Columbia City, Or to Ainsworth State Park, Or via Portland. 75 miles.
Woke up earlier today and had a fresh cup of Stumptown coffee courtesy of Richard and Liz, then hit the road. Richard mentioned that there might still be a few strawberry stands down the road, and if so, he recommended that I stop as it is peak season. So, I did.
O.M. freaking G! Those were the best (and Victoria will tell you that I have had some pretty damn good ones from Fairview Gardens in Santa Barbara) strawberries I've ever eaten.
Once across the bridge, I was in Portland, North of the urban core. I then took a residential street along the Willamette for a while. It was just as quirky as to be expected (if you don't know what I am talking about, watch the movie "Portlandia"). I stopped for lunch, then parked my bike outside of Albina Caffe (on Albina St) for a delicious cappuccino before heading out of the city. 
Can you find my bike?
Photo of rock slide from OregonLive.
I started off just north of the town of St Helens, about 30 or so miles outside of Portland. Most of the ride into the big city was along Hwy 30, which got busier closer to the city. I crossed the Willamette River at St. John's bridge, which offered fantastic views of the city, the River, all before a backdrop of snow-capped Mt. Hood.
Mt. Hood was only going to get bigger, and demand more of my attention throughout the day. Below is a shot from the bridge. It was going to be another beautiful day.
I then pedaled North to reconnect with the Columbia River. On the way, I started to smell this incredibly fragrant, sweet breeze. I made a right onto N. Ainsworth Street and right before me was Peninsula Park, Portland's first public rose garden. As I veered into the park, I was overwhelmed with color. The garden was in FULL bloom. I've never seen such a spectacular display of flowers (the roses were more impressive than those I saw at Butchart Gardens.
At the Columbia River, I then turned East to follow it just North of the Portland airport. There's a spectacular bike path that I rode for several miles along the water. Mt Hood was prominently jutting into the horizon.
Eventually, this led me to the town of Troutdale and the beginning of the Historic Columbia River Highway, which will guide me through the Columbia Gorge in what may very well be some of the most beautiful scenery to be encountered on my trip. 
Crossing the Sandy River, I left Troutdale feeling pretty good, and decided to ride further than I had originally intended. A few miles past the Sandy River, the road was closed to through traffic. I decided to ride on to see if I could sneak through. A mile down the road, another touring bicyclist was headed in the opposite direction and veered across the road to talk to me. Bill was his name. He had just flown into Portland from Maryland this same day, assembled his bike at the airport, and had already made it this far. "Where ya headed?", I asked him. "The campground at Ainsworth State Park, but the road is closed due to a rock slide", he replied. "The detour is the only way".
That's when I decided to continue on to Ainsworth as well, and we rode together off and on the rest of the day.
The detour turned out to be a very steep back road around the rockslide. After having 50+ miles under my belt already, it was tough. But, the scenery insisted on pulling my attention away from my fatigue. The rolling hills with green fields surrounded by lush forest reminded me of my recent trip to the Black Forest Region of Southern Germany.
At the top of the hill, a couple had a fruit stand at the end of their ranch house driveway. They were selling the strawberries and cherries they picked earlier in the day. I bought one pint of each. They were all gone by the next morning.
The descent along the historic highway was steep, and breathtaking, with expansive vistas of the Columbia Gorge.
Descending into the gorge on my bicycle, passing waterfall after waterfall (including the more well-known Multnomah Falls), was a ride that I will never forget.
I arrived at the campground at Ainsworth State Park at around 7:30 pm. They have a hiker/biker option (a shared large campsite for those non-motorized travelers) for $5. I had the entire site to myself, until eventually Bill caught up with me. We shared a picnic table and conversation, which was nice.
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