Thursday June 18, 2015, 160 miles (257 km) – Total so far: 8,422 miles (13,554 km)
Four days 160 miles Sunday morning we slept in a little although it can be difficult due to the sun up before 5am. We cooked an excellent breakfast and took our time and didn’t leave camp until 10. The road was very hilly and steep and Nicole had her first puncture. I could not get our new portable pump to work and also could not find the backup. So we called Andee who arrived with our large floor pump. Soon we were on the road again and arrived at a KOA outside of South Bend after 50 hilly miles.
Our Monday morning commute along an oyster bay was fun and easy. After 35 miles Oregon and the Astoria Bridge were in sight. We enjoyed a picnic lunch before tackling two larges bridges. The wind was howling across the Columbia River and with the tide going out it made for some interesting waves. After the Astoria Bridge we crossed into Oregon, crossed another bridge and found a cool state park at Camp Stevens. The ladies drove to downtown Astoria to explore while I finally went through all my panniers to find stuff that I was missing. On tour sometimes it takes a few weeks to get everything sorted out.
Tuesday was a short ride to Cannon Beach, Oregon. We found an old campground 1959 then spent the afternoon walking through town and the beautiful beach. Lunch found us at Bill’s Brewery snacking on clam strips and tasting the local brew. Wednesday we camped at a beachside county park that Jocelyn had stayed at before. Two years ago she rode the TransAmerica Bike Route from Virginia Beach to San Francisco then north to Washington. Now she is riding south along the coast.
On Thursday we loaded the bikes onto the truck and drove to Portland for a visit with family and friends. We will return to the coast Monday morning to continue our trip south.
Dear Diane,
Thank you for trying and I know we will meet up again someday soon. I think Mike will see that the west coast is best for biking and traveling in the summer. Please come visit me in Florida when your winter is too cool….
Take care, andy
Thank you for the inspiration to keep moving! We will hope to make it to your side of Colorado some day! Mike and Andy
Thanks son, we really are doing well and miss you! I think you would really like it out here! The sky to the ocean is fantastic….great lighting. Love you lots dad and mom
Wow! Fabulous photos of your trek. Makes me wanna ‘get on my bike and ride’! Or at least explore more of the beautiful NW coast one way or the other. Sorry we missed you on your way through but will follow your journey and be ever thankful for the technology that lets us do that. Safe travels…happy cycling 🙂
Happy Fathers Day!
Did ya’ll hire a professional photographer for this trip? Just kidding, but these pictures are inspiring, strong in composition, and gorgeous! The panoramas show how diverse the environments are, and how well nature blends it all together.
All of the beautiful green and sea coast life are just begging to be painted, especially the tree growing out in the water labeled “Trees growing out of a large fallen tree.”. Such a lovely concept to play with.
I’m going to update the site today, and hopefully my new ideas/solutions work (revamp of the sidebar and using the FDCA bumper sticker logo as an icon).
Sounds like ya’ll aren’t having too many problems, but good luck!
Cary
Cannon beach is one of my favorite places….Charlie and I made the same trek…ours via car…it is beautiful. Keep pedaling