Day 1: Astoria to Fort Stevens and Return

The first day began with a 2 hour bus ride from Portland to Astoria.  Once in Astoria we had a quick lunch while I watched one of the Trek Travel guides put my pedals and saddle on the Trek Domane bike that they are providing.  I had sent them my fit measurements ahead of time and they had the fit exactly right - no adjustments required.  Since this is the first time I've used electronic shifting, I spent a few minutes doing laps around the hotel parking lot to practice shifting.  It's really cool. I'm sure that by the end of the trip it will be difficult to go back to mechanical shifting - maybe justification for a new  bike!  

We then did a 20 mile roundtrip ride down to Fort Stevens Park where we dipped our wheels into the Pacific.  I've included a few pictures to document the event.  Craig Kipp, a friend and former co-worker at GE, is doing the trip as far as Missoula so we got a picture of us together at the beach.  The traffic was heavy and the crosswinds coming off the ocean were strong (especially going across a big bridge) so the ride was not that great.  Also, I have the distincton of getting the first flat tire of the trip - and of course it was the rear tire.  I pulled a large metal staple out of the tire, put in a new tube, put the tire back on, and was about ready to start riding when Scott, one of the guides, pulled up.  He spun the rear tire and found a 1/4 inch shard of glass in the tire ready to re-puncture the tube if I had started  riding.  Lesson learned - always check the whole tire even when you think you've identified what caused the flat.  Anyway, I make it back to the hotel safely and after waiting awhile for my room I am now composing this post as I look out at the mouth of the Columbia river.

This is my first time in Astoria and it is disappointing - very commercial, heavy traffic, and somewhat rundown.  This is probably unfair in that I am only seeing a small part of the area.  I wish there was more time to go visit the nearby Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

There are 20 riders in the group going all the way across the country and another 7 who are stopping at Missoula. I've met many of them today and I'm trying to start putting first names and faces together. This is made difficult by my diminishing short-term memory and by the fact that meeting someone in their cycling gear and then seeing them in normal attire is like meeting two different people.  Hopefully it will get easier this evening when everyone gives a short introduction of themselves during dinner.  I do know that I am not the oldest on the trip.  A retired pediatric surgeon, who goes by CD, is 73. However, I think I'm in second place in the oldest rider contest.

Tomorrow we begin heading east with a 99 mile ride from Astoria back to Portland.  It appears the winds will be favorable and the temperatures reasonable so it should be a nice ride.  It will also be a good test of my conditioning and bike fit.  The bike fit can be adjusted, but I'm stuck with my level of conditioning.

Steve