Day 2 - St. Helens to Welches, OR - 75 miles

We started the day riding along a busy Highway 30 down to St. Johns, where we crossed the beautiful St. Johns bridge into the neighborhood of the same name.  Meandering through Portland streets, we finally came upon the beautiful Columbia River, which we followed closely for around 16 miles, looking for osprey, jumping salmon, and Mt. Hood.  Though we saw the Cascade foothills, Mt. Hood remained shy, staying behind the clouds.

Leaving the river, we started climbing into the foothills toward Mount Hood.  The meandering two lane roads around Sandy, OR provided views of the many trees and shrubs growing in nurseries in the area that were beautiful, but again no views of Mt. Hood.

After a great milkshake & burger lunch at Calamaty Jane's, we rode the flanks of Mt. Hood to our final destination of Welches, OR, where we checked in to the Resort at the Mountain.  Have we seen the Mountain yet?  No - but there's still hope.  Whether we saw the top of the mountain or not, today was a glorious day of riding those 75 miles.

Our dinner spot, the Zig Zag Inn in Zig Zag, was a visual treat.  Upon entering, we saw this view of all the chandeliers made of various antlers, not to be outdone by the moose antlers in the center. 

Leaving the restaurant to be transported to the hotel for the night, we were surprised to find it raining quite steadily with temps feeling like they are in the low 50's.

Tomorrow we tackle riding Highway 26 toward the upper regions of Mt. Hood.  We are retiring tonight, hoping for a break in the rain and a glimpse of the mountain peak for our new friends who have traveled so far on their first trip to the NW.