# Bridge of the Gods - Columbia River Gorge ride



## zpl (May 7, 2007)

On Saturday, Bruce (brujenn) and I did the Bridge of the Gods ride, a well-known scenic ride along the Washington and Oregon sides of the Columbia River, East of Portland. It was also my first century of 2009 (106 miles total w/ 7k feet of climbing).

I believe this is the most scenic bike ride I've ever been on before. We were frequently surrounded by mountains partially covered by clouds, views of the river, and low traffic consisting of courteous drivers. We weren't buzzed or honked at once. 

Bruce tells me he's often done the ride once per month in the summer. I can totally understand why. Centuries like this are right near my physical limits, but the rewards of the ride are worth it. 

The ride begain with some light drizzle and the overcast skies remained with us pretty much the whole time. However, with temps in the mid-60s (F), I certainly wasn't going to complain. I had my fenders on, so the wet roads didn't bother me in the least. 









My first dilemma of the morning - which bottles to take with me? 









Good advice. This is the bike path along the Glenn Jackson (I-205) bridge between Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA. It is pretty miserable to ride along with all the noise and eternal wind, but at least it exists as an option to get across the river.









Vancouver, WA









The Washougal River









View from Cape Horn


















This is the Bridge of the Gods, which crosses the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon. I couldn't take any photos while crossing it because it's a steel grate bridge and I got a bit of vertigo when I looked down at the Columbia. 









This is a mural you'll find under the South side of the BOG. 









All of my photos along this section of a bike path came out poorly, but this at least gives you an idea of how lush the vegetation is. The path itself was also mostly covered in moss. It was beautiful to ride on. 


















This section of the bike path reminds me of the kinds of narrow mountain roads you'd see in Europe.



















For a short stretch of about a mile you actually get to ride on Interstate 84. Yes, it's legal here. But not very pleasant.


















Horsetail Falls




























Bruce at Crown Point

This is only a selection of some of the photos I took. I have a photo gallery web site with higher resolution photos of this and other rides. Send me a PM (private message) if you'd like the link - I prefer not to post it on a public forum.

Enjoy,

Scott


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## GerryR (Sep 3, 2008)

Nice photos and great country. Where is the Bridge of the Gods? Our son will be attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland the year so I will ultimately have the opportunity to do some riding there. That looks like a nice destination all by itself.


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## zpl (May 7, 2007)

GerryR said:


> Nice photos and great country. Where is the Bridge of the Gods? Our son will be attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland the year so I will ultimately have the opportunity to do some riding there. That looks like a nice destination all by itself.


The closest cities I'm seeing on Google Maps are North Bonneville, WA and Cascade Locks, OR. For more details about the BOG ride, this is a useful resource:

http://www.rubbertotheroad.com/?p=57

Scott


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## KWL (Jan 31, 2005)

Nice. If MB1 were around he couldn't complain the photos don't look like the Northwest because of strange blue stuff at the top. That was classic Oregon/Washington weather that actually makes me homesick.


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## thumbprinter (Jun 8, 2009)

sweet pics and report, congrats on the century!  now i feel like a wimp for being tired after todays 30 mile/3500 foot ride. ;\


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## brujenn (Nov 26, 2007)

Do these apples, bananas , and pbj make my butt look fat? I'm tipping right at 188 right now, so yeh, I feel good.

This was a good day, and a good first long ride of the year. The gorge = always awesome, the Sequoia = good, but a little less than I'd hoped for, Scott (zpl) = good riding partner.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

That looks absolutely stunning. Forget the bike, I need to go there with my DSLR. :thumbsup:


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## GeoCyclist (Oct 31, 2002)

*Thanks for the Ride Report and Link!*

I booked marked the Rubber to the Road ride map. I’ll be in Portland this July, and after looking at your ride report I’m now planning to do the Bridges of the Gods ride. Have you got any other good rides of 50 – 100 miles out of Portland you’d recommend?

Cheers,
Geo


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## dfltroll (Nov 27, 2006)

Beautiful pictures. I'm heading out that way now but won't be crossing the bridge. I'll be heading up to link with Larch Mtn Rd. Who knows, if I'm feeling really ambitious, and good, I may head back into the Portland the long way via Gordon Creek Rd.

Here's part of the route I'll be doing for any interested PNWers. Maybe I'll post some pictures later today when I return. I should mention that I took my fenders off my bike yesterday so it's guaranteed to rain.

http://www.rubbertotheroad.com/?p=37


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## zpl (May 7, 2007)

GeoCyclist said:


> I booked marked the Rubber to the Road ride map. I’ll be in Portland this July, and after looking at your ride report I’m now planning to do the Bridges of the Gods ride. Have you got any other good rides of 50 – 100 miles out of Portland you’d recommend?
> 
> Cheers,
> Geo


Being pretty new to Portland myself (I just moved here in January), I can say I've found every ride I've tried from the Rubber to the Road guide to be outstanding. There are plenty of rides in there to keep you busy, so pick ones that look interesting and have the climbing profiles that appeal to you.

Scott


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

I love that ride, I try to do it a couple times a year. Nice photo's it is an Oregon day for sure.


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## brujenn (Nov 26, 2007)

Forgot to mention that the slide that blocked the trail for most of last year just west of Wahclella Falls/Tanner Creek/Exit 40 is now cleared.


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