Oh, the joy! This was THE day of the entire expedition...hours of hardship...minutes of discomfort...seconds of pain...all coming to a triumphant climax in this arduous, motor-powered, air-conditioned, restaurant-fed journey.We arose to a heavy rain and spent a few extra minutes suiting-up in raingear. About the time we finished suiting-up, the rain stopped, but no fool I, we set off with me safe in my waterproof nylon jacket, pants and boot covers. Traveling north from Astoria, OR on US-101, we crossed the bridge over the Columbia and into WA. Continuing north in what was quickly becoming unbearable heat, I realized I was now more damp inside my rainsuit than any rain could possibly dampen me without it. Pulling-over, I quickly executed a change back to my usual riding duds (with the exception of removing those boot covers which probably looked like I was doing a folk dance with one foot across my knee while hopping to maintain balance on my other foot) and we continued on to Ilwaco, WA and Cape Disappointment.
We hiked all around the Cape Disappointment park trails...North Head Lighthouse...the Bellview Park observation point...the cove next to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse...the road paralleling the jetty to the beach...splashing into the Pacific with Lewis & Clark planting the flag in the surf...what a day!
We lounged for a while in the afternoon, enjoying a celebratory beer and dried our socks and boots in the light breeze and abundant sunshine. Lewis & Clark had no beer but did have a nap...the former digging a fox-hole and the latter curling-up on my jacket. After drying out and basking in the feeling of successfully reaching our goal, we made a return to Astoria, then continued south to Fort Clatsop National Park. This is the site where the original Lewis & Clark wintered after reaching the Pacific before making their return. The Park features a reproduction wooden fort and gives a good idea of what living conditions were like...except for the fire hydrant now adjacent to the fort. Oh, if only Seaman the dog had a fire hydrant in the winter of 1806 ;-)
We scooted south on US-101 to OR-26 and then east toward Portland through some magnificent green forested hills and river gorges. The gorges were gorgeous. Not wanting to be stuck in Portland morning rush-hour traffic, we opted to bypass that fair city and made it to Cascade Locks in a driving rain. There, a hotel room awaited us with an odor reminiscent of that stuff they use to do a permanent in a beauty parlor hanging heavy in the moist northwest air. We curled up in our wee beds and slept the sleep of The Just and The Soggy.
Here's the day's route:
Here are the day's photos:
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