Circling the U.S. Chapter 43: Welcome to Oregon

Tuesday, October 1 - Friday, October 4, 2019

This is the view from the bus on the bridge approaching Astoria. We later talked to other cyclists who rode over the bridge and the reviews were mixed. I think it would have been fine to ride it during good weather in the middle of the day. But taking the bus worked as well. 

An older woman sitting across from me on the bus said to listen for the barking of sea lions in Astoria. She also pointed out Mt. St. Helens in the distance. We were able to see it clearly in front of us the next day as we descended a long hill.

We never met Steve, our Warm Showers host in Astoria. He lives upstairs but was out of town. He gave us the key code and we let ourselves in. His basement is set up for cyclists coming through - two full-size futons; kitchen area with hot plate, coffee maker, and sink; bathroom with shower and clean towels; room for bikes and a place to work on them. After making up our bed, we lay down and took naps before heading out for dinner.

Steve let us know that there might be other cyclists spending the night and, when we returned from dinner there was evidence of a roommate. A young man, Sam, from Belgium, came in later. Our paths would cross several times on the way to San Diego.

Our Warm Showers host recommended the Buoy Beer Co, for its waterfront views where it sat on the wharf downtown amidst the barking of sea lions. 

The view from our table was pretty good but the food was phenomenal. Trying to be healthy, I ordered a plate of grilled vegetables. Rob ordered a tuna melt, a dish I don't especially care for. But the tuna was sourced from local fisheries and was the best I'd ever tasted. Thankfully Rob was willing to share both dishes. For dessert we shared a piece of triple chocolate cheesecake.

After dinner we took a long walk along the Columbia River. There"s the Astoria-Megler Bridge back to Washington.

Many miles later we learned that when the bridge opened in 1966, replacing ferry service across the river, it completed Highway 101 as an unbroken link between the Canadian and Mexican borders. At four miles it is the longest continuous three-span through-truss bridge in the world.

On Wednesday, October 2, we started out along the waterfront trail in Astoria on a two-day ride that would take us to Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.

Before leaving Astoria we passed the remains of old fisheries.

And heard the barking of sea lions. Look closely on the floating dock to see the sea lions hanging out. We couldn't get a better look because the gate to the wharf was locked.

We've entered tsunami country.

After leaving the waterfront trail in Astoria we spent most of the day riding along Oregon state highway 30, with not too much traffic, a wide clean shoulder, and lots of climbing. One climb was over 700 feet. But what goes up must come down and we had some fun sailing downhill.

These homes along the John Day River give new meaning to the term "waterfront property." I wonder what happens to them when the river overflows its banks.

Our ride overlapped the Lewis and Clark Trail.

With rain in the forecast, cold mornings, and not especially scenic camping possibilities, we decided to spring for a hotel in Rainier after 53 miles. At first glance we expected the Rainier Budget Inn to be rather seedy but it turned out to be a good value for $75. We had two bedrooms with a fridge and microwave. I cooked up a pot of instant potato soup when we arrived. It was meant to be a late afternoon snack but was substantial and delicious enough that it turned out to be dinner.

Before going to Portland we had decided to take a short detour back across the Columbia River to Vancouver, Washington, where we had a place to stay with Dave, who we met back in Montana. Rob was fixing a flat tire next to a bridge over the Tobacco River, west of Eureka. Dave was with a group of men inspecting the bridge. He and I got talking and he said he lived in Vancouver and we would be welcome to stay with him and his family if we wanted to.

The riding on Thursday, October 3, to Vancouver was flat and fast. The forecast said rain but every time it started it looked like it might stop so we didn't take it seriously. Then, just as we approached the second bridge to Vancouver and needed to concentrate on finding our way through a maze of bike trails, the sky opened and dumped on us before we could even get our rain gear on. We made it over one bridge and, with another to go, I got a flat tire and Rob's chain got jammed. As we walked across the Columbia River I had my eye on Joe's Crab Shack, sitting on the river's edge. Once over the bridge we sorted out Rob's chain but my tire would have to wait. We parked our bikes and went inside Joe's Crab Shack to warm up and dry off and ordered beer and sweet potato fries and Rob had a bowl of New England clam chowder and I had a bowl of seafood gumbo.

We warmed up and dried off in Joe's Clam Shack while I put off fixing my flat tire.

Looking out across the Columbia River back to Oregon.

Recharged, I set out to change my tire. You probably haven't been paying attention, but on this trip my rear flat tires have always come in pairs, three times, making for six flat tires. This was number seven, not counting a flat front tire from an enormous nail. This time I marked the spot where the puncture was and still couldn't find anything in the tire. So I expected a flat tire again in the near future. So it goes.

But we made it to Dave's house in the suburbs of Vancouver without any further problems. Joan, his mother-in-law, was visiting from Utah, and working on filling cream puffs with a vanilla pudding when we arrived, so we knew we were in for a delicious dinner. Kathy, Dave's wife, served up a spaghetti squash casserole. We're always happy for home-cooked meals, especially vegetarian. Ellie K., Dave and Kathy's 11-year-old daughter is very theatrical, in a good way, and joined in the dinner conversation. Dave and Kathy are both interested in getting into bicycle touring. Hopefully we inspired them to give it a try.

In the morning, even though they both had work days ahead of them, and had to make sure Ellie K. got off to school, Dave and Kathy still found the time to cook us an incredible breakfast of bacon, fried eggs, and pumpkin pancakes with real maple syrup. The pancakes were amazing, probably the best I've ever had.

The weather forecast for Friday, October 4, called for rain butthe morning sky that gave better news. Dave and Kathy, along with everyone else we talked to, seemed stumped when we asked about what to see and do in Vancouver. In the end we decided to check out the historic fort. I wasn't especially enthusiastic about it - a fort is a fort, right? - but it turned out to be a fascinating history and archeological lesson.

Outside the site of the original British fort are all the buildings from the origiinal American military base that came after the British left.

Fort Vancouver was built by the British Hudson Bay Company (HBC), serving as its headquarters and the home of its top officials. Many of the men married women from the surrounding indigenous tribes. Outside the fort lived the working class folks, including people from many European nations and Hawaii. It was a very diverse community. Then the wagon trains came from the United States with half-starved settlers. The head of the HBC wasn't supposed to let them in the fort, but he was a humane person and couldn't turn them away. More settlers came and Great Britain decided that, rather than face another war with the United States, it would cede the area that is now Washington to the U.S. The fort burned to the ground some years after the British left. It is being rebuilt as there is money available for archeological digs and building materials and labor. It was fascinating to learn how the archeology that continues in that area informs our knowledge of history.

Inside the fort.

After leaving the fort we checked out the newly developed Vancouver waterfront, where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

We had a route planned out for our trip to Hillsboro, where our friend Marianne was expecting us. But after crossing back over three bridges to Oregon we ran into a problem. The route called for us to climb many stairs and walk a rugged trail to get to a bike path of unknown quality. We didn't  realize that until we got to the bottom of the stairs. We pulled out Rob's phone and researched another way which we thought would work and stopped at a restaurant a mile down the road to study it and write down the directions. But there was a problem. That route went over a pass that I'd noticed on our way in yesterday was closed. We needed another option. I was thinking we might not get to Hillsoboro at all. I called Marianne. She offered a great solution - ride into Portland and take the train. It worked beautifully. Rather than ride over a mountain, we had a fast flat ride, got on the train for $5 for both of us. Forty-five minutes later we were in Hillsboro with only a mile ride to Marianne's house.

I met Marianne at Maine Fiddle Camp two years ago. She was wearing a T-shirt with a bicycle on it. She looked to be about my age. (She's actually five years older.) "Do you ride much?" I asked.

"I rode here from Portland, Oregon," she said. She'd begun in April, crossing the Cascades and Rockies when they were still snow-coverecd and cold, and ridden solo across the country, carrying her mandolin the entire way.  I was impressed.

Our paths didn't cross much during that week but we've kept in touch. She is presently living in a house with her grown son and daughter-in-law, her two young adult grandchildren, her son's father-in-law, and her mother, who is 100 years old. She spends her time taking care of her mother 24/7. We timed our visit to stay over the weekend when there are folks around who can relieve Marianne so that she could get out and play with us.

With so many people living in the same house you would think it would be a circus, but it's amazing how everyone living there respects each other's space. We had a quiet dinner with Marianne, then retreated to her music room where we shared some tunes, Marianne and I on fiddles (Marianne has an extra) and Rob on guitar. It was a joy to have the opportunity to fiddle again.