008
Awesome. Wow. Excellent. Fantastic. Amazing. Fabulous. Just some of the words used to describe people’s impressions of the Gorge Ride. On June 14, 2008, 346 participants experienced beautiful wildflowers, a sunny cloudless day, moderate temperatures, wonderful scenery and Columbia Gorge wind (headwind going westbound, tailwind coming back eastbound, and some cross winds) for the second annual Gorge Ride.
The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum again hosted registration. Cup of Mud provided coffee for sale. Many people took advantage of the discounted admission and visited the museum after the ride. Blue Bunny Ice Cream was provided free at the end of the ride.
The after-ride-survey provided many interesting comments, including:
“One of the best rides of my life.” “Gorge-ous! The wind added a bit of a challenge, but kept us cool on the climbs!” “Great course. Real variety of scenery. Wonderful treats at rest stops.” “This is one of the best organized rides that I have had in Oregon and I’ve done just about all of them. And it’s got nice people to take care of things like getting you around roads. Well signed and nice rest stops. And, even the weather was perfect.”
“The Gorge Ride is a fantastic early summer ride. It’s perfectly set up because you’ve got the hardest climb when you’re fresh and you have nice sloping hills the rest of the way. Coming back is great. It’s a nice twenty out and twenty back. It’s well supported. The roads are low, low traffic as far as cars go. It’s an ideal warm up for the Cycle Oregon Weekend Trip. The personnel and staff are top notch, they are very helpful, very cheerful, very encouraging. All around it is one of the best rides in Oregon and I can’t believe it is only the second year. I can’t wait for next year. And the ice cream at the end is just fantastic. The Blue Bunny Orange Dream Bar, I love it.” by Ronn Elzinga
Also part of the survey, 38 repeat riders indicated that they would ride again, as did 127 first time riders. Low traffic and good pavement on the Historic Columbia River Highway were the first impressions, before the long grade up the Rowena Loops. Fantastic vistas and wildflowers greeted participants at the top of Rowena Crest. A short while further was the rest stop at the historic Mayerdale Estate. Even though it was not quite cherry harvest time, Thomas Garnier, owner, was able to provide several buckets of fresh cherries. The ride continued on through Mosier to the beginning of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail and the restored Mosier Twin Tunnels. The Senator Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead was the second rest stop, sponsored by Gorge Delights, who provided free fruit bars. Then it was time to enjoy the tailwind on the way back to the Gorge Discovery Center.
This second annual Gorge Ride was a fundraiser for the Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway, and again was a success as over $9,000 was raised to support the Friends and their mission. We thank all the riders who came out and supported the ride and especially those three fellows who came to the Northwest from Cincinnati, Ohio for a biking vacation. They chose the Gorge Ride as their first endeavor. What a great beginning for a biking vacation. Thanks guys!
T-shirts on Sale! $12 for one, $20 for two. Price includes shipping and handling. Email your request to FHCRH@comcast.net with the number of shirts and sizes you would like and you will receive an email concerning availability and ordering details. Lost and Found A women’s long-sleeved jersey, a bike lock and a cell phone were turned into our volunteers. If one of these is yours, please contact FHCRH@comcast.net to identify it. Thank Yous Thank you to our sponsors: Gorge Delights, The Bike Gallery, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, REI, Gateway Bicycles, Cycle Oregon, Zipcar, Salmon Cyclery, Resource Revival, Marc Berry, Gorge Discovery Center and Museum and Columbia View Orchards.
Mechanical support was provided by REI and Gateway Bicycles. And thanks for the ever present SAG wagons courtesy of Jerry Norquist and Gary Brannan, both of Cycle Oregon.  Jerry Norquist Check back next January for the date of the third annual Gorge Ride! Can’t ride? How about supporting the ride by volunteering to help with registration, or at a rest stop or some other task? Fill out the Volunteer Form on this website and send it to the address on the form. Photo Gallery of the Gorge Ride 2008 (click HERE) Rest Stop Sponsor: Contributing Sponsors:
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