The first days of riding

6/13/09

Yesterday was my first day of riding. I rode 54 miles from Portland to Rainier. I began the day by packing up all of my things and eating a big oatmeal breakfast. After inspecting my setup, planning my route, and taking pictures with Hannah and Bob(thanks again!), I took off through Portland aiming for highway 30. 30 is a busy 4 lane road with fast moving traffic and a big shoulder/bike lane. It is not bad to ride, but some of the semi's, tankers, or logging trucks come a little close to the shoulder on occasion.
My first stop was at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, about 20 miles in. I filled up my water bottles here and ate some granola and peanut butter. From here I continued on and stopped another 20 miles or so up the road to eat lunch. Lunch consisted of a can of beans, granola and some dried cranberries.
The ride was pretty flat up until just outside of Rainier, so I was making great time. Inside of Rainier, I saw a post office and decided to send some things home(which I will do more of tomorrow). By this point it was around 4pm and I was about 50 miles in, so I asked the woman at the post office if she knew of any campgrounds nearby. She pointed me up another steep hill but said that it was the last one until you reached Astoria. Good thing I asked! Astoria being another 50 miles away, I decided I would setup camp where I was but I had to climb a hill to get there. Initially, the hill didn't look that bad. However, I couldn't see the turn at what I thought was the peak. After a climb of roughly 300 ft. The road begins to turn around the hill, still gaining elevation. Being the end of the first day, the climb was hell! Calves, quads, and ass, burning from the struggle, when I pulled into the campground.

I paid $7 for the site, which included free showers. I started off with these and then worked at dinner and eventually setting up the tent. For dinner I had spaghetti with a can of sauce that I picked up in rainier. Da sauce had da funk! I choked down half a pound of this stuff before refusing to eat another bite, fearing that I would throw up. I washed it down with some tea and then munched on other stuff before setting up the tent.
When all was said and done, I found myself very bored and lonely. There were not many people in the campground and after taking a walk, found that there were none that wanted to talk with me. I was somewhat disappointed I hadn't made it farther that day and really wanted to talk with someone, just to have the company. There was a poor signal so writing on the blog was not an option. Instead I read a little which was putting me to sleep, but it was only about 7. I decided I would call up family and friends and see what they were up to. This ended up being a great distraction and some much needed conversation. I t was great to talk with someone besides myself! By the time I got off the phone it was about 9 so I decided it was a good enough time to sleep.

I woke up at around 6:30 full of energy and not too sore either. I had oatmeal and dried cranberries with some tea for breakfast. As I finished eating, it began to pour. Trying to keep everything from getting wet, I packed up and sat at some nearby picnic tables which were covered. Once ready I set off in full rain gear for Astoria.
This ride was hillier than yesterday's and though they were about the same size, they didn't seem as bad. I stopped for lunch at another small town about 25 miles in. I ate tortillas with peanut butter, banana slices, and honey. This was better than yesterdays and. Gave me plenty of energy for the afternoon. I arrived in Astoria at around 2:30 and started looking for somewhere with some info. I wound up at a bike shop where I met a 69 year old guy named Ed about to start his xcountry tour on the Lewis and Clark and Northern Tier routes. After talking with him for a bit, I asked a couple of guys working at the shop where a good place to stay was. They pointed me to the hostile about a block away and said if wanted to camp I had about 20 more miles to go. Hoping to hang out in the town I decided on the hostile. $44 later I had a room. While moving my stuff in I see Ed again this time just down the hall from my room. He said he had some stuff to do in town but I asked if I wanted to get a beer with him after. I agreed and continued unpacking. We met up at a local brewery and talked about routes, gear, past tours (he was the only one talking here) and finally his new found love. He wife left him two years ago out of the blue. Then he meets a woman a few months back at a classical music concert and they immediately hit it off. It was great talking with Ed and having some company for a while.
After eating I went back to my room and started sorting out what I didn't want to carry anymore and decided I would have my back wheel checked out, because earlier in the day I was able to tighten a spoke by hand. I am going to try and so some laundry while I can and then get some sleep. The bike store opens at 11 so ill have time to sleep in. I am also starting to get sore and my muscles are tightening up as I write this. A slow day may be in the works tomorrow depending on how I feel when I wake up.

-Marcus