Jack and Jeff got in about 10:00 on their flight from
Cincinnati. We rode Frontier. Good experience. Jerry and Sue picked us up, and we made the
two hour trip to Astoria where they had already secured a campground. We went out to dinner at a place called the
Rogue where they had 9,193 beers on tap.
Had a great meal. Everybody was
able to finish their meal except Jack.
He needed help finishing his pizza.
A large pizza. Jeff and Jerry and
Jim Lubbers ( he and his wife Karen are along part of the trip) were more than
happy to oblige helping Jack finish the pizza.
Hard to believe. The Rogue was a
very rustic establishment that I would highly recommend. Great food, character and of course 9, 193
beers on tap. Seas lions were in the bay
outside the bar which used to be a cannery.
The odd thing about the bar was that there was no TV. We could not watch the Reds/Cardinals
game. Across from the Rogue was the
house that the Academy award winning movie, the Goonies was filmed. And if I am not mistaken, I think the
Kindergarten Cop was filmed in Astoria also.
Of course, we had a toast to the success of the trip. Had a campfire and turned in early with time
change in effect.
Big news. Jeff
developed a list of contacts, learned how to take a picture, send a picture ,
and reply to a text on his new
phone. Those of you who know Jeff, know
how big this is.
June 8
No flat tires today.
But last night we did drink a Fat Tire.
Strange thing about the Transamerica Trial is that there
is no official starting spot. The map
shows an address that is the Maritime Museum in Astoria. So our original idea was to dip our back
tires in the Pacific and front tires in the Atlantic. No place to dip tires in water at the Museum. So we started our adventure from the Museum location
and rode to a city called Seaside where someone suggested there is a place to
dip. So we get to Seaside after
traveling along the Lewis and Clark trail.
It is a low tide, so we had to carry our bikes to the water because we
didn’t want to get sand on the bikes. Sand
is very very bad for bikes. It was a
distance of about 400 yards. We carried them
to make it official. Not sure if we
passed the IQ test on that one. Got a picture
and made it official. On the way along Lewis
and Clark trail, we stopped at all the Historical Marker spots. Thus, the trip will be educational as
well. We will be experts on certain
things when we get back. We did have to
consult the map on several occasions and get help from a young lady of about 58
who could tell we needed help because we
were riding in circles at a four way stop.
We crossed a sign that said Draw Bridge.
Big problem. Nobody brought
crayons or a pen. So we continued
on. Jeff made the statement that the
draw bridge looked exactly like the bridge that Jimmy Stewart jumped off of in
the movie It is a Wonderful Life. Jerry
and Jack did not agree.
After Seaside, which is a great little resort town, we
encountered ots of hills, lots of trucks, and lots of beautiful scenery. Hills were very gradual. We probably stopped about a dozen times. If we stopped at every coffee shop or pub or
restaurant that looked special. We would
have gone a total of 20 miles rather than the 75 we did the first day. Oregon is a very very neat state. I can say neat because I was born in the
50’s.
Met one lady who was pushing a stroller loaded down with
her supplies. She had begun in O’ Canada
and was shooting for San Diego. She was
walking for Peace and children in Africa.
Met another guy doing the same trip as us only to Washington DC. He was doing it unsupported while smoking an
artificial cig. Met a guy watching the
waves in the Pacific behind the Catholic Church, St. Mary’s of the Seas. I don’t know if he was
sure about us. Everyone was more than friendly. Met a couple in one of the cool little town
of Marinzata who informed of us that Oregonians are all very friendly. Got sketched by some guy in Marinzata. While in Marinzata, we stopped to check out
the beach and take a short break. Jerry
and Jeff went to the coffee shop. On the
way to the coffee shop, Jeff spotted a picture of a Mudd Dog. A version of the Chicago Dog. It had a whole pickle, Vienna sausage, sweet relish,
pepper, sauerkraut, and mustard. I could
not resist. Road after Marinzata was
rough pavement. Thank God for the Gators.
And lots of traffic.
Jack bought some cherries from a roadside stand giving
free samples. Attendant said Oregon has
only 50 days of sunshine a year.
Ninety-four inches of rain last year.
We ended up in the city of Tillamook. Well known for their world renown
cheese. Jack got free samples first
before he bought some of their cheese.
Good cheese no matter who cut it.
On the way back to campsite, Jeff purchased a condo. Well not like land but a tent. Sorry Clair, but your tent made me
claustrophobic. So I bought a 3 man tent
for me. I figured that if I’m going to
do this for three months, I’m not going to suffer. Not sure how Clair slept in that tent for the
months she was on the Appalachian Trail.
Tomorrow, we head
out early to avoid the traffic along route 101.
Hope to get in at least 60 more miles.
Depends on traffic and weather.
Been waiting for you to get rolling. Living vicariously through your narrative.
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