2001 Crown Point Columbia River Hwy Oregon - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

2001 Crown Point Columbia River Hwy Oregon - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, vintage magazine article.
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
BY MARK HEISER
Albert C. Hayes was born in October 1888,
in Austin, Minnesota. He was my first cousin
twice removed, a member of the family so dis-
tant that few knew anything about him. Yet as
a surviving relative, I had inherited his per-
sonal effects, including a number of very old
photographs from the turn of the century,
many taken in places far removed from
Austin. It appeared Albert had a passion for the open road,
and traveling across unspoiled country.
One photograph particularly fascinated me. It shows Albeit’s brother, Paul, strad-
dling a motorcycle—his gaze determined and fixed. From behind the acetylene
headlight, two American flags wave patriotically. The year was 1920 and the place,
Crown Point, a popular stop along the Columbia River in Oregon.
Seventyrriine- years after the photo above was taken, I decided to embark upon a.
similar journey with my lifelong friend David. In the many years we’ve known each
other we have shared many road adventures, but never on motorcycles. The pho-
tos provided a destination...a place to go that meant something, and a chance to
connect with the past.
Although it was late August, we had not anticipated the blazing, penetrating heat of
California’s Central Valley, which drained every ounce of our energy. In an effort to
escape the inferno, we made a beeline north on Interstate 5 and headed for the moun-
tains above Redding. Needless to say, it was a long first day for two first-time tourers.
Sometime before dawn on our first night camping, it began to rain big, quarter-
' sized drops that thumped on our tent; We hadn’t expected a storm, and we were
less than prepared. We packed up quickly and headed out in an effort to outflank
the weather. The morning provided a nice change from the day before—cool, crisp
.. air ’and long stretches of rolling highway. We burrowed our way through the
Klamath Forest, and deciding to avoid the freeway, continued on Highway 97
toward Klamath Falls, Oregon. (Not exactly the direct
route to Portland, but more interesting.) As we made a 180-
. Ip \ V
degree loop around beautiful Mt. Shasta,- California, the rain jjjjp
clouds seemed to follow us like stalkers.
By nightfall we hit Portland, and decided to stay in a hotel,
v
so we could be dry and refreshed for the journey through the ? \
Columbia River Gorge. As we settled in for the night, I pondered
...4 V
the next day’s itinerary and my thoughts turned again toward
'
Albert and Paul.
|a
Albert had a wife, Anna Mabie, who he married in 1933 when Jjm pfl
she was 44. She was the thin thread that connected Albeit to my W 1
family. Even less is known about Paul, other than he was an
w
architect. However, through the many photographs, I feel as if
|
I know them both. They had many adventures. A trip to Iowa,
J|
marked by a black-and-white image of a farmer standing in a
recently harvested onion field and a small, twisted suspen-
|
sion bridge in Mona. There’s a trip to New Orleans,
Louisana, showing dock workers unloading grain from a - IT J
steam ship, a small African-American boy in a horse-drawn
milk cart and a child pulling her mother across a street in
the French Quarter.
Documenting their trip to the Columbia River Gorge,
is a series of small photos chronicling the stops they
made while traveling in the Northwest. The Masonic
Temple in Fargo, North Dakota; the U.S. military ships
■
moored in Seattle, Washington; and the Shrine Band marching toward our B
two wanderers in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"
The next morning the weather was hot and humid as we made our way
toward the Gorge. Most of the Columbia River Highway is now Interstate
- ----------------------------- -------------------------
A Journey into History Along Oregon’s Columbia River Highway...
15696