27 September 2011
Some residual showers had been forecast for today, but it ended up being a beautiful day, with not a drop of rain.
I left Long Beach and headed down to Cape Disappointment, which is on the northern side of the mouth of the Columbia River.
After a short loop around the park, I followed the Columbia inland to the Astoria-Megler bridge, which crosses the Columbia as well as the Washington-Oregon border.
I bypassed most of Astoria, then headed across the Youngs Bay bridge. Right before the bridge, there is a place where you can pick up an impressive bike map of the Oregon Coast Bike Route, provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Not 100 feet past the kiosk, as I was heading on to the Youngs Bay bridge, I got a flat. Usually it takes some time to determine the cause of a flat; not so when there is a gigantic staple still poking out of the tire. I broke out the patch kit, patched the tire, then moved on. Not the most auspicious way to enter Oregon.
I ate lunch at a Subway in Warrenton. Yes, again. It seems that every town with a population of more than approximately 2,000 has a Subway in it.
I explored Fort Stevens State Park, taking some time to backtrack up to the northern tip of the park. Among the cooler things to see there are a shipwreck on the ocean side, and the observation station that looks out over the jetty.
I powered past the last stretch into Seaside and checked in to the hostel, then walked downtown for dinner.
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