Today felt like a long day. We had three significant climbs of over 700 feet each and covered 58 miles (860 total to date) as we travelled from Lincoln City to Astoria which is the extreme north west corner of Oregon and just a 4 mile bridge from Washington. We have elected to try to do the bridge early tomorrow, weather permitting.
Along the way we got to observe several of the basalt domes that sit just off the coast and create wonderful sites for shore birds to nest etc. Also we saw the long stretch of beach at Cannon Beach and had a good morning snack there. Astoria itself is an old factory town that used to be the home of numerous salmon canning factories most of which have now closed. There is a great Maritime Museum that celebrates the history of the mouth of the Columbia River as it enters the Pacific here. There is a very hazardous “bar” that is at the mouth of the river and the seas are very rough where the river meets the ocean, There are special Bar Pilots who are transported out to the ships as they approach from the ocean and then board the ships to pilot them through the bar and do the same on the way out again. The transfers can be extremely hazardous because of the rough seas, especially in the winter.
Depending on the weather, we hope to go into Washington tomorrow but probably a short ride. Our current goal is to travel up the west side of Puget Sound and the Hood Canal to then catch the ferry to Victoria BC,
We are both tired today but otherwise doing well. I think some of the fatigue relates to riding on very busy roads and with lots of noise from the incessant traffic. Hopefully it will be a little more relaxed in Washington but we will see.
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