Day 2 in the Hood River, Ore., area presented delightful weather and the opportunity to ride a bit further. Bob fashioned a route notable both for its beauty and the front-loading of its climbing: 3,100 feet in the first 29 miles. Would it ever end?!

But first we rode from Mosier to Hood River for breakfast.

Dana hits the road.

Bob explains the area’s geography during a brief break.

Starkly beautiful.

Locking the bicycles.

Who can resist

Carbo- and caffeine-loading

Discussing the rest of the ride.

Bob and Dana ready to ride after breakfast.

Then we rode toward Mt Hood.

Horsies! We always stop for Horsies!

Horses, ducks, old cars and vistas.

Tim and Bob making faces for unkown reasons.

The longer view.

The nice horsey came over to visit, and looked expectant …

… so we treated her to a Clif bar.

Kinda chewy, We started to get concerned.

Next time we’ll bring carrots.

Paula fleeing, afraid she’d choked the horsey.

Tim admires Horsey’s braids

He once had long hair just like this.

Detail shot of Horsey’s braids.

We stopped for “water” at the Saw Tooth Roadhouse.

Paula got a flat, and the ensuing stop enabled her to find what we fondly called the Key To The City. It’s a very nice piece and we may try to embed some tile or turquoise into it.

Then onward to Parkdale for lunch. This turned out to be a great scene with a big gathering of fellow cyclists, and a wonderful venue. We’ll definitely want to return.

The remainder of the ride went predominantly down hill and we simply motored back to Hood River, where beer and food awaited.