remember that whole breakfast thing...... i limped into cascade locks for another real breakfast and some coffee. i wasn't looking forward to getting on the freeway. i talked with a man that had hosted a cyclist 'many years ago,' while he was making a cross country trip. he got a letter a couple months later, telling him that he made it and thanking him for the place to stay.

i am lucky. i had to decide between a laptop or tablet. a dslr or mirrorless camera. lighter weight gear. INTERNET!!!! Cell Phone! a wealth of knowledge others have documented and shared. a route with maps that many other people have followed. better roads. more compassion for cyclists.

the first 15 or 20 miles were on a multi-use path up to cascade locks. the 6 level of stairs sucked!! even with a wheel groove it wasn't fun. next time i would take a couple of the bags off to get down. after breakfast i rode through the rest of cascade locks on 30 as far as i could and then onto 84, the freeway.

i am grateful that it isn't too often and even one exit is enough. i think in my head, 'one exit isn't too bad.' then i break it down to about 10 miles; still not too bad. break it down even further to more than an hr and i started to antsy. the noise is what really gets to me the most. so down 84 i roll, tail wind pushing and trucks pulling. again, work smart and not hard. took advantage of my surroundings and got some assistance!

got off off 84 in hood river and stopped at the safeway. one thing i forgot to do before leaving was grind my coffee. pretty big mistake. i also got some fruit and bread. i made a sandwich and rested outside. it was halfway and only noonish.

outside of hood river i climbed up to the old columbia river highway that has been converted to a multiuse path now. rode through some old tunnels. momentum down the hill. and then back up a hill. I stopped toward the top of the final climb and made a sandwich. the winds were blowing and most of the day was spent looking over to the columbia and seeing wind/kite surfers and the barges coming down the river.

i had planned to stay the night somewhere in the dalles. my intention was eat, sleep, update website, relax, etc. I barely ate before falling asleep. i am behind and working hard to catch up. working out all the kinks.