Day 29 - August 28: Astoria OR - St. Helens OR

87 miles.  5201 feet up, 5116 feet down.

A bit of a big day ahead.  Snack table at 8.  I had mostly filled my portion-control container with leftovers from dinner last night, so I had a quick get-away.  I usually stop to take more pictures than most, so it can become a bit problematic if I'm in the middle of the group, especially on roads with no shoulders.  I don't like being an obstacle for people to pass, nor do I like having to pass others if I'm going slightly faster than them.  So - while I didn't intend to take many pictures today (due to the length of the ride), I knew I would inevitably stop for some.  Easiest solution is to get a head-start and have it last for a while.

I wasn't an obstacle on the first two pics - taken from the hotel window.  Looking out on the Columbia River, with Washington State across the way.

With all the steep hills we had to go up and down to get through Astoria to our hotel yesterday, I might have guessed that we would have to do that in reverse this morning.  Nope; not a clue.  Surprise!  OMG, it was brutal.  But - it was relatively short-lived and soon enough we were headed out of the city.  The light was a bit of an issue this morning.  We were often heading east (more or less) on roads with no shoulders.  No one had any issues that I'm aware of, but I hate that feeling of knowing that drivers likely can't see us at times.  Also - almost no pictures through here since I didn't feel safe stopping on the side of the road unless I had great sight lines.

At about 4 miles we were able to look over Youngs Bay to the bridge that brought us in to Astoria yesterday.

Some lovely early morning reflections a bit further on.........

We started climbing at about 12 miles.  The climb was a long one - about 10 miles.  I don't usually stop on the uphills, but a few things caught my eye.

This tree was such a brilliant red colour that I had to stop.  It's a good reminder that summer is on the way out.  The last few days I've noticed more and more leaves falling to the ground as we ride.  Hard to believe we started this trip in the extreme heat of early August.  

Lots of clear-cut logging along this road (State Route 202).  And a few logging trucks.  I was able to see them all in my mirror before they were upon me and get off the road to let them pass.  They were all very considerate drivers, but on narrow, windy roads they have a hard time maneuvering around 20 of us.  Another reason why I like riding by myself in these conditions - easy to pull off the road, and easier for cars/trucks to get around one rider when their sight lines aren't ideal.  

And finally - the top of the climb at about 37 km.  Only 100 km to go!

In a lot of the areas where they have re-planted, they post a sign to say when the planting was done.  I found this one interesting.  The Kootenay fire near Floe Lake and Stanley Glacier was in 2003, and I don't think our trees are nearly this big yet.

It really was a pretty ride today (other than the clear-cut areas).  Lots of forest, but also lots of rural properties.  Some farming early in the day (if I remember correctly).  

We must have crossed the Nehalem River at least a half dozen times; same river that we crossed a few times going in to Manzanita.  Here are pics of two of our crossings.

Miscellaneous barn and some goats.

With the long distance today, we had 3 SAG stops.  Emily, with her big rig, did the 40-mile one, and then was on her way to St. Helens to get dinner ready for us all...........

The next three pictures were taken over the span of a couple of hours.  Lovely riding, and very little traffic.  It got a bit dicey from about 97km to 105km, and again on the downhill after that.  What should have been nice downhills was complicated by rough road and dappled sunshine/shade so that the potholes were difficult to discern before you bounced through them.  Especially not nice for our rider recovering from a broken wrist; ouch!

The pics below are from about km 110, at the top of a hill.  Mount St. Helens (left) and Mount Adams come into (distant) view.

And it seems that those were the last pictures that I took today.  The last 10 km or so were on US 30, a busy highway with an inconsistent bike lane.  By that point in time I was ready to be done.  Overall a nice ride, although visually I think I preferred the stuff we saw earlier in the tour.  I was in by about 4:30, which was better than I had predicted.  A bit of a room issue which resulted in us changing rooms.  All good in the end, though, and another great meal by Emily.  Katie's last night tonight.  WT has scheduled her to be on a plane to Croatia tomorrow, so she will be leaving us sometime tomorrow morning.  What a treat she has been!

The Ride:

Garmin:  139.0 km.  5050 feet up, 4949 feet down.

RWGPS:  140.3 km.  1843 m up, 1814 m down.

Temperature range:  9C - 27C.  Winds varied from not an issue, to tailwind, to headwind.  

The Route:

St. Helens OR.  Population 13,817

The city was originally called Plymouth but was changed to St. Helens in 1850 for its view of Mount St. Helens, roughly 39 miles away.  It was established as a river port on the Columbia River in the 1840s.  In 2000 about 12% of the population lived below the poverty line.