The final pedal

STATS:

Nehalem Bay State Park, Oregon to Astoria, Oregon

Distance: 45 miles

Elevation: +3,199 ft / -3,297 ft

Last night was such a peaceful evening, and the thought of ending the trip really didn’t cloud my mind at all. The beauty of this bike tour has been tomorrow is always worried about tomorrow, and rarely ever the day before. I woke up to what may have been the nicest weather imaginable. Zero humidity, cool enough for my rain jacket, but warm enough for just bike shorts. I rustled around in my sleeping bag and spotted Kaitie looking over. I made some funny faces and we both laughed, just how we ended the night before with her, Tim, and I. I took my time packing and eating, making to sure enjoy the moment. Today was only 40 miles until the official end of the trip, so I squeezed every last ounce of relaxation out of this morning. Normally around the coast, a morning fog is common. We had ZERO fog. I knew from this point, it would be a good day.

I hit the road with my sights aimed for Cannon Beach, the first beach town I’d encounter with quality coffee. I stopped at every viewpoint along the first climb today. The difference from parts of the east coast I’ve explored and the west coast are the cliffs. I’ve never actually seen a beach from above like I did today, so this visual captures my attention every time. I eventually made the short, but steepish climb up the second hill before Cannon Beach, and I noticed a car had stopped at the top of the hill. Just from seeing this scenario before, I figured he had stopped to talk. Sure enough, he did, and shared that he had completed the TransAm last year. He provided his phone number and said when in Portland to hit him up. Damn, continuously blown away with humanity.

I caught fresh air gliding down the mountain to dry off my sweaty clothes. I rolled into Cannon Beach and right to the most reviewed coffeeshop in the town. Wasn’t disappointed. Fun, friendly staff, stout coffee, and a great atmosphere. I slurped on a dark roast while I journaled and answered local’s questions. Before I left, the owner came over and gave me a hug to congratulate me on finishing. I freakin’ love people. At this point, noon was approaching quickly, and with only 30 miles left, I was caffeinated and ready to reach Astoria. Actually, I felt so caffeinated that I noticed I was cranking faster than usual up a pretty nice climb. The traffic was pretty heavy, so I toned it down to pay more attention to traffic. Eventually after a few stretches of shitty shoulders (or lack thereof), I pulled into Seaside, the Ocean City of Oregon’s coast. TOURISTS EVERYWHERE! I basically navigated through crowds of pedestrians until I was forced to ride off route. I quickly shot through town and arrived on Lewis and Clark Street. This road was 15 or so miles of pure bliss. Away from all highway 101 traffic and tourists. Just me, baby blue, and a slight hunger feeling. I was about 8 miles away when I said to myself, “okay, you either stop now and eat lunch, or push the 8 miles, fight hunger pains, and eat in Astoria”. I had no snacks left, and only had a bagel and peanut butter, so I didn’t feel like making a sandwich. Don’t I zip past what looks like an unopened bag of Doritos. I pull a quick u-turn, and sure enough the bag is unopened. I’m beginning to believe these coincidences aren’t just coincidences anymore. I munch on the snack, shamelessly of course, and absolutely book it to town.

I’ve been to Astoria before, so I knew how close I was once I crossed the bridge into town. I can’t even explain what the feeling was like riding along the bike path to the end point at Columbia River Maritime Park and Museum. The moment was actually happening. I really didn’t ever imagine this point would be here until I hit the coast. It was totally incredible. Something I’ll cherish the rest of my life.

I arrived to the museum, snapped a few pictures, and devoured a celebratory bagel and peanut butter. Jk, I went straight to a brewery and sipped a beer and ate a pulled pork volcano sandwich from a food truck. Now that was the celebration I wanted. I felt high on life, and the conversations were just flowing with locals. I hung around coffeeshops and breweries for most of the night until the sunset began. I rolled down to the river walk and watched my last west coast sunset. Tomorrow I will catch an early bus to Portland and spend 3 days there exploring the weirdness, food scene, and excellent bike paths. I eventually met up with my couchsurfing host and we talked until 1:30 AM, but I had to wake up in 5 hours, so I kindly slipped away into a deep, deep slumber.

Thank you to each one of you reading this journal. I truly hope you’ve enjoyed coming along for the ride. A common question I receive is what inspired me to do this. I’ve never had a great answer for those asking, but I don’t think you need one. If you want to do something, work your ass off, learn what you need to know, listen and absorb other’s knowledge of the topic, and stay motivated to accomplish it.

It’s not always that easy, but if it were, everyone would do it.

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