August 16 Crossing America

Astoria, OR – Castle Rock, WA distance 65 miles, rode 63 of them. Total miles traveled through today 4,305, on my bike for 3,637of them.

Pilot Boat at the Astoria Maritime Museum, navigation by pilot originated here.

My plan was to begin riding at seven this morning was a bad idea.  I came out of the hostel, made ready to ride and the very first corner I turned east to discover the sun was shining directly into my eyes and I couldn’t see.  If I couldn’t see, how would drivers see me?  No way, I’m not that crazy.  I decided to go have breakfast and found a café
about 10 blocks away called Pigs-N-Pancakes which made me hungry for blueberry pancakes.  I should have asked for a short stack as I was served 5 pancakes each one nearly the size of the plate.  I didn’t have to eat them but they were on my plate so I finished them off along with an order of bacon and several cups of coffee.  Oh boy!  Was I full or what.  Sitting there feeling like I’d rupture my gut any second the folks next two me were interested in my funny looking attire,
specifically my spandex.  Three lively and fit looking old timers they were as one was 86, he didn’t look a day over 70 and a couple in their 80s.  Our talk got around to raising money for MS and they said they’d be making a donation as they had several younger friends with the disease.  As I was thanking them the waitress Orchid who was taking care of my table said breakfast was on her.  I hadn’t said 10 words to Orchid and was quite taken back by her generosity.  She told
me another waitress Erica who is a very nice gal that her mother has MS.  Yet again, I’m amazed at the kindness and generosity of total strangers.  For those of you who worried about my safety due to all the bad guys in the country, I have yet to meet one.  What I have met
are fantastic folks with a great heart and a desire to help other folks.
Joyce was walking out of the hostel as I arrived back.   Told her why I hadn’t left yet and we discussed our game plan for the day.  She  would go have some breakfast and explore Astoria for a while, then drive across the Astoria bridge (A monster of a bridge and one the Adventure Cycling map avoided as too dangerous to cross on a bicycle) and meet me somewhere near Cathlamet.  I’d head out as the sun was high enough I and drivers could see going east.
US highway 30 was a series of hills, strange most of them were going up.  Upon arriving at the ferry dock I phoned to check on Joyce’s whereabouts.  To my surprise she had decided not to take the Astoria Bridge and was close to arriving at my side of the ferry crossing.
While I waited for Joyce I noticed a patch of wild blackberries many of them screaming at me to be eaten growing next to the ramp down to the ferry dock.  I couldn’t allow all those blackberries to go to  waste and decided to pick a quart.  I picked more than a quart as I ate one for every two I and placed in my water bottle.   Still licking my lips from the delicious blackberries, Joyce arrived.  She filled me in on her morning wonderings.  Oh yea, she had brought me a sandwich and a couple bananas which I woofed down. I work up quite an appetite when riding a bicycle especially up hills.  Shortly after finishing off the sandwich and one of the bananas, the ferry arrived and we were on our way back into Washington. Midway across the
river Joyce noticed there was a pretty good view of Mt. Saint Helens in the distance and I took the opportunity to take a picture of it.  Good thing I did as you will learn shortly.

Mt. Saint Helens picture taken from the ferry

Arriving on the Washington side of the Columbia River, I decided I’d drive the two miles from the ferry dock to Cathlamet proper as the road was narrow with no shoulder and there was a bridge to cross with an even narrower pedestrian/bicycle lane.  How embarrassing as we were driving this stretch of road a mom, dad and young daughter came riding toward us on bicycles.  Sometimes, I can be such wussy (American slang for wimp or weak person).  Oh well, I tell myself I’m keeping it safe.
As I was preparing to ride the 20 miles stretch of State highway 4 to Coal Creek, Joyce tells me she remembered it as being mostly flat so I’d have a break from having climbed mostly hills all this morning.  Yep, I agreed with her.  Amazing how much riding in a motor vehicle flattens out a road!   I no more then turned onto Route 4 and I had to climb for over two miles, then a quick downhill, followed by another long uphill and that’s how this flat 20 mile section of road went.
Well, there was a 2 mile and a 3 miles section of the 20 miles.  Joyce met me 15 miles up the road.  As I rode up to her I asked how she know I would need a break about now.  She said she had started up the road and noticed this time it wasn’t as flat as she thought.  I like Joyce she thinks fast, unlike me, and make adjustments to a plan as needed.  This time Joyce had an order of scruptious homemade French fries not the frozen kind which she had doused with salt for me.  At dinner last night she noticed how much salt I used.  Told her I had to replenish to the salt sweated out during a hard day’s ride.   That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.  They tasted sooooo good.  She also had a diet coke and a peach for my desert.  I told her, “Joyce I just might have to kidnap you for the remainder of this adventure”.
Break over and refreshed, I once again mounted Spirit and finished the last 5 miles on this road.  Unlike Route 4 I remembered the next and last 15 miles of this section of road into Castle Rock as having a
fair number of hills just not the first one.  Turning onto Coal Creek Road I began climbing and climbing and the road getting steeper and steeper and climbing and climbing some more.  Cry Pete!  Will I ever get to the top of this blasted hill?  5 ¼ miles and over an hour and half later I finally crested this @#*@#* monster.  First thing I spot once I bring my eyes from the pavement just in front of my bike is
the mini-van.  Inside Joyce has her back against the driver side door with her legs stretched out over the passenger seat.  She looks mighty comfortable, lounging there in the shade of some big ole fir trees and a nice cool breeze.  At first I thought she was sleeping but she was busy typing away on her laptop.  I asked if this was indeed the top of the hill.   She replied she didn’t know she stopped here because of the shade and just back down the road was the magnificent view of Mt. Saint Helens where I planned to take a picture.  I can’t believe it, I
missed it how far back?  Joyce replied further then you want to ride your bike back up the hill.  She was right.  Oh well, I took the picture from the Ferry it will have to do as this hill has taken the wind out of my sales.  I just want to be done with the day.  Thus, I asked Joyce to give me a 40 minute head start and then drive toward Castle Rock and pick me up whenever she’d catch up to me.  Turns out we were at the top of the hill and I had a nice 2 mile downhill run to reinvigorate my mind to ride.  The remaining 10 miles to Coal Creek was a series of rolling hills which quickly flew by.  Joyce caught up to me about a mile from town but being the good SAG driver she is she went into town allowing me to complete riding the length of Washington.
On the ride back to Seattle Joyce and I continued to visit regards to the Ying and Yang of life and how we’d love to motivate folks, especially youngsters to dare to live life to the fullest. The drive back to Seattle went much too fast and we had to say our goodbyes with a great big hug.  Still I wish I had kidnapped her for the remainder of this adventure.  Joyce you did a fantastic job and were a blessing both as a driver and as an uplifting experience for my soul.  On the ride to Larry’s I realized Joyce and I visited more in the past two days than all four years of high school.  Thank you for being my friend.  Truly we are kindred spirits.

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