Day 38: Reclamation

It was a short and sweet ride today from Biggs Junction, OR to Hood River, OR marking our entrance into the Columbia River Gorge. Given the climbs and the wind conditions, we decided that a one day ride all the way to Portland would be too much. Moreover, this part of the valley is a region to savor.

From Biggs Junction, the landscape very much resembles the dry desertscapes of eastern Oregon with little but sagebrush and dusty cliff faces to admire. However, around the Dalles, the landscape begins to change completely with dryland giving way to pine forests and an otherwise greener environment. Outside the Dalles, we pick up the Historic Columbia River Highway and climbed to Rowena Crest overlooking the Gorge. This route, lightly traveled by cars and closed to motor vehicles in some sections, is a favorite for cyclists from the Portland area.

Overlooking the Columbia River from Rowena Crest

Despite its arid environment, the land around the Columbia River Valley remains tremendously productive agricultural land owing to the damming of the river. This high volume river is damned along its entire reach to the Canadian border providing water for high values crops from apples and cherries to the vineyards around Walla Walla. The diversity of the agriculture in this region sets it apart from the Dakotas or other parts of the Midwest.

Reed Walker overlooking John Day Dam

The aggressive reclamation projects in this region and the West overall have shaped this region economically and continue to carry economic and environmental consequences. Cheap hydroelectric power from the dams brought the Manhattan Project to Hanford where nuclear waste slowly seeps towards the Columbia, helped Alcoa become one of the world's largest aluminum producers, and brought airplane manufacturers like Boeing to the region. Reclamation also decimated the salmon runs that sustained the native population and characterized the river that Lewis and Clark traveled down in 1805. Today, salmon ladders and fish hatcheries try to revive these once plentiful salmon runs.

Bonneville Dam with transmission lines in the distance

Despite its changed character, the Columbia Valley remains a stunning sight to witness. Reed's wife, Courtney, drove today from Wyoming and met us in Hood River, OR. We took an afternoon drive 20 miles south towards Mount Hood and hiked up to a cliff face in the forest in the area. Avid climbers, Reed and Courtney scaled up some of these climbs; I even attempted the briefest of ascents before losing my grip and deciding to preserve my strength for the final couple days of my ride of the Pacific coast.

The Dalles Dam with salmon ladder in the foreground and Mount Hood in the background

STAGE SUMMARY:

Starting Point - Biggs Junction, OR

Ending Point - Hood River, OR

Distance - 45.4 miles

Cumulative Distance - 3126.0 miles

Vertical Elevation - 2934 feet

Counties - Sherman, Wasco, Hood River, OR

Wind - light headwind