Portland has just wrapped up its warmest year on record. There has been little rain during the past month and temperatures have risen nicely. It's normally rainy and cold through spring, making it difficult to ride muddy gravel roads and nearly impossible to mountain bike on higher trails until May or June. Except this winter. Chris has already been up to Mount St. Helens and other places he has no business being this time of year with his mountain bike. The gravel roads are also dry as a bone, allowing us to ride where it would usually be difficult in early March. We took advantage of the continuing summer-like conditions and drove 100 miles east of Portland through the Columbia River Gorge to where the Deschutes River meets the Gorge. From there, we road up above the Gorge and along a plateau above the river before heading inland to ride over more gravel roads. We had the place to ourselves. Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood were visible for most of the route but as usual the sun was in the wrong place for pictures.
