August 9, 2006 – Day 30 – 252 Miles Sea-Tac, WA – Tillamook, OR
Sea-Tac, WA – Tillamook, OR
Great day for a change! Slept in a little (all the way to 7:30 a.m.) then got up did the laundry and washed the bike. I just couldn’t stand the way the bike looked anymore, even though I knew it was going to rain again today. It did, slightly, even as I drove to the car wash. Later, it came down pretty good while on I-5 heading south around Olympia. I just pulled off the road and had lunch waiting it out. After finishing lunch the rain had let up considerably, then quit completely within three miles of my re-joining the Interstate.
The Columbia River just outside Longview
I decided against taking the coast road (Hwy 101) in Washington and opted instead for getting on it in Oregon…I chose this because I wanted to make sure the rain was behind me. I caught Hwy 30 West just outside of Longview and took it to Astoria, joining 101 there. The ride down Hwy 30 was a neat ride, skirting along the mighty Columbia winding it’s way west. But the real ride came on Hwy 101 beginning around Arch Cape through Tillamook, where I chose to stay the night. The portion of the ride between the Oswald West State Park and Manzanita was absolutely beautiful in its pace, serenity, and scenery. I say serenity because it is one of those peaceful Sunday rides in the country down a winding road, leaning left-and-right-and-left. etc., at a metronomic frequency, maintaining between 40 and 55 m.p.h. Man, this was special and I don’t think it’s because I finally ran into some good weather. This would be a good ride in the rain! I know I’m going to have equally good, or even better riding later on down this road, but, believe me, this was special and needed.
One of several tunnels on Hwy101
I stopped in Wheeler and had fish and chips at a neat place called the Sea Shack. It has a nice bar and tables on the outside overlooking the river and boat quay. The food was good and the beer exceptional today, for some reason. Probably had something to do with drinking it while watching guys dock their boats and pull good sized Salmon from the live wells. Looked like fun.
Great day for a change! Slept in a little (all the way to 7:30 a.m.) then got up did the laundry and washed the bike. I just couldn’t stand the way the bike looked anymore, even though I knew it was going to rain again today. It did, slightly, even as I drove to the car wash. Later, it came down pretty good while on I-5 heading south around Olympia. I just pulled off the road and had lunch waiting it out. After finishing lunch the rain had let up considerably, then quit completely within three miles of my re-joining the Interstate.
The Columbia River just outside Longview
I decided against taking the coast road (Hwy 101) in Washington and opted instead for getting on it in Oregon…I chose this because I wanted to make sure the rain was behind me. I caught Hwy 30 West just outside of Longview and took it to Astoria, joining 101 there. The ride down Hwy 30 was a neat ride, skirting along the mighty Columbia winding it’s way west. But the real ride came on Hwy 101 beginning around Arch Cape through Tillamook, where I chose to stay the night. The portion of the ride between the Oswald West State Park and Manzanita was absolutely beautiful in its pace, serenity, and scenery. I say serenity because it is one of those peaceful Sunday rides in the country down a winding road, leaning left-and-right-and-left. etc., at a metronomic frequency, maintaining between 40 and 55 m.p.h. Man, this was special and I don’t think it’s because I finally ran into some good weather. This would be a good ride in the rain! I know I’m going to have equally good, or even better riding later on down this road, but, believe me, this was special and needed.
One of several tunnels on Hwy101
I stopped in Wheeler and had fish and chips at a neat place called the Sea Shack. It has a nice bar and tables on the outside overlooking the river and boat quay. The food was good and the beer exceptional today, for some reason. Probably had something to do with drinking it while watching guys dock their boats and pull good sized Salmon from the live wells. Looked like fun.
Just some of this magnificent coast
posted by Minuend | 9:01 PM
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