Sometimes You Just Need a Short Getaway

Since I moved back to Portland in May, I've constantly been asked where my next trip will be or where am I off to next and I don't think anyone believes me when I say that I'm staying in Portland for awhile. Over the years I've sort of picked up this identity as being a traveler, a vagabond of sorts, never really settling down in one place for too long, and at first, I thought that was what I wanted. Back when I returned home in 2015 from backpacking for 13 months, I felt so satisfied, like that inch that I couldn't quite reach had finally been scratched and I was ready to begin a new chapter in my life. I wasn't completely sure what that would be but I was open to figuring that out.

From the very beginning, I've viewed traveling as a personal expression of my rebellion against a system that I believe is designed to keep us confined to living mediocre lives in order to maintain itself and keep the machine going. Each of my trips, while very beneficial, only served to be temporary escapes. I would always return home smack-dab, right back in the middle of "the game" that I was trying to run away from.

I've come to terms with just how deeply ingrained capitalism is in my life and I've accepted that there is no escaping it, only making conscious decisions about your choices, products you buy, businesses you support, etc. Moving off the grid and becoming self sufficient isn't how I want to live, either. One of the key realizations in my pursuit of creating a life, that for one, is liberating from the programmed way of being, and two, where I'm feeling in a state of alignment, is that you can play the game by your own rules. I won't go into any details about what this means because I hate sharing my ideas while they're in the process of becoming, especially at the beginning where I'm still trying to put the pieces together, but I feel like the seeds have been planted into bringing this into fruition.

Anyway, back to the whole reason I'm even updating my blog. While I probably won't be packing up and hitting the road for weeks or months at a time in the near future, in order to maintain my sanity, I can still plan short getaways. I had been talking about wanting to go camping for awhile now and I finally made it happen. There is so much natural beauty right outside of Portland so I decided to go and see some of it for myself. On this occasion, I biked east toward Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge by way of the Historic Columbia River Highway.

The Columbia River Gorge. View from the Vista House along Historic Columbia River Highway.

It blows my mind that all of this exists less 50 miles from my front door. The planning and preparation for this trip was extremely easy. I literally woke up in the morning, looked up directions, tied my tent and sleeping bag to my bike and left. The route wasn't too difficult. I would say that there was only one major climb in each direction, both leading up to the Vista House, which you can see the view in the photo above. Vehicle traffic along the route wasn't too bad either. While there wasn't a bike lane on the highway, cars passed by sporadically, and they all seemed to be driving at the speed limit, which was only like 35 mph. I felt safe on the road. 

After reaching the Vista House, I was rewarded with my favorite part of the ride, a long stretch all downhill, passing by several waterfalls before finally reaching the mother of them all, Multnomah Falls. 

Sometimes you have to play tourist. Multnomah Falls.

I stopped here and decided to hike up the trail leading to the top of the waterfall. This was a nice spot to have lunch.

The top of Multnomah Falls, where the water flows right before it drops over the edge.

I originally planned on camping at Ainsworth State Park, but when I arrived, I wasn't really feeling the Hiker/Biker camp area. I wanted to be right by the Columbia River, but this camp ground was situated on the other side of I-84, putting the highway right between my view of the river. While looking at a map, trying to find better camp grounds in the area, a woman who works for the state park approached me and suggested I bike a little bit further to Cascade Locks. I took her advice and the camp ground was everything that I was looking for. 

Enjoying a beer as the sun sets at Cascade Locks Marine Park. Looking at Bridge of the Gods, connecting Oregon with Washington.

I honestly think one of my favorite parts about going camping is getting in sync with the sun cycle, going to bed when the sun goes down and waking up right as it's rising; the natural way. I woke up at 5:30am the following morning, energized and ready to hit the road home. After breaking down my camp and packing everything up, I had breakfast and began the trek back to Portland. Along the way, I had to change a flat tire, but other than that, I had no hiccups and was back home before noon. 

That little trip was all that I needed to recharge myself during my days off. I only biked about 100 miles in total, but I got to soak in some sun and enjoy beautiful summer days. There is so much to see in Oregon and I plan on making the most of the good weather before I'm stuck with grey clouds and rain for like nine months straight.