BZ Corners - Glenwood WA

From a random map we gave a new route a go in Washington State just north of Hood River. The ride starts at BZ Corners, a popular put in for kayaks and rafters. Parking is free at BZ Corners and basic services are available. Heading up hill towards Mt. Adams, you can catch views of the White Salmon River. There is traffic but it is moderate. The climb is steady upwards for 1000 vertical ft. We decided to take a right on Warner rd to cut off about 5 miles. Great farms and few cars made this seem to be a good choice. Left on Sunnyside and right onto Trout Lake – Gledwood Hwy. This is were the good climbing starts. A steady grade climbs out of the valley an into the forest for another 500 vertical ft, the highest point of the route. From their it is rolling hills through Glenwood and then back on BZ – Glenwood Hwy. Much of the route passes through a wildlife refuge which makes for a some great bird watching. The views of 12,000ft Mt. Adams around Glenwood are the best I have seen anywhere. The end of the route is a treat with a steep ride back down to BZ with tight corners. My favorite new ride.

Longitude (miles):42.28
Elevation (feet): Min:713.24 Max:2,358.01
Accumulated Height (feet): Up:2,772.31 Down:2,805.12

Portland, Council Crest Park -- And the Po Po

One of my favorite rides is to leave my house and head up to the highest point in Portland, Council Crest Park. It is a burner. 1000 climb in only a few miles. Portland, a great town for bikes, has some over zealous cops. After crossing the river, I was pulled over my one of Portland’s finest, a cop on a motorcycle. It seem that I had gone through a yellow light and a red light over the last mile. Ok, so I am a cautious driver. I never run red lights but on a bike, I figure it is my own business whether I get hit by a car or not. I mean, a 14 year old kid can ride a bike with out a license. How can the police give me a moving violation on my bike? So I get $500 worth of fines or ( cue the music ) a class with Trauma Nurses Talk Tough – Share the Road. Really, I agree that bikers should not blow through stop lights but shouldn’t these guys be chasing the guys that blow through stop signs at 50mph around my house? Moral? If you are in the upscale part of Portland, watch out for the po po.
Anyway, here is the ride:
Longitude (miles):15.71
Elevation (feet):Min:-10.59 Max:1,033.36
Accumulated Height (feet):
Up:1,686.35 Down:1,778.22

Larch Mountain Ride

I got a chance to hammer my perennial favorite spring ride, Larch Mountain. If you start at Lewis and Clark state park, the round trip is normally around 42 miles with some huge elevation gain. When I went up, there was still snow and the gate was closed to traffic. I decided to turn around at the gate since the road was covered in gravel and debris. No sense in asking for road rash. Even with the shortened route, this is a great challenging route that you can do in a morning if you drive from Portland. The stands of trees towards the top are amazing. They are tall enough to block out the satellites from my GPS hence the broken route on the map.

Distance Round Trip (miles): 36.8
Elevation (feet): Min:30.41 Max:2,807.45
Accumulated Height (feet):
Up:2,906.82 Down:3,123.36
Ends at start point (loop): Yes

Weekend Ride

We finally had nice enough weather to get out last weekend. We had a good ride that started in a park right next to the Wheatland Ferry.
It was a cool little ride across the ferry and then a nice moderate ride around the Yamhill wine country. The ride out to Amity is pretty flat with a return that is pretty challenging. 35 miles makes for a good early season day.

Miles 34.89
Elecation(feet): Min: 82 Max: 951
Accumulated Height (feet) 2060

Ok, and yes I am a geek. I brought my GPS with me. I put the ride up on this great little app called wilkiloc
check it out... http://www.wikiloc.com ~ Wheatland Ferry Ride

slow

Training has gotten off to a slow start. Sinus infections suck. I think I should be able to kick it into high gear this weekend and make up some lost time.