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Gorge Ride 2009
The Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway held its annual fundraising bike ride on Saturday, June 13, 2009. 431 riders were treated to a warm, sunny day and Columbia Gorge wind with a headwind going westbound, a tailwind coming back eastbound and some wind gusts.
The ride began at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles and headed west to Hood River to the Senator Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead. The riders then returned to The Dalles for a total distance of 38.5 miles. This route in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area with world-class scenery is a combination of historic highway that is open to motor vehicles, and the HCRH State Trail that is open only to hikers and bicyclists.
The ride was very well supported with rest stops, water, snacks, restroom facilities, mechanical support and the ever present SAG wagon ably handled by Gary Brannan. Mechanical support was provided by enSelle and Lakeside Bicycles. Cup of Mud of The Dalles provided coffee free of charge for the riders and volunteers at the Discovery Center.
Thank you to the many riders and our sponsors as we raised $10,000 to support the Friends and their mission to restore this great highway. And a big thank you to the riders that came from many distant parts of Oregon, like Pendleton, Eugene, Ashland, Redmond and Astoria to name a few. The State of Washington was well represented with riders from Seattle, Port Townsend, Pasco and Selah among many cities. Kudos to the thirteen riders who came representing these two bike clubs in the Seattle area: Cyclists of Greater Seattle (COGS) and Bikes of Snohomish County. Oh, we cannot forget that we had a rider each from Kansas City, MO and Victoria, BC.
The Mayerdale Estate is no doubt the favorite rest stop along the way. It has some very nice shaded, grassy areas to rest and indulge in the snacks or just hangout with other riders. And the big hit at Mayerdale as always is the Bing cherries that come from the fruit trees on the Estate. Even though the cherry harvest was late this year, many of the first riders were treated to some “just picked” cherries. And at the end of the day’s ride Blue Bunny Ice Cream was again provided free.
Thanks so much to our volunteers who helped with registration, placing signs, traffic control, SAG wagon, rest stops, mechanical support, photography and ice cream distribution.
Thank you to our sponsors: Gorge Delights, Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, Cycle Oregon, enSelle – The Road Bike Shop, Lakeside Bicycles, Oregon State Parks, and Mayerdale.
Come ride with us in 2010. Check here on our Home Page early next year for the announcement of the date for Gorge Ride 2010. And for a further enticement to come and ride, note that the motor vehicle sections do have low traffic and these sections along with the State Trail are nicely paved for a smooth ride. See you next year? 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 e-mail it to us. Or send it to the address on the form.
Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway’s vision is to restore and preserve the existing drivable portions of the historic highway to their splendid 1920s appearance and link drivable portions with pedestrian and bicycle accessible connections, creating a continuous route through the Columbia River Gorge from Troutdale to The Dalles. Photo Gallery
And Even More Photos Two Gorge Ride 2009 riders, Jeff Corcoran and Kevin Wagoner, also took pictures along the way. Their photos can be viewed on these websites. Rest Stop Sponsor: Contributing Sponsors:
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