We've been riding along the Washington/Oregon border, where the wind howls persistently up the Columbia River gorge. The conditions make it a destination spot for wind and kite surfers from all over the country. I don't recommend it for cyclists. We took the Lewis and Clark highway up the Washington side of the river. River rafting, I believe, was the great explorers preferred mode of travel and at the time it seemed like a pretty good idea to us; the current does all the work for you, right?

The highway is desolate, with some 80 miles between stops. Across the wide river you can see RVs rolling along the interstate, resting at travel plazas. We camped with some surfers at Roosevelt, WA, where we stopped after a long 75 miles against the wind. They were a friendly bunch, interested in what we were doing, and they had valuable information on wind forecasts. We left the next morning wishing each other the best of luck, though we were hoping for opposite conditions.