A couple of us set out on a ride today that I had been wanting to do for awhile.  Not because it’s some well know local hotspot or anything, quite the contrary.  In fact that was the biggest draw for me, the fact that it’s not a ride many would have any interest in doing.  It wasn’t a mountain bike ride.  It wasn’t a road ride.  I really don’t even know what you call this kind of riding.  We covered close to 50 miles in total.  Much of it was gravel and old rocky, over grown double track.  Starting in Quincy, using canal roads and back roads as much as possible we made our way down through Ancient Lakes, behind the Gorge Amphitheater, past Sunland Estates and all the way down to the Columbia River before climbing our way back up the long switch back road out.  Then through the Quincy Lakes and back into town.  It is a pretty awesome thing to start in a town, ride your bike to a very remote area that you have never been before, then ride back.  I highly recommend it!

All smiles rolling the fast gravel road along side massive basalt cliffs to Ancient Lakes.

Headed past Ancient Lakes and into the unknown. Awesome.

Some chose road tires, some chose cyclocross. They were both wrong at some point.

Some pretty amazing terrain back in here.

It just wouldn’t be a proper ride without a stream crossing.

Slickrock, Central Washington style.

Behind the Gorge Amphitheater looking toward the Columbia River and threatening clouds rolling in over the Colockum.

Steep switch backed “road” all the way down to the Columbia.

Switch backs! Looking down hill toward Sunland Estates.

Switch backs! Looking up the hill, away from Sunland Estates

Finishing it up, coming through the Quincy Lakes. A cool area.