Day 7:Hat Rock, Goodbye Columbia, Walla Walla Valley

Day 7: Thurs June 12th, 2014

Hat Rock State Park, OR to Walla Walla, WA. 48.9 miles.

Woke up earlier to have a little time to check out Hat Rock before hitting the road. As I was loading up, I found that my bike was coated in small droplets of sap from the tree I locked it to. Ugh!  That took some time to clean off.

Hat Rock State Park, across from the campground, is named after a rock that resembles a cowboy hat, but was originally compared to a similarly shaped beaver fur round hat.  It was first described by William Clark (of the Lewis & Clark expedition) while floating by on the Columbia River on October 19, 1805.

The crew of explorers were very excited by this point in their expedition, having just reached the Columbia, knowing they were getting very close to the Pacific Ocean.   

Onward, I continued to follow my faithful friend who had been guiding me since I left the Pacific Ocean, the mighty Columbia River. I passed two touring cyclists heading West who were probably just as excited as Lewis and Clark to have met the Columbia and what she signifies for the first time in their long travels.

The first part of the morning ride proved a bit challenging as road work had left some small gravel and dusty conditions on the road.  My bandana served as a great face mask/filter. Then, sadly, I came to the elbow where the Columbia turned Northward, and my route deviated from her course for the first time, heading Southeast. Goodbye mighty Columbia!

My route was taking me up and over a few hills, then dropping me down into the fertile Walla Walla Valley. Known for onion production, the Walla Walla was much more than fields of allium. Picturesque fields of wheat were plentiful in the valley.

As were fragrant expanses of lavender, small vineyards with roadside fancy tasting rooms, and expanses of corn. The variations in smells as I rode through the valley were amazing, creating a sense of anticipation of what I would run into next. 

As I was getting closer to the town of Walla Walla ("A town so nice they named it twice"), I came upon a site on the National historic registry known as Frenchtown. 

In the fur trade, all of the beaver pelts from the vast inland region were shipped through nearby Wallula to Fort Vancouver via the Columbia River, where they were then loaded into ships for England.  The French-Canadian fur trader employees of The Hudson Bay Company, well respected by local Indian tribes, settled into Walla Walla Valley in the early to mid 1800's in an area now called Frenchtown. A few monuments, a cemetery, and fragments of old wooden structures remain. 

A short distance further and I found myself in the heart if the quaint town of Walla Walla. I rolled a few blocks off of my route into Main Street. A farmers market was setting up, people were out milling about enjoying the great weather, and the cafés were buzzing. I found myself in front of Allegro Cyclery, thinking I should have my front deraileur tuned a bit. 

I had a fantastic experience here. The owner had incredible patience and attention to detail, and wasn't happy unless things were perfect. He fixed the fussiness I was experiencing with the front deraileur, and asked me to ride it around the block a few times to make sure it was right on. And, it was. 

It was here that I would be picked up by my cool brother-in-law Todd Howitt and his dog Hazel, and whisked away from my route for a day of rest in the historic Eastern town of Union, OR.  When we met up, before leaving Walla Walla, we had some business to take care of. A highly recommended stop by one of Todd's friends, where some sandwiches needed to be eaten. Graze was the name of the place. I did more than just graze however. My Pastrami sauerkraut sandwich was to die for!

Off to Union, OR by car. I'll resume riding where I left off on Saturday.