More planning and Columbia Gorge thoughts

I look at the handset and punch a letter that corresponds with a number. The letters seem way too small to read. I need one of those giant phone pads with huge numbers visible to any over-40 type. I love having a simple phone number to remember when I am not near a phone book or internet. I can easily recall a number with a catchy name much better than I can remember a number. But, I still wish that for the times I am in front of a computer that I could also have the number equivalent of the catchy phrase. I am one who can barely dial, or rather punch in a phone number in the first place, so don’t need to transcribe the letters to numbers and then punch them to boot. Yes, life must be tough.

I did correctly transcribe my letters to the correct number and even punched them in correctly. That is some feat for me as somebody who seems to dial more than the average amount of wrong numbers. I always think that I have dialed correctly. It is a difficult task for me. Today, on the first try even, I spoke with a nice woman at the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce who is sending me an area bicycling map. I guess that I am trying to keep a few days ahead of myself because I have just finished the Columbia Gorge section of the trip.

I haven’t come to any conclusions even after reading lots of trip reports about the riding in the gorge. The Historic Route appeals because it gives a bird’s-eye view of the river and of the gorge. A bird’s-eye view is only possible from a high spot. Not being a bird, I can’t simply fly up for a view and I rarely fly up a hill on my bike and that is the problem.

I have the Columbia River Gorge Map; in fact, I have four of them. It has all the details any cyclist could ask for. I have become fixated on the elevation profiles. Each of the possible routes, Historic, I-84, and Route 14, has its own profile. If it were a heart monitor, I-84 would be declared dead. It has a seemingly flat line for about 17 miles when it suddenly and steadily comes to life. But rather that route flat line than me. It sure does look scenic from above and it looks like I may just have to resolve to climbing the hills and enjoying those bird’s-eye views. Better start growing some wings.