Bike from Vancouver, BC to Astoria, OR

I completed this ride with the help and support of all of you, my friends here on 43T. I don’t want to go through a litany of names because I am sure I’ll leave someone out. The help included (but I’m sure was not limited to): cheers, comments, messages, e-mails, training and route tips, and even company for a day. It was nice during the times that I was hot or tired to pull out my iPhone and see various encouraging words and cheers. And many of the cheers I gave last week were given on the side of the road.

So I leave this goal with this final picture from my trip. It was the last day. I really was looking forward to seeing the Columbia River, and here is just about where we met. At this point, I was following the trail of two of my heroes, Lewis & Clark.

Thank you all! 11 months ago

I woke up this morning and did not have to prepare to ride; I did not have to put on two layers or padded shorts and the fact that it was raining was of no concern. A friend emailed to ask my plans.  I had a rough itinerary for the next three days that I sent her, but the reality was that I was missing home and my wife. I knew my wife  was  off  work this week to tend her beloved gardens. I also knew that the weekend of June 30th, I’d be away on another trip. I checked some things out on line and then made plans to return home tomorrow morning. Some of the activities that I’d been contemplating will be wonderful for a vacation together. 

But there was still today. I rented a car and did not care if the road went uphill or down.  I drove to the Lewis and Clark museum and re-creation of Fort Clatsup. While there, the entire summer staff came down the trail to take a group picture and I quickly became the official photographer. 

I then drove down to Cannon Beach with its lovely shops and restaurants, magnificent coastline and massive Haystack Rock.   Walking back to my car, I encountered two young cycle tourists just starting their ride from Astoria to San Francisco. I had overbought on snacks and offered what remained to the pair. They were almost giddy with excitement, especially when they saw some chocolate in the bag. 

Driving towards Portland, the terrain looked  like something out of Ax Men. A few hillsides are stripped of trees and you know the only way this could happen is with the same equipment used on the show. It was a series of climbs and descents, often behind logging trucks. 

In Portland, I took a walk around, had some coffee and went to Powell’s Books, which claims to be the largest independent bookstore. The place is massive. I got to watch an Espresso Book Making machine make a book on demand in 3 minutes. 

In the evening, I went to a brewpub for dinner. I left right after, because the place was crowded and loud. I found a quiet local place to try a couple of microbrews and write out my postcards. 

No miles; no km 11 months ago

After getting turned around a bit leaving Longview, I was on my way to the Columbia River. My first view of it was from a road almost level with it.  The river is to the left and to the right the terrain rises over 1,000 feet very quickly,with evidence of dramatic rock falls. The Columbia is a working river and suddenly a freighter is along side me. I tried in vain to keep pace with it for all of 3 minutes and then gave up before burning out my legs.  

 The route went up and down in a rolling fashion until about mile 27 (41 km). Then the road turned right going over a bridge to Puget Island. It was a three mile ride to a ferry to the Oregon shore. The ferry is a small open craft and the trip took all of 10 minutes. 

Reaching the Oregon shore, problems began. The road rose 600 ft ( 200 m) in a couple of miles. There were several climbs after this, though none as steep Also, rain began blowing in from the Pacific. This created a shadow effect behind the hills. On the side of the hills away from the Pacific, I was climbing but dry. On the side of the hills facing the Pacific, it was a downhill run but very wet and windy. As a final insult, tendinitis struck my left knee rather hardly. Yesterday, I had noticed my saddle had slipped down a bit; a perfect set up for tendinitis. I adjusted the saddle this morning,  but the damage had already been done. It was an uncomfortable ride at times. 

I stopped for lunch at a diner in Knappa Junction  It was brimming over with families celebrating Father’s Day. I had a late morning breakfast burrito and enjoyed the rest using it to catch up on emails and cheers. 

Back on the road, I had only about 15 miles to Astoria. It was rather slow going, with one last big climb, but I made it into town before 3 o’clock

It would seem the effort was over, but there was work to be done. I dropped my gear at my hotel, removed a number of things from the bicycle frame including lights, the holder for my GPS and a few other add-ons, and rode the bike over to a local bike shop. I made arrangements for the shop to ship the bike back home. Once that was done, I felt I could relax a little and get a cup of coffee. But back at the hotel, I had to clean off the mud from the panniers, empty them out and begin to repack them. Later, I would still have to do laundry, but first I grabbed a burger and a couple of beers at a local bistro. 

Once laundry was done, I soaked in the Jacuzzi in an effort to recover from a wonderful week of cycling. 

60 miles or 96 km 11 months ago

Today was the day I was meeting Joie de Vivre and her husband to cycle for the day. I met them at the train station at about 830. They were wonderful and her husband even carried two of my panniers. 

 They have previously cycled between Centralia  and Longview but take a different route. They kindly agreed to follow the route on my map, And were rewarded with a much hillier ride than expected. 

Early into our ride, we saw two deer. One was a huge buck, muscular with the beginning of antlers. We rode a quick downhill through Lewis and Clark State Park, where we saw some old growth Douglas firs.  

Leaving Toledo, we began to follow the Colitz River. The ride into Castle Rock was only 8-10  miles from Toledo but seemed to take an eternity. At one point we were able to get a glimpse of Mount Saint Helens. It was 35 miles away and somewhat covered in clouds but you could still see how the volcano had blown the side off of the mountain. 

By the time we reached Castle Rock it was quite warm about 82°F or 28°C. The downtown was rather cute and we had lunch at Hattie’s. 

We then rode the next 8 to 10 miles into Kelso, where Joie and her husband met their train and I made my way to Longview. 

60 miles or 96 km 11 months ago

Today was by far my favorite ride. I’m not sure if that is due to the loss of the weight of my camping gear or the route but it was great.

Starting about mile 10, the route started to follow a creek through timber country and then into more like a prairie. There was one section where the creek had worn away the bank on one side and combined with views of the trees in the background and flowers in the foreground, it was the prettiest spot I found all week.  

Three times, I encountered deer. Once a single deer slowly crossed the road. Another time a trio of them were bounding across a field. The final time, a doe and tiny spotted fawn entered the road just ahead of me. They retreated into the bushes but the fawn was curious and watched me a few moments from the tall grass before its mother moved them on. 

 I then entered  into a section of  dairy and cattle ranches. There was a bison ranch but is was  difficult to get close to the bison. I looked to see if anyone was around to ask permission to get closer but there was  nobody.  

Coming into Rochester, it got warm. I took off my jacket and was able to cycle in just a and shorts for the first time in days.  From town, I could get glimpses of Mt Rainier.

For dinner, I went to a barbecue place with saddles for stools and the owner making bee hives to sell.  Brisket and cole slaw made for a great dinner. 

70 miles or 112 km 11 months ago

I am 15 pounds lighter. I’ve been carrying camping gear all week and not using it.  The weight is killing me on the hills. At the end of today, I made the decision to ship it home and perhaps enjoy the next three days a bit more. 

I had three great encounters today:
- Matt came up behind me and we rode together for 10 glorious miles along a river valley. He is riding from Seattle to San Francisco 
- A bunch of retired guys out on a day ride saw me at my lunch stop and stopped to say hello. They also tour and we traded stories. 
-I stopped in a local coffee shop for iced coffee and a cookie. The owners used to run a bike shop. We talked for a half hour of so. 

At this point I  have left the coast and am now more in timber country

60 miles or 96 km 11 months ago

Riding along West Beach Road on Whidbey Island there was a bit of a headwind but the view was spectacular. There are small homes along the road but you can still get a great view of the water. There was a field of grass and two deer went running across in that bounding way they have. 

The route cut across a narrow neck and then went along  a beautiful little harbor towards Coupeville.   To get to the ferry, I had to cross through farm country again. I don’t mind that  it is flat and I picked up a bit of speed. 

I make my way down to the Port Townsend  ferry. Because the touring bike is so heavy, I could not lift it to store it in the bike racks on the second deck. Instead, it remained on the vehicle deck with the cars and trucks. Once I was sure  it seemed secure, I amused myself by checking out the rest of the ship. 

Coming of the ferry, I noticed my toe clip was broken. By happenstance I saw a sign for a bike shop. It was this really artsy eclectic little place. They had the parts I needed and filled my tires with air. Outside, there were a bunch of really cool cycling sculptures. (One of these is seen above and another is in my photobucket album)

In Port Ludlow, I found a cafe for  lunch. I had a huge Greek salad, which was a nice change from all the carbs I’ve been eating.  Leaving, there  was a deer walking rather close to me. He did not seem afraid of me, but also didn’t stay long enough for me to get his picture. 

The Hood Canal is my next big milestone.  While it seems as big as the Mississippi, the bridge was not nearly as difficult to get over as I thought it might be.   I am overnighting in Poulsbo. 

55 miles or 89 kilometers 11 months ago

A couple of people had mentioned taking Chuckanut Drive to go south. It out me in a dense forest with huge moss covered trees and dense vegetation. The true payoff was the overlooks of Bellingham Bay. What can’t be seen in the photos are the snow covered peaks in the distance. 

Coming off Chuckanut Drive, I entered farm country for a while following my GPS through the grid of roads that we’re phenomenally flat. The route came back to the ocean and down a recreational trail through a tidal estuary. 

The route map put me on a busy road over towards Anacortes, but after a couple of miles, I found a bike trail and maps that would bring me to the same place.   Part of it was an old RR bridge across a small bay. The town of Anacortes was pretty and I was tempted to stay the night but pressed on to avoid a really long day tomorrow. 

Leaving Anacortes involved a series of frustrating hills. One was so long and steep that I had to stop several times. After making it through that section, I had to go across the narrow bridge at deception

Leaving Anacortes involved a series of frustrating hills. One was so long and steep that I had to stop several times. After making it through that section, I had to go across the narrow bridge at deception pass. A man in a pick-up truck was kind enough to go behind me and make sure people did not try to pass me. I pedaled as quickly as possible; and once across, we both pulled into the rest area and he asked about my ride.

65 mi 104 km 11 months ago

I was up a little before 5:00. Today is the first real day of cycling. After packing all the gear  onto my bike, I went down to the Mount Pleasant sign to take the official starting photo.  It was slow going, navigating the various streets. Part of the route lead me through a tree-lined community with absolutely beautiful homes. 

 I crossed over the Fraser River on a long bridge. The bridges today were bit of a problem, not just the climbing but also figuring out how to get on and off of them. 

I rode aong the Fraser River for a while. There were logs corralled together in the river destined for the pulp mills. I’d always heard of this practice but never seen it. 

Crossing yet another bridge I became hopelessly lost as I came off. Locals directed me to take a dirt path that seemed to be part of nature trail. It took about an hour to figure out that this was the wrong way and to make my way back and around. 

I decided to try and push a little further to get to the town of Bellingham. It would mean a 70 mile (112 km) day, but I would only have a half day of riding tomorrow and would be able to do some other things.   

Leaving the town of Blaine, I entered farm country. There were all kinds of horses, goats,and cows. Passing one field, I saw three bald eagles overhead. 

By the time I reached Bellingham, I was so ready for the day to be over. I basically just found a hotel and had some food delivered for dinner. 

 70 mile (112 km)  11 months ago

Now, there is an unwritten rule of cycling that you never ever pass by a place with a sign reading “Fresh gooey cinnamon rolls”. And so, I headed over to a coffee shop on Main St that said just that and got an Americano and a cinnamon roll – OMG.   

Riding along the water seemed like a good way to see many nice parts of the city. I started at what had once  been the Olympic Village. From that spot, there is a great view of the Olympic Stadium, the arena and the city’s science museum with a geodesic dome on top. From there, I rode along the waterfront past the newer hotels and restaurants. An Irish pub was packed with soccer fans cheering Ireland in the EM. Eventually, the route goes back through Stanley Park. 

Coming out of Stanley Park, a sea otter was swimming along the shore and occasionally coming out on the rocks to hunt for food.  I watched it for quite a while before it swam off. Several times before I’ve seen river otters but never a sea otter. 

I made my way to Granville Island, a once industrial area now packed with eateries, shops, studios and street performers, all geared towards tourists. There, I met Kathy who had become separated from her husband and two children. I attempted to help her find them and after 15 minutes of fruitless searching, we declared defeat and opted to have lunch together. Shortly after we sat down, her family located us and joined us. They are very nice family on their way to an an Alaskan cruise.   

A burger and a beer are the perfect way to end the day before that cycle touring begins tomorrow.  

18 mi. 28 km. 11 months ago