On this stage I had maybe the best day of the trip and certainly the hardest moment. Only a few days apart. The best day started with one question: "How much are your cabins?" The hardest moment came when I walked, soaking wet, through the door of a bar in Lincoln City. And between the two there was an Oregon wind that had sworn to knock me off my bike.
- 3 OctoberColumbia River → Astoria KOAA wet tent and a $22 campground with a hot tub and a pool. Night: Astoria KOA.
- Next dayA break at Astoria KOAThe wind and rain did not stop, so we stayed one more night. Night: a free cabin with a heater, a family-size pizza and a 6-pack of Budweiser.
- Back on the roadAstoria → Cannon Beach → ManzanitaA personal fight with the wind, flying sand, giant waves, a Mexican plate and Manzanita. Night: Nehalem Bay State Park.
- Along the coastManzanita → Pacific CityA burger at Denny's, the Sandlake viewpoint. Night: Cape Kiwanda RV Resort, across from the ocean.
- 7 OctoberPacific City → Lincoln CityFog, rain and shivering at McMenamins: the last drop of "water resistant".
| Astoria → Cape Kiwanda2 days; one night at Nehalem Bay State Park | 149 km | ↑ 960 m | ↓ 970 m |
| Cape Kiwanda → Beverly Beach | 69 km | ↑ 560 m | ↓ 560 m |
| Stage total | 218 km | ↑ 1520 m | ↓ 1530 m |
I could not keep a daily GPS log: in 2011 power banks were hardly a thing, and with GPS tracking on the phone battery died within an hour, which would have made recording the rest of the tour impossible. So these are approximate values from Google Maps cycling directions along the route I rebuilt from the location points on my phone. On the few days where Google pushed the route onto other roads, distance comes from my own route and climbing from an elevation model. Ferry crossings are not included.
Astoria KOA · Rain first, then the hot tub
After crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Oregon, we reached Astoria KOA. Calling it a campground is not enough; it was almost a resort: a hot tub and a pool for $22. But the moment we came through the gate it started to rain, and we set up the tent in the wet. Not a great start. Still, after so many kilometres, I knew the hot tub would be a gift for our legs.
The next morning we woke up late. The wind and the rain were still there. We decided to stay one more night, do laundry and give our legs a little rest.
The free cabin · Happy like little boys
I went to pay for one more night of tenting. In the middle of the conversation, with no real hope, I also asked about the price of the cabins. The woman at the desk gave us a cabin for free. With a heater! We were both happy like little boys.
Asking is free. Sometimes the answer is free too.
That day I wrote in my phone: "Today is probably the best day." We did laundry, bought a 6-pack of Budweiser and ordered a family-size pizza. One of the biggest pizzas I had ever seen. Philip and I ate almost all of it and saved a few slices for the morning. I ate so much that I could not sleep. It was so warm inside that I wanted to spend the remaining 30 days in that cabin and never ride again :)
Cannon Beach · A personal problem with the wind
Leaving the cabin was hard; reaching Cannon Beach was harder. The wind was so strong that I could not ride my bike. Here is the note I wrote in my phone that day, censored: "Why is all the wind coming from the south and going north? Do you have a problem with me?!" We were going south, and every day the wind came stubbornly right at us. The sand lifted off the ground and flowed like a river.
But all my anger was gone when I looked at the beach. Cannon Beach was one of the most beautiful beaches I had ever seen, like paradise. I can't even imagine how it looks in season. The wind was making the biggest waves I had ever seen. We wrote the name of our trip in the sand: "Raincouver to Sun Diego". From rainy Vancouver to sunny San Diego... We were not even halfway, but the goal was clear.
Manzanita, a Mexican plate and Denny's
After Cannon Beach the road climbed the side of Neahkahnie Mountain, and we saw the coast from above. Down below, the waves were hitting the beach in bright white foam. Then came a Mexican restaurant, and after that, Manzanita. A bit further on we refuelled with a burger at Denny's. On this trip, food was not just food; it was a deal you made with the next hill.
We spent that night at Nehalem Bay State Park, right next to Manzanita, among the pine trees. That evening I did not write a single line in my phone; sometimes being tired makes you forget even to take notes. The only trace left is this photo, taken in the morning light coming through the trees.
Cape Kiwanda · Among the surfers
After the viewpoint at Sandlake we reached Cape Kiwanda RV Resort. It had more than we needed, but we arrived too late to use the pool. The campground was right across from the ocean, and most people there were surfers. You need to be a little crazy to surf in this weather, with these waves. I say this as someone riding a loaded bike towards San Diego, against the wind :)
Lincoln City · The last drop of "water resistant"
The next day the road went through fog and rain. The cliffs, the trees and the sea were all painted the same grey. By the time I reached McMenamins I was so wet that I did not have a single dry thing left, on me or in my bags. In Stage 1 I told you I would soon learn the difference between "waterproof" and "water resistant" with my whole body. The door of that bar was the last drop of "water resistant".
The door of that bar was the last drop of "water resistant".
Inside, I started shivering hard, and I really got sick. Luckily the shivering stopped after a while, and slowly I came back to myself. Philip felt sorry for me and gave me some of his waterproof gear; that is the only way I could continue. I guess this was the revenge of the zip-lock bag I laughed at in Stage 1. We also had fish and chips. It tasted really good, but it was not enough for two hungry animals like Philip and me.
I can never forget that bar. It was a very hard moment for me; I lived wetness to its very end. But this stage taught me two things: one question to a campground worker can sometimes turn into a warm cabin, and a good road partner is there when you are at your wettest. The next night, rain was waiting for us again, and this time some uninvited guests walking around our tent.
- Where we slept: Astoria KOA ($22, hot tub and pool; the next night, a cabin they gave us for free), Nehalem Bay State Park, Cape Kiwanda RV Resort. For their status today: Where we stayed
- Prices in 2011: camping at Astoria KOA $22. The cabin: one question.
- Lesson from the road: Asking is free; that is how we got the cabin. And: pay for waterproof gear, "water resistant" is not enough.
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