Motorcycle Riding in the Columbia Gorge
Motorcycle Riding in the Columbia Gorge
We finally got on the road again with our motorcycle a few weeks ago and man was it beautiful! We've had a long cold winter here in the Pacific Northwest and personally we had a flood in our basement that required a lot of personal time rebuilding and refinishing so we were long overdue for a good ride.
We went through the Rowena Curves on the way back to The Dalles and 2 nights ago there was a massive rock slide and that part of the road is closed currently. It looks like it will be about 2-3 weeks before it will be opened up again so make sure you check the roads before you go.
You can see the details of our route and videos of Rowena Curves here.
We left early and it was a little chilly so I didn't pull out my camera for the first part of the ride through Goldendale, Wa and along the Klickitat River but no worries, I'll get to that another time. We like to take many variations on this ride throughout motorcycle season.
I did take out my camera out for a shot of the Klickitat River Trail Head. They have a bit of a rest area at the mouth of the river where the Klickitat Trail begins. It's an amazing walk along the river with views of the Klickitat River Gorge and the Indian fishing piers. It's very popular but not as crowded as you'll find other trails in the area. The views of the river are spectacular and the road is great! Above the Klickitat River Gorge there are many camping areas and places to pull on and off the river if you are a fisherman with a river boat.
A little farther up highway 14, we stopped at Dog Creek Falls to stretch our legs. Although I haven't gone swimming here, I have friends that tell me this place is almost a secret, even on hot summer days you can sometimes have this place to yourself. The creek and falls are barely visible from the highway and there's a small gravel lot for parking.
Dog Creek
Shortly after stopping at Dog Creek we rode west to the town of White Salmon and had a great lunch at Everybody's Brewing. It's a really nice craft brewery with tasty sandwiches and pub fare. Try the chicken gyro!
We continued on hwy 14 west to The Bridge of the Gods near Stevenson WA where we crossed over the Columbia River. This is the famous ending point to the book "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed and part of The Pacific Crest Trail. It was pretty windy as we crossed and again, I missed the photo op. Ugh! We even got stopped on the bridge because of traffic at the toll booth, yes there's a toll of $1.00. It's a good idea to have this in your pocket and not in a saddle bag when you get to the toll booth. Between the wind and the dollar in my gloved hand I just couldn't bring myself to juggle my camera on the bouncing metal bridge, go figure!
Turning East on the Oregon side we rode up hwy 84 to The Starvation Creek trail head. They have very nice bathrooms there and lots of parking but this spot can be really busy and parking does get full early on big hiking days.
The Falls are quite close to the parking area but there's a lot more to see if you like to go exploring.
Last but certainly not least, we came to Mosier, OR where we exited hwy 84 and took the historic old hwy 30 to Rowena Crest Viewpoint and then down through the Rowena Curves. This is truly one amazing ride. Watch out for bicyclists and pedestrians. Click here to see some videos I shot of this ride.
We caught up with a few others out enjoying the curves!
Nearly back to the Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles.
Well I hope you enjoyed this little trip to just a few very pleasant places in the Columbia River Gorge and I hope you get to visit them too one day! Send me a message if you have any questions about our ride. Or anything else you see on my website.
Happy Adventuring!
~Melisa
