The little ferry between Cathlamet, WA and Westport, OR is broken. Last week they were doing engine work on it, and it was expected to be fixed by now, but I signed up for notifications, and got one yesterday that it is out of commission until further notice. I am extremely glad I did because their website still showed it to be active.
So I went searching for an alternative route. I found one on an ACA forum, and decided to use it. It ended up being mostly US30, which was incredibly busy. It had nice shoulders most of the time, but when it didn’t, it was generally on hills or curves, which made it stressful at times.
Today’s ride also featured two 600+ foot climbs with a civilized 6% grade. They were long, but not torturous. Many years ago, a riding friend who used to design highways as an engineer told me that 6% is the maximum ideal grade, so whenever I end up on a steeper road, I think things like “HAVE YOU EVEN HEARD OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERING? THIS IS UNCIVILIZED!” I would yell this out loud at that point, but I am generally out of breath when this thought occurs to me.
Anyway, though, the first highlight of the day was the lovely Riverside Trail in Castle Rock. It was infested with cats, presumably strays. They watched me with curiosity, but when I stopped for a picture, they scattered, so you’ll just have to imagine a dozen cats watching you ride on the trail.
Then my detour crossed the Columbia River, and into Oregon, on the Lewis and Clark Bridge, familiar to tens of thousands of cyclists from the famous Seattle to Portland ride.
However, shortly after that, I had the first big climb. The road was curvy, riddled with potholes and seemed increasingly lightly populated as I climbed. Virtually no cars passed me on the ascent, which was a relief given the conditions. But when I got to the summit, everything changed. There were houses, schools and heavily attended sports fields. Still, there were few cars going my direction.
Then, suddenly, I was on US30. This highway was fast and busy all day, but generally safe. The ACA route takes a few quiet detours off it, but it is the main highway to Astoria, so you always come back.
I stopped at Colvins Pub and Grill in Clatskanie, OR for “second breakfast.” They have great hash browns! It has been there since 1929, and it has great small-town character. If you plopped it into a mountain town in Colorado, where I grew up, you wouldn’t even notice a seam.
I ran into two people sightseeing on one of those US30 detours. Aaron and Emma, who are serious through-hikers (trail names: No Contact and Pika) were scanning the area for birds, but I distracted them with bike-touring babble for fifteen minutes or so. They were very patient! They live in North Bonneville.
When I rolled into Astoria, I could hear the raucous barks of sea lions for a few minutes before I spotted them. They were dozens sitting on a pier or dock in the middle of the water, yelling constantly. I think, maybe, they were yelling at the stern-faced fishermen in small boats for a handout, since they got louder each time one passed by.
Here’s a link to a video. You probably can’t see them, but you can hear them!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-gvFQ7WBBY
I feel like the real tour starts tomorrow! I am exhausted, and I hope I sleep really well!
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