Saturday "Extreme" Skating Adventure? |
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Inline Skate
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Skate Adventure I
Could this be it? Could this be what we’ve all been waiting
for? To leave more skin on the pavement than
brake marks? A chance to skate right off a
cliff? Perhaps if we were trying to get on MTV sports! Actually, a few of us decided to brave the Gorge this
past weekend and had a wonderful time. After
braving the hills around Mosier (the Mosier Twin tunnels are really cool!), we made our
way back west to The Bridge of the Gods to try a different section of the Historic
Columbia River Highway State Trail. Although
the path was much flatter, the wet pavement held us back from going too far. The hills
were a little much for some (yours truly had five wheel skates with ABEC 7 bearings and no
brakes, yikes!), but the scenery was beautiful and future plans are in the works. Watch your email for announcements regarding next
weekend. |
A 20 foot power slide! Go Kurt
Maria cruising through the awesome
Trail Log- "PISA was here" |
Bridge of the Gods (left to
right), Kurt Lesser, The scenery was beautiful, the sun was out, it reminded me of the old days
when I would go up skiing with my dad, and our motto was sunshine and powder snow, in
skater terms its Sunshine and dry smooth pavement. That is definitely what the Old
Columbia Historic Hwy had to offer. I don't think I have ever been on a more
beautiful skate! Skating down the Twin Tunnels in Mosier was beyond description, I
can't wait to take in some of those beautiful waterfalls on other parts of the road.
The hard part about this area is, there is so much of the Old Highway to explore
and so little time. So we decided in order to find that "Sweet Spot" we
all know is there, we are going to continue on in a series of Saturday "Extreme
Morning" Adventure Skates. |
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| Skate Adventure II Old Columbia River Hwy, Eagle Creek Trail  It just so
happens that the Eagle Creek Trail is not the skating spot we were looking for. We
picked up the Old Columbia River Hwy (OCRH) just below Multnomah falls and drove east
until we found the trail head for Eagle Creek. Maria, Jerry, Matt, John and Nancy
met up at 9:30 Saturday with another adventure in mind. Maria, Jerry and Matt biked
the trip this time. I'll have to admit that was a good choice. The trail was, of
course, beautiful, scenic and the weather cooperated. The threatened rain held
off until long before we had all gone home.
I had a great time, believe it or not, we got a lot of skating in and just as much adventure! We crossed a portion of the OCRH off the map for skaters. We WILL find that perfect spot. Cleaning off my wheels and bearings for the next Saturday Adventure Skate, it is much better then cartoons! Nancy |
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Ok wait, now "extreme" to
me on this trip was the time we had to get up on a Saturday morning, now that is
extreme! The hills were challenging but in a real good way. When you join us
be sure to wear you skates with a brand new brake! 
The trail itself was nice, and come summer
I'm sure all the moss will have dried up and someone will have come by and scraped the
fine carpet of green off the trail. Until then I think I will wait on going back up
there. Moderate hills combined with the slick moss made skating a challenge.
The trail itself couldn't have been more then a mile long and ended at a steep stone
stair case that led down to Interstate 84. A deep groove lined the side for bikers
to walk their bikes down, and John and I side stepped down the four flights to the hwy
shoulder where we picked up the trail, (scattered with the winters "dusting" of
traction gravel). 
The skate ended just below Lookout Park where Eagle
Creek meets up with the Columbia River. A steep pot-holed trail led up to the
lookout point where Maria and Jerry biked on. Matt, John and I turned around to
retrace our "STEPS" through the gravel up the staircase and skated gingerly
through the moss patches back to our car.
The
sun in our eyes, the wind in our face. Saturday was a little brisk, but still alright for
skating on the old Columbia River Highway (the part closed to vehicle traffic). The
Columbia river gorge was a picturesque backdrop for this skate adventure. Smooth pavement
underway and gentle slopes led the way as we retraced part of the road taken by early
travelers in their horses and buggies, and later. Model T's.