Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting: Fun for Everybody
The third Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting met in scenic Carson, on the Columbia River. More than 70 cyclists attended, and everybody had a lot of fun. BQ published a place, date and time, and then cyclists from all over congregated for a great day of riding together.
We started the ride together by climbing up the Wind River valley. Soon, a few riders chose the all-paved route to Old Man Pass, while the rest headed up the wonderful Panther Creek Road (above) and continued onto the gravel of the Carson-Guler Road. The previous days’ rain had compacted the surface nicely, and there was no dust, which made for pleasant riding. The rainclouds were dissipating, and we got spectacular views of Mount Adams.
Back on pavement, we descended to Trout Lake, where we enjoyed the famous huckleberry shakes while sitting under shady trees on this sunny summer day.
Instead of returning the same way we came, we explored Forest Road 86. This road surprised us with great riding and next to no traffic: We encountered four cars in five hours!
We enjoyed an amazing gravel descent, and then our group split again. Half went over yet another pass back to Carson, while the others took a more direct route to the Columbia River.
For the last miles along the mighty river, the stronger riders provided shelter from the powerful headwinds that blew through this magnificent gorge.
The Un-Meeting drew a variety of riders on a variety of bikes: old mountain bikes, mass-produced and custom-built Allroad machines, and carbon gravel bikes were among the machines that tackled the beautiful course.
The sun was getting low in the sky when we returned to Carson after a great day of riding and of meeting new and old friends.
The following day, several groups rode to Portland via the magnificent Bridge of the Gods and the beautiful Historic Columbia River Highway. It was a great weekend, and there already is talk of the next Un-Meeting. I hope you’ll join us next time!
