Crow Butte Park, WA to Hat Rock State Park, OR (near McNary, OR). 44.7 miles.
I woke up with a bout of allergies that put some serious bags under my eyes. Benadryl doesn't seem to help. I think it's the trees, or the grass, or the blooming flowers, or....
Leaving the oasis of the campground, and back into the sagebrush, I set out to do a 1/2 day to give my sore legs a bit of a rest. My goal was to ride to nearby Umatilla, OR (pronounced "youmatila" by the locals), a decent-sized town on the Columbia River. It was about 30 miles away. As I got back on highway 14, just North of the road, the hillside gently sloped upward. The sagebrush had been removed from these hills and replaced with beautiful vineyards, some included a palatial estate prominently perched atop the hill, overlooking the owner's prized possessions.
The further East I traveled, the more these vineyards dominated the landscape. it was becoming clear that these were not small farming operations. Then, I came upon a sign, "Chateau Ste Michelle", and then another, "Columbia Crest". Yes, these were big productions producing wines as common as Twinkies in a convenience store.
By this point, I have left the Gorge, well East of the Cascade Range and in it's rain shadow, and I am now deep into the Columbia Plateau, consisting of thick basaltic lava flows. Much of this basalt was well-exposed within the gorge, with numerous areas in columnar form, similar to what is found at Devil's Postpile National Monument in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California, among other places. The landscape is now relatively flat, with some rolling hills, and occasional outcrops of the black basalt poking up into the golden grasses.
Lots of irrigation is being used, with big pumps drawing water out of the Columbia River. The closer I got to Umatilla, the more agriculture dominated the landscape. Fields of corn, apple trees, and stone fruit trees were plentiful.
I crossed the River again, this time back into Oregon to my destination town of Umatilla. Just upstream of the bridge I traversed was the impressive McNary lock and dam, built by the Army Corps of Engineers.
My first stop in town was the RV campground on the River. Meh. I decided to hold off checking in to see if ther were any other options. As I went down the main drag of town, there wasn't much there.
Then, in a stroke of good luck, I stumbled upon the Java Junkies cafe. It was the perfect find. A very soft and comfy couch awaited me in the air-conditioned cafe. I needed my caffeine fix, but wanted something cool on this warm day. Alli, a courteous and prompt employee, mixed me up a blended mocha drink that was soooo good that I almost ordered another one. But, I had to pace myself. I sat down with my mocha on that comfy couch, connected to their free fast WiFi, and worked on updating my blog while giving my legs a rest. I then had to get something else. Friendly Marissa, who I saw earlier forming dough to make fresh-baked cookies, recommended an orange Italian soda with a touch of vanilla to give it a creamsicle effect. WOW was that tasty. I spent hours in this cafe speaking to Hunter, another employee, as well as many of the friendly faces that walked in and out. On my way out, I ordered a HUGE sandwich to go that would soon be my dinner. The Java Junkies crew, very supportive of my adventure, joined me outside for a picture before I departed.
By now, it was around 8pm. My plan was to ride around 9 miles out of town to the campground at Hat Rock State Park. There was still plenty of daylight. It gets dark late this time of year this far North. Along the way, there was a vista viewpoint of the McNary dam. I had to check it out..
Finally, I made it to Hat Rock at sunset. Another great day, with a much needed break!
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