Part 2 | Motorcycle Portland, Oregon to Yellowstone

Portland to Pendleton: After a long winter of limited motorcycle riding, a ride from Portland, Oregon over the Continental Divide to Yellowstone might be just what the doctor ordered. This is the second part in the Portland, Oregon to Yellowstone series.

The first 60 miles of the Yellowstone trek as you motorcycle east out of Portland, Oregon is the lush, forested, often cloudy and misty Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. Rivers, waterfalls, and green things line the roads on either side of the Columbia River. The climate and terrain changes rapidly as you emerge on the east side of the Cascades between Hood River and The Dalles. Before you know it the landscape is arid, hot, and windy. Wind power is the growth industry in this area and hundreds of windmills can be seen on the hilltops as you motorcycle east. The Columbia River here is a series of slack-water pools, slowed by one dam after another. The climate is perfect for growing things, and the 25,000-acre tree farm along I-84 in Boardman is a good example. Rows and rows of tall, leafy trees go on for miles just south of the Interstate.