- Day 1 -1 Week
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- Day 9
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- Day 51
- Day 52
- Day 53
- Day 54
- Day 55
- The End
- Retrospective
Last night after dinner we walked back to the room. Inside we chatted over the tv, not really getting to bed but being more comfortable after some wine and food. Suddenly there was a long pop and the rush or air until my rear tire was flat. I watched on in disbelief. However this is no the time to fix a flat. And my first thought as the alarm went off this morning was… Now I’ve got to change a flat!
We walked the few blocks to breakfast. A few more then we remembered but then we past the hotel we went to first but found our room for $80 cheaper. At $80 this walk is absolutely fine. Inside we were seating near the window in the front. Our waitress was very nice and quickly figured out we were on a cycling tour. She lit right up about all of the cyclists she has met over the years. Especially Frosty Wooldridge, a writer she has known for years now. We chatted while she took our orders and continued all the way through service. In a town with a history of cycling tours. I imagine you grow to love or hate these kinds of interactions.
Back to the room I get ready / fix my flat. At this point I took off my panniers to really take my time and be able to really just fix it right to make our last 100 miles. I have never had a tire just explode hours after riding, while the bike just sits there. I spent a while inspecting the wheel, tire, rim, old and new tubes. At times like these I wish I could just find something… The root of the problem that can be found, identified, adjusted / removed / repaired. Instead I stare at nothing. There is nothing wrong. I see a big hole in the inside of the tube but there is nothing on the rim. Nothing in the tire. Nothing.
After I have everything on my bike and my person ready we can head East! I am kind of excited to feel a tail wind. For so long we’ve been heading West or North, even when we went South we still went West. East, the direction everyone but us got the memo on.
As we ride out of town I feel like I’ve known it for years. When we first came in it was dark, cold and dreary, then each pass as we walked through town gave us new looks and prospectives of town. Seeing the buildings in several different lights and directions leaves me with a very familiar vibe for the entire town.
Exiting town I am struck with the notion that this is first back tracking we’ve done in 53 days. I mean we’ve gone back a mile or two to get back through town. We will ride Route 30 for +30 miles, East. I am still really excited to feel this tail wind that has been blowing right at my face for an eternity.
We ride over the rolling hills near the outskirts of town. We see a man on a touring bike heading West! I wonder if he’s thinking ‘Look, more people heading East’ … about us! We ride up the next hill with our much fan fair. On the other side as we start our decent we see a man and woman touring together, heading West! Now I wonder how many people could have been just ahead, or just behind us this entire time but because we were spaced and paced similar enough that we never saw each other. But everyone we saw heading East said we were the only ones they saw heading West so…
We ride over the tallest hills of this region with ease. Is it knowing there’s little left, why not hit? Or have we grown that strong? What ever the cause I felt good. We stopped for a quick lunch. We chatted about all the different places we stopped for lunch. Never actually saying it, but the details of the end are clearly on our minds. After lunch we remarked at how many miles we’ve already down and how early it still is. Not too much longer to ride… today, tomorrow, and no more tour.
The hill that was fairly hurtful two days ago, we climb with out a pause. The down was fun, with some worry for traffic heading over the bridge into Longview WA. Luckily, there was a break in traffic and it was easy peesy.
This was now new Route 30… heading East! I can’t wait to feel this amazing tail wind that had been blowing so hard in my face for so long.
The road ebbed and flowed up and down left and right following the Columbia River. Almost as if the soil was once part of the current, frozen in time, for a road to paved on, for us to ride. It was all really beautiful. Deep green trees and vines climbing over everything.
We rode to the town I thought would be a good stop. Two days ago the warned us about the race that might catch us up. However go from Portland to Astoria, I thought that we’re so close to Portland, everyone will be behind us. First hotel is sold out. The guy waiting to speak to the front desk behind me walks out when she tells me they’re sold out. As Jerry and I prepare to ride half a block down to the next hotel, the front desk woman pops out to say she had one cancelation, but with one bed. I say thanks anyway and we start to ride away. Jerry makes it to the road and turns. As I come toward the road, the guy behind me is about to pull out of the parking lot. I try to catch up to his car so I could tell him of the cancelation, but he pulls out… almost is if he didn’t want to interact with the cyclist, just pull out and race away. Fine, I won’t tell you. We ride to the next hotel and find they are sold out as well. I look at the map and find one 6 miles down the road. I call. Sold out. I’m starting to worry. I look at the map. Next hotel is 25 miles. Portland in 30! At that point should we just go to Portland?!?! Lets go back and find out if theres a pull out couch or a cot we can get for the one bed canceled room. We ride back and can’t help think about the guy I would have given this room to, had I caught up to his car. Then I see a woman pull up. I quickly dismount and go inside to secure the room. But she remembers she had to move someone who wanted a single bed cause they didn’t have one, but now that they have that cancelation, we could have the two bed room we want and they can have the one bed they want. I feel like the road is throwing us a bone… like an ‘at a boy. Either way, A fine room, in a sold out area, for a good rate, with two beds and delivery. Winning.
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AMERICA IS BEAUTIFUL! FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA!