Ride the West Sep 09--Day 1 Astoria to Tillamook

Yes, Retirement Adventure #2 for Steve King begins! Since I have my lap top in tow this time, I have no excuse to keep you up to date. Here goes!

Hello friends and family from Tillamook, Oregon. I traveled here today on my trusty Trek 5200, biking from Astoria, about 68 miles away. The ride was beautiful from beginning to end, with God's handiwork of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean providing a spectacular backdrop. However, there was one minor complication that I'll tell you about, but let me first catch you up.

I arrived in Astoria from St. Louis via a flight to Denver and Portland, followed by a rental car ride to Astoria. My traveling partner, Bill Bergen, was as excited as I was to get back on the bike for several days of cycling in a wonderful area. At the Portland Airport we met Dave Robbins, a mathematics professor from West Hartford, Conn and began the drive northward. Although we had a pretty good map and we thought we knew where we were going, we somehow took a wrong turn and after about 40 minutes somebody said, ". . . aren't we heading back toward the airport?" And yes, we were. Since we didn't really have to be in Astoria until the next day, who cares?

After getting settled, we drove downtown to the recommended "Wet Dog Saloon" and had a great dinner with a fabulous view overlooking the Columbia River. And while we were there, we invited another biker over to join us, Dave Rickens, a lawyer and former Marine Corp helo pilot from Pensacola, FL. I finished the evening by assembling my bike which was beautifully packed by the Touring Cyclist team (thanks Dawn, Mike, Kevin and Zach!)

Saturday, we adjusted our central time zone body clocks by sleeping late and enjoying a quiet breakfast in the hotel. I walked in to find Barb and Mike Munk dining and exchanged hugs to the team that guided me across the country just 3 years ago. After catching up with Barb and Mike, I got my stuff organized, did the official 0830 check in and then took a walk downtown to the bike shop with Bill Bergen and Sue, an emergency room nurse from Golden, CO. After browsing the bike shop, we headed back to the hotel. Bill and I dropped off the rental car at the airport after driving across one of the amazing bridges surrounding Astoria (Google Astoria and see what I mean!). When we returned, Larry Fariss was just arriving and after getting him settled and checked in, Bill, Larry and I walked back toward town and had a light lunch at a down home diner. Great chicken soup and salad.

Next up was the pre-ride briefings from Mike and team. Karen Bauer is again the assistant ride leader and Jim is the mechanic while Barb is the ride "Mom." Great people that make this a wonderful event. We have about 22 people participating and about 15 of them have done some serious riding with America By Bicycle previously. I'll add Mike Munks blog address in a future posting so you can see how the ride "master" does his blog if you are so interested.

After 2 hours of bicycle safety and a primer on what to expect, we loaded the two support vans for dinner at a diner close enough that we could have walked. Go figure. The dinner was great and it gave us a nice chance to get to know one another. And by the way, since Larry is rooming with David Holloway, our UK friend from the Cross Country Challenge, I have a roommate myself, Brian Cox, an engineer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in San Jose, CA.

Sorry for the longwinded lead in, but I write some of this for my memories as well as your entertainment!

Remember that "slight complication" I mentioned at the beginning of this blog 2 hours ago? The "slight complication" was the 25-35 mph wind that gusted to 45 mph. And did I mention the intermittent driving rain? While the country/seaside was spectacular, the wind on my nose for about 5 hours was tough. The rain was so intense that we delayed our 0800 start to about 0920 and I got off my bike at the hotel in Tillamook at 3:15pm. Factor in there 20 minutes at the rest stop and another 30 minutes at overlooks and viewing stations and I still was in the saddle for about 5 plus hours to pedal about 68 miles. Normally, I'd be done in about 3.5 hours, so this was a good push for me. I rode about half the way with Bill, but became separated just before the rest stop at Ecola Beach Park. Somehow, Bill missed the turn and stayed on Highway 101 for about 20 more miles when I saw him turning into a grocery store to buy something for his aching knees. Bill finished in great fashion in front of almost all the other riders.

It is always great to see the hotel and the Shiloh Inn was no different. Still damp from the rain and wind, I got a cloth to wipe my bike down and then I wandered into the sauna to dry myself off until the bags arrived about an hour after I finished. Bill and I helped unload the bags and then cleaned up for the early dinner buss to the Pancake Inn. Since Bill and I were by ourselves until the next buss arrived at 6pm, we were treated royally by Nikki, a Mexican American Mom and our server. She got us a special that featured a prime rib that filled the platter along with all the salad we could eat. It was really nice to enjoy a tasty meal with a great friend and we had the entire room to ourselves. And when the rest of the team arrived at 6, we wholeheartedly endorsed the "special" and Nikki's great work. Everyone left full and happy and returned to hear the details of tomorrow's ride.

Sorry for being verbose, but I'm counting on attaching a few photos to show you the joy of the ride. I love the US for its panoply of personalities and Oregon certainly has its unique story. I'm looking forward to learning much, much more.