Astoria to tell – Day 1

Date: Friday 6th August

Route: Astoria, Oregon – Netarts, Oregon

Distance: 84 miles

Total climb: 4530ft

Net climb: 70ft

Still subject to a touch of jetlag, we were both awake early and in for breakfast at a diner opposite the motel.  A spot of early pannier maintenance (unsurprisingly I had once again fitted them incorrectly) was followed by a pleasant ride along quiet roads before reaching the well-named town of Seaside.  A ride along the promenade was followed by a more laborious trek along the main coastal road SR 101.  The views of the Pacific were glorious, but it was a busy road, and it seems that it might take a while to get used to the noise of the enormous trucks that seem to be de rigueur with the folks over here.

The only problem we encountered was Fred’s back wheel, which after quite a loud bang on a slow downhill, decided that it would rather wobble than run true.  We knew we had to stop at a bike shop, but the nearest was 26 miles away, so we soldiered on.

We stopped for lunch at Nehalem, which we later found out is s town rumoured to be the final resting place of a legendary treasure, hidden there by “white men” a long time before Lewis and Clark ever made it to the Pacific .  People have spent their entire lives searching for this lost hoard, but Fred and I left without so much as digging a trench after an excellent lunch in a small diner.

Our route then took us off the main road for a 20 mile stretch, during which we were surrounded by beautiful scenery.  To both sides of us were steep hills covered in trees, with their tops shrouded in mist.  It made for a pleasant hour away from SR 101.  All too soon we were back on the main road and rolling into Tillamook.  Here we found the bike shop Fred (and his back wheel) needed and a bizarre coffee shop, whose owner did not seem particularly keen to sell any drinks at all. 

 The final stretch of the day from Tillamook to our motel in Netarts (pronounced Nee-tarts) was an ocean-side road followed by a climb up onto the cliffs.  We were rewarded, though with an ocean view from our motel room and a top-notch dinner in the Schooner restaurant.  It being a Friday night we even treated ourselves to some beers and a few frames of pool (Fred won 2-1).  Day one done, only 46 cycling days to go.  Good news all round, with the only disconcerting issue being the fact that due to a quirk of the TransAmerica route, we had ended the first day further West than when we started!