Archive > The Amazing Race 13 Spoilers/Speculation
EP11: 12/7 "You Look Like Peter Pan"
walkingguide:
I'm a longtime walker/hiker in the Portland area, Columbia Gorge, Newberg (lived 8 miles from Newberg until last December).
I also find the timeline to be a problem. I'd never consider getting from PDX to Newberg to Cascade Locks and back to Portland in 5 hours. But, it's a raaaaaaccccce! At least a noon arrival at PDX means they won't hit traffic.
Champoeg State Park is just across the Willamette River from Newberg, via a bridge. They have lots of tall trees there. I used the forested path from Butteville into the park as my main marathon walk training route for over five years. Yep, those could be the trees. I know them intimately. Also, there are still plenty of big trees just outside of Newberg on the hills. I've done walks the past 2 years that started at a winery and went through forest on the vineyard grounds. We are not deforested completely around Newberg. (FWIW, I wouldn't drive through Newberg to get to Champoeg, I'd stay on I-5 and cut over through Butteville, much faster, but I'm a local). Actually, Champoeg has an address in "St. Paul" rather than Newberg, so the climbing might be on private land owned by a farmer or in the hills around Newberg.
Cascade Locks: the Columbia River around Cascade Locks is NOT A LAKE. Yes, it is an impoundment behind gigantic Bonneville Dam, but there is a current around Thunder Island and can be a lot of chop and waves in the water when the wind is blowing. And the wind blows 99% of the time, HARD. Cascade Locks is a very windy place, and this area is frequented by sailboarder and windsurfers as a mecca. There can often be whitecaps on the river from the wind chop around Thunder Island.
I can't see the clips yet to comment on Columbia River vs. Willamette River. The Willamette River at Champoeg isn't very swift and it's far, far, far narrower than the Columbia at Cascade Locks. May is the high run-off season, so either river would be high. Bonneville Dam would be spilling the excess, so there would be a good current at Cascade Locks.
I've strolled around Thunder Island on volksmarch walks at least six times, I know it well. Lots of geese doo-doo. It is a popular wedding venue, although you definitely risk losing any hats or veils. Last June when I went over the little bridge onto the island, I had my hat secured around my wrist and it still blew away and I had to chase it.
Bridge of the Gods is a very scary bridge. We had one volksmarch that crossed it. It is open steel grating underfoot for most of its length. Total vertigo experience. It is a looooooooooonnnnnnnggggg way from Bridge of the Gods to Thunder Island, so I definitely believe the 2000-ft zip line! The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the bridge and those who are using pack animals have to blindfold their horses to lead them across. I don't know if they do any other physical tasks, but the trails up from Bridge of the Gods are gorgeous but steep, a real hike.
puddin:
Bless you walkingguide, always great to hear from someone thats been there done that, welcome to the forum :hithere:
I've been searching the Newberg area for the tall timbers, I thought Champoeg State Park being a heritage area and all, tourists photos would be easy to find but that's not the case :lol:
Kiwi Jay:
so the first half of the zipline part of this coming leg could well be at "champoeg national park"?
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walkingguide:
That tree-climbing trapeze thing could be in Champoeg, or it could be somewhere else in the Newberg area. But to tell you the truth, we have trees all over the place here in NW Oregon that look like that, that's how they grow, so it could be anywhere. It's only because a cabbie told somebody they went to Newberg that I'd say it wasn't somewhere else. It could easily be the dirt trail and path in Champoeg, or any logging road anywhere in NW Oregon/SW Washington.
I've reviewed the preview video and I think all of the clueboxes shown are on Thunder Island near Bridge of the Gods. Champoeg doesn't quite look like that (in areas with grass, they mostly have oak trees, it's only in the areas without grass they have the tall Douglas Fir), but Thunder Island does 100% I'm extremely confident now that the river you see behind the sibs is the Columbia River. Definitely it looks like Thunder Island. I've circled that puppy many times.
The zip line from the bridge goes to Thunder Island, according to the reports.
FLFan:
Not sure how many actual hours of travel time from Moscow to Portland (including the airport layover), but it certainly has to be a fairly long trip.
It may be my imagination, but doesn't Ken look pale and possibly very tired in some of the promos? Pale and dark circles / bags under his eyes? It is not that he is a bit unshaven, he just looks flat tired, worn out.
Dan and Andrew look reasonably refreshed, especially during what is possibly the first taxi cab ride. Looks like Dan and especially Andrew got lots of rest on the plane or they didn't have to get out of bed as early as the other 2.
Nick and Starr look in fairly good shape also. So may be they were able to sleep on the plane or youth beats age.
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