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From Mosier to Hood River is a beautiful 5-mile Pedestrian-Bike path. newly paved and about twenty feet wide. It is primarily flat with wonderful views. As you exit the path on at Hood River there is a steep switch-back hill that deposits you at the intersection of Highway 35. For this trip I was headed to a campground and I proceed to Tucker County Park, which is southwest of Hood River. The issue with Hood River is that anything south is a climb. And, not subtle. Since I was already over a hundred miles for the day, the hills seemed a lot worse. To stay on the HCRH and camp is a bit difficult. On the Washington side it is not too hard, but many of the campgrounds are on the Highway and not easily accessible via bike from the HCRH. I chose the Tucker County Park but I may have as easily made it to Viento. Tucker is expensive, but was very nice and right on the Hood River. Viento is one-tenth the price, on the main route and not up the hill out of Hood River, but it is closer to the rail lines. I was very pleased with Tucker. This time of year there were only two of us there. I slept soundly next to the river. Finding Tucker using the HCRH brochure might not have happened. I actually had a Mount Hood Forest Service map which proved quite handy in finding the park. I would strongly recommend more maps. From Hood River to Wyeth you are on the Freeway—I-84. It is not too bad but the noise can be unnerving. I did not do the one-mile trail at Viento, simply because I did not see it. It was raining hard and I was looking for breakfast in Cascade Locks. As you get closer to Wyeth the shoulder narrows to four feet, which is very narrow when cars and trucks are whizzing past you at seventy miles an hour. |
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