May 24, 2017

5/24/2017

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 2 DAYS

Time to Pack my bags AGAIN

Wednesday is here and so am I ;)

I've been holding down the fort here in SoCal, while Elisa is having a brilliant time in Las Vegas!

And then my dear cousin and I will do a little tag teaming as she goes home tomorrow and I leave for Portland on Friday.

The weather forecast in Portland is looking a little on the warm side this weekend, but hopefully it's not too unbearable for us (or I should say me, since I'm the one who starts to wilt at anything over 80F degrees) to do all the mountain biking that we have planned!

While today and tomorrow look like the perfect weather for mountain biking - Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are looking awfully HOT.

Not gonna lie - those highs getting near 90F is not looking too pretty to me.

While I have visited Portland (beginning in 2007) a number of times with friends and/or family this will be the 3rd time that Dave and I are heading up to the PDX together and the 2nd time that we are going solely for mountain biking.

We've got 3 areas planned out, all within about a 1 hour drive from Portland.

1. Mount Hood

If this works out...We'll be riding in the shadow of Oregon’s tallest peak, Mt. Hood. The Mt. Hood National Forest, an old-growth wonder filled with dense vegetation — including Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar and hardwood trees — is home to 140 miles of mountain biking trails and multi-use trails open to bikes.

Mount Hood, is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon.

The peak is home to 12 named glaciers and snowfields.

Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt, though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely.

Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7 percent, so the U.S. Geological Survey characterizes it as "potentially active", but the mountain is informally considered dormant.

A break from biking around Mt. Hood (c)travelincousins.com

You notice that I mentioned "if" it works out.
Since good ol' Father Winter came on nice and strong and stretched out nice and long the trails at Mt. Hood may still be snow packed and the dirt too soft and muddy for any enjoyable riding.

So if Mount Hood doesn't work out, the plan is for us to go to nearby Sandy Ridge.

A welcome resource to the west side of Mt. Hood, where the trails were all built and designed for flow.
The trails are low enough on the mountain to stay open about 10 months a year; and they’ve been designed to drain water and hold up to the mud.
But from what I've read - the initial climb for this trail system is a bit brutal.

2. Hood River

The glacial stream currently known as Hood River was discovered by Lewis and Clark on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1805, and called Labeasche River.

In pioneer days some travelers, being in a starving condition, ate dog meat near Hood River, and the unpopular name Dog River was the result.

Later on, Mrs. Nathaniel (Mary) Coe, a well-known pioneer resident of the valley, objected to the name Dog River and succeeded in changing local usage to Hood River on account of Mount Hood, its source.

Apple orchards flourished in this rich valley from 1890 to 1920, and Hood River became famous for its apples. But in 1919 many apple trees were struck by a killing freeze. Farmers replaced the apple trees with pear trees, and now Hood River County is one of the leading producers of Anjou pears in the world.

Hood River County caters to both road cyclists and mountain bikers alike. You can crank out the miles on scenic roadways, and ride buffed-out single track all in one weekend.

This is another area that we had the opportunity to sample during our visit last year and really loved it!

Trails near the Hood River (c)travelincousins.com

For our third ride I was thinking of doing something a bit less grueling and perhaps even a bit closer to Portland. I actually have been thinking about doing
the Banks–Vernonia State Trail which we had highlighted here on Travelin Cousins last year when we featured:
Celebrating May & National Bike Month

It is a paved rail trail and state park in northwest Oregon in the United States. It runs for 21 miles, primarily north–south, between the towns of Vernonia in Columbia County and Banks in Washington County on an abandoned railroad bed.

It looks quite picturesque and could be a nice break between the grind of all the climbing.

But since it is me and I like to have a very full day...
I was also considering maybe driving across the border and finding some mountain biking trails in Washington state.

I was looking at maybe doing a short ride at Round Lake and/or maybe just some by Buxton, Portland which would be closer to the Banks–Vernonia State Trail - thus giving a better possibility of doing both before are legs give out! LOL

Biking Goals

As far as yesterday went I had did my bit at acting in a cute and funny little short that my sister is producing.
And like on any set there was the sense of "Hurry up and Wait!"