Everything feels better after 2 beers at the Full Sail brewery. We started the day with a grade that was so steady at 13% with 2000ft of climbing that it made our favorite hills in Santa Barbara seem like roller coasters. We replaced our burned calories with a lunch at the top viewpoint overlooking Mt. St. Helens. We cashed in our hill climb by descending into the small town of Carson. We almost passed thru it but Steve demanded more fuel. We grabbed some stuff and visited the brewery out back. Since Carson is famous for its winds, I asked a local about wind energy…big mistake in hydro-electric country. He hated it. I managed to change the subject and we left peacefully. We crossed over to Oregon on the Bridge of the Gods. We met a young couple that, coincidentally, are riding to Santa Barbara. They are on day 68 all the way from Washington DC! They must have noticed my bright orange Santa Barbara jersey ( with custom zipper by Judy). See their blog at www.CrystalBae.com. We rode into Hood River a fellow bike rider offered their yard instead of a campground. Since its only 2 blocks from the restaurant it seems like an obviously safe choice.
