July 3rd, we drove up to Astoria from Portland. It took 2 hours but as excited as we were, it really didn’t seem that long. One thing that did stick out in our mind was the hills and no shoulders on the route we were to follow the next day.
We got to the hotel in Astoria (I don’t recommend it because of the owner’s attitude, so it shall remain nameless), took the Catrikes down and then headed out to the ocean. Without the panniers, it was easy and fun.
Dragging them across the sand was not quite so easy but we got it done. After the obligatory photos, we drug them back up the beach (did I say dunes) to the roadway.
There we met Shawn, a teacher that was taking his kids on a vacation seeing some of our countries great national parks. Having had parents who’d done the same, I’m a big fan of anyone who invests time in their kids like this.
After posing for a picture with them, we headed back to Astoria. There we headed down to the pier for some fresh seafood before heading back to the hotel. There we did some last minute packing and went to bed.
Thursday, July 4th, we rose at 6AM, got ready and headed to breakfast next store. After that it was off to the Astoria bridge spanning the Columbia river.
It was large but luckily, the incline was manageable and of course the other side was a blast. Then we spent the rest of the day riding through Washington. It is beautiful, but after the first hour we’d seen it all. Then came the big climb. I’m not sure of the specifics but it burnt up a lot of time and took the wind out of our sails. The other side was, once again, a thrill ride, but we’d definitely had it for the day and decided to stop in Cathlamet, WA. Unfortunately, there were no hotels open so we made our way down to the marina where there is camping. After some dinner from our reserves and pitching our tents we called it a day even though it wasn’t 8 yet. We’ll start again in the AM and shoot for Woodland, WA. Planning on less miles where there could be long climbs. Once we get into desert, we may extend our days.
Final note: I brought the iPad, since it was light, but it is giving me some challenges using the apps I usually do with WordPress, so you’ll have to be patient as I work out the kinks.
Comments
2 responses to “Dipping the tires (it begins!)”
Loving the blog and photo updates! Hope you had less severe climbs today!
Like Sarah 😉 I eagerly await your updates! I’m following along with you both. Prayers and love for you both.
Cousin Sally