Today
we moved from the temperate rain forest ecosystem of the Columbia River Gorge
to the semi-arid ecosystem of eastern Oregon. The route was marked by stunning
views of the Columbia River, along with deep canyons lined with basalt rock
walls. Basalt is an igneous rock formed by cool lava. Most of what we saw today
is from eruptions over 14 million years ago. It’s as stunning in its austerity
as the rain forest is in its lushness.
The
eastern section of Oregon receives significantly less yearly rainfall due to an
occurrence known as the rain shadow, in which the Cascades leach most of the
east traveling precipitation before it crosses the mountains. The area relies
heavily on farming, primarily vegetables such as sweet peas, onions, and beans.
Wheat is also grown significantly on a commercial farming basis. Water
conservation goes hand in hand with irrigation to manage the growing season. We
also passed a few large vineyards. They grow several of the most popular
varietals, such as Pinot noir and Pinot Grigio. I had an Oregon Pinot noir with
dinner. Tasty…
It
was a long day in the saddle, with climbs ranging from 9 miles to a handful at
2 to 4 miles. We also had some hair-raising descents of up to 4 miles. Though
with every descent we knew we would have to pay the piper his due with a long
and grinding climb. The fun of leaning into switch backs at 35+ mph was worth
it!
Hope
you enjoy the photos.
No comments:
Post a Comment