Few joys can match riding your bike East on the Columbia River Gorge Historic Highway Trail.
The Gorge is glorious for its stunning views as well as notorious for its ferocious winds.
If you head toward the rising sun, that freak of nature tailwind literally neutralizes the ups and downs of the trail.
It has been more than a few years since we rode the trail, so I enjoyed one of the newest sections from Wyeth Campground to Viento State Park.
Even though it was Saturday morning, it was early, and I pretty much had the trail all to myself, including a silent meditative retreat alone at Starvation Falls, a spot that would be buzzing with tourists the rest of the day.
As special as that moment was, the most memorable instant had, er, still has my mind performing mental gymnastics of the Einsteinian variety.
Imagine cruising a straight descent somewhere in the 20-mph range and deciding to clear out your left nasal passage.
Finger pressed on the right nostril. Tilt of the head. And blow!
What happened next defies my understanding of the physical world and forever etches the infamous Gorge Wind in my memory.
I watched as my snot launched forward, not backward, guided by the wind beneath its wings. Luckily it didn’t swirl back in my direction.
Sadly, I couldn’t conjure up a repeat performance to satisfy my scientific nature. I’ll just have to live with that solo experience.
It reminds me of my now favorite single-track ride at Silver Falls State Park that somehow rises in elevation while making me feel as though it is a descent.
This week’s question: What experiences have you had that defy logic?
You mean like when the flags are blowing one way and, on the ground, the win is from the opposite? Or how about headwinds in either direction??
Lol