Astoria, Oregon

The flights from Peoria to Chicago and on to Portland were exceptionally without issue. Allen, Betty McGarvey's cousin, and his friend Karen met us at the airport in Portland. After a great lunch at the Island Cafe, which floats on the Columbia River, we enjoyed a pleasant drive to Astoria. We got a taste of some of the long hills we will experience in the next few days and of the cool drizzle we will contend with. Astoria is a quaint town at the terminus of the Lewis and Clark trail; it sports a very imposing bridge high in the air over the Columbia to Washington state. We registered for the ride and assembled our bikes. Tomorrow we plan to ride to the open water of the Pacific directly to our west for the ceremonial wheel dipping.