- Day 1 -1 Week
- Day 1 -12 Hours
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Day 5
- Day 6
- Day 7
- Day 8
- Day 9
- Day 10
- Day 11
- Day 12
- Day 13
- Day 14
- Day 15
- Day 16
- Day 17
- Day 18
- Day 19
- Day 20
- Day 21
- Day 22
- Day 23
- Day 24
- Day 25
- Day 26
- Day 27
- Day 28
- Day 29
- Day 30
- Day 31
- Day 32
- Day 33
- Day 34
- Day 35
- Day 36
- Day 37
- Day 38
- Day 39
- Day 40
- Day 41
- Day 42
- Day 43
- Day 44
- Day 45
- Day 46
- Day 47
- Day 48
- Day 49
- Day 50
- Day 51
- Day 52
- Day 53
- Day 54
- Day 55
- The End
- Retrospective
We woke up and took the long walk to to the room next to ours for breakfast. Yesterday we encountered a couple as they were coming in from a smoke. It wasn’t really any big deal and I wouldn’t even bring it up if right when we opened the door they weren’t standing there. It was a weird moment. Breakfast was all of the same basics, though this place had real plates and mugs… for the most part. When the plates were dirty and they hadn’t emptied the washing machine yet there were none. It was nice to have real stuff but there were no more bowls, then mugs, then plates. They were all replaced shortly but you had to kind of time yourself with the dishes. It was interesting that the dishes were being washed right there in the corner of the room.
After breakfast we got ready.
My tire is flat! Really?!? On the day we are going to ride into our final destination I have to replace a tube. What happened? I don’t know, but does it even matter? I replace the tube. 4/5 Mike/Jerry.
We head out on to Route 30. After all of the turns, all of the roads, detours and turns to stay on the same road… This one road will take us the rest of the way. It’s all built up to this. The road could never live up to +3K miles of build up… nothing can, nor is even fair to ask something to. This road is the road since it was laid down regardless of when or how we got here. There were some hills, again nothing like the mountain passes we’ve already completed, but this was not the coast in either.
The road was thick with moist woodland air, heavy but pleasant. We peddled our way up hills and around curves. Traffic picked up slightly as we got closer. There was a house, then a second… It was a clear start to civilization. We continued on watching as more and more traffic passed more and more houses. Everything was growing to something… our destination.
Finally as we come around a corner we see the “Welcome to Astoria” Sign! We have made it! Manhattan to Astoria, complete! It was an amazing moment. Mildly underwhelming… I don’t want to poo poo on my own parade but cloudy, dank, small town on the river was not the amazing glorious finishing line one might hope for after riding thousands of miles. I mean what could be the amazing glorious finishing line dissevering of thousands of miles of bicycling?
We made our way through the small town. It is nice, on the river. Nothing bad about it, but also nothing really brag worthy either. I really don’t know what I expected or hoped for. I really don’t even think I spent much time thinking about it, but at the moment … eh.
We passed the boat turned fish and chips shop. Again someone told us about hundreds, maybe thousands of miles ago. Now riding past it looks like a small boat on its towing trailer, where there sell fish and chips from. I don’t know if I was expecting somethings bigger, better, more grand… There was a long line so I guess there is something to it.
We rode to the bike shop that everyone I spoke to about Astoria told me about. I was worried my flat this morning was due to my wheel being out of true, since it hasn’t been adjusted since it was put on brand new in Minot. Also, I am now down to one tube… I know we only have less then 100 miles left but wouldn’t it be stupid to make it across North America and then get stuck some where in Oregon. The guy who worked on my bike might have been the owner, maybe just the senior man. Either way he spoke and the other shop guys listened. We chatted about our tour and living in Florida as a non-native. He made quick work of some minor adjustments. I probably could have made it to Portland but why not make our destination a good spot to fine tweak for a nice ride to airport.
We got a hotel room, even though the race starts tomorrow. Trying to get a room there was some small fear about getting stuck with no room here at our destination. After checking in we wait for the towels to be brought to the room. Nice that we could check in but if we’re going to check out the town that we rode so far to get to, I’d like to be clean.
We still have about 100 miles to get to Portland to fly home so this isn’t the end of riding… but we did make it to the destination and that’s not nothing.
We went for a walk. The sun is out, all of the buildings gleam. I can not get over how nice everything looks. On the road in everything was dark, gloomy, and dilapidated. On the walk everything is bright and beautiful. I don’t know if its the weather or the direction of travel or mind set but this is almost a different city.
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