A cyclist climbs one of the many curves in Hood River Road, southwest of Mosier, near the east access to the Mark Hatfield Twin Tunnels trailhead, among the Gorge’s most popular places to visit for cyclists and pedestrians. From the parking lot, or by bike via Mosier, visitors can take the scenic route from Hood River to Mosier and back, through the historic highway tunnels overlooking the Columbia River. But a drive farther up the dead-ending Hood River Road and adjacent Proctor Road — byways that take in the often-precipitous Rock Creek Canyon — yields vistas as well as reminders of claims staked and human habitation long taken hold in the high area above the Gorge. Modern signs full of warnings and other information vie for attention along with signs shot-up, damaged by vehicles, or faded and forgotten.