A duathlon and Herman the sturgeon

My holiday off started with my long run of the week. Luckily, it was an "easy recovery week," so it was only 5 miles :) (9 this next weekend - yikes!)

I didn't feel especially strong (I attribute much of that for it being morning and because I did stadiums with a weighted pack on Saturday), but I got it done - run 15 minutes and walk 1 minute until I reached 5 miles. Total time was 52:28 - a 10:29-minute average.
Notice the creeper in the window behind me???
Then we loaded up the bikes and drove to the Gorge for an easy ride on the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. The trail is sections of the old highway that have been restored and set aside for bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

We went off I-84 at exit 40 - the Bonneville Dam. We mistakenly turned north instead of south but decided to see where it led... to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery!
We had no idea this popular tourist attraction was tucked there next to the freeway, just downriver from the dam.

We planned to spend the day exploring, so we parked and took the (free!) self-guided tour.
Lots of rainbow trout in the ponds out front:
We learned about the facility, which opened in 1909, about the life cycle of fish, and about egg harvesting. It's actually really interesting.

Then we checked out the sturgeon viewing center, where Herman lives. The 70-year-old fish is more than 10 feet long and weighs about 450 pounds! And he likes to ham it up for the crowd, cruising past the window and posing for pictures:
We walked around the gorgeous park-like grounds and checked out the gift shop. If you haven't been there, you definitely should go and take a picnic :)

We left our car there, jumped on our bikes and headed east on the paved (though very mossy) path, stopping along the way to read placards and learn about the area, history and features. But we were stopped in our tracks when we came around the corner and saw a tall staircase!

There are grooves on the side to place your bike tires and carefully lower your vehicle:
It was a bit tricky but worked great - and gave us a good laugh :)

We also laughed at the "flat" route. While it was advertised as only 65 feet of elevation gain, that must have been the difference between the start and the finish - not the cumulative measurement. There were lots of rolling hills, and riding on the moss sorta felt like riding on carpet... sluggish. I don't think I would have cared so much if I hadn't ran before the trip.

We came out at the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks and did a little more exploring before turning around.
On the return trip we followed a small sign at the Eagle Creek exit that said "overlook."

We discovered Eagle Creek Lookout Group Campground, built in the 1930s by the CCCs so people could motor up the old highway and stop to watch the Bonneville Dam construction from the bluff.
It was a beautiful park with a shelter, bathrooms and a nice view of the Columbia River.
We returned to exit 40 and continued west for about 1 mile to the Moffett Creek Bridge, a 205-foot-long arch span built in 1915. Upon completion, it was the longest three-hinged arch bridge in the U.S.

That was the end of the trail section, so we turned around and peddled back to the car... our expedition complete.

On the way back, we rewarded ourselves with burritos from Qdoba (cashing in a Memorial Day weekend buy-one-get-one coupon!). At home, I ate my grilled-veggie burrito with lettuce and baby spinach from my driveway garden - my first harvest of the season!!!!!!!!!
SO YUMMY!!!

Then the doorbell rang. Our new mattress had arrived - yippee!
A Sealy Posterpedic Firm Euro Top from Mattress World to replace the saggy one we bought when we got married 13 years ago.

The only problem is that it's HUGE! At about 6 inches taller than the old one, I literally have to CLIMB up onto it. Poor Linus can't make it in one leap. We might have to build steps :) Oh... and our sheets don't really fit. But we slept well last night!

It was a great holiday! I hope yours was equally exciting and adventurous :)