Sunday, June 1, 2003

Astoria to Portland, Oregon

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We started the day from Astoria, Oregon, which is the presumed site of Fort Clatsop – the site where the Lewis and Clark Expedition wintered over after successfully reaching the Pacific. Bruce gave us their menu for that winter. For breakfast – elk. For lunch – elk. For dinner – elk. Apparently the expedition was so desperate for change that they collected sea water to dry for its salt. We wondered all day why they didn’t fish, as the mouth of the Columbia River must have been choked with sea life 200 years ago.

Our ride today began with a long, down hill run – almost 3 miles in a gentle mist with speeds up to 30 miles per hour. After a good ride of just over 14 miles, we had to portaged our bikes around unsafe highways and rode the last 20 miles into the city.

Three miles outside of Portland, we had our first casualty of the trip. Jim hit a storm drain just as he was checking traffic over his shoulder. The bike flipped and Jim hit the ground with a tight roll that would have done a paratrooper proud. Not too much damage to Jim or his bike, but the road claimed its first blood tribute – a bit of skin from Jim’s shoulder and elbow.

Mark continues to live up to his namesake (Mark) as he left his on every tree between Astoria and Portland.  In the interest of riding without having to stop, we have limited his intake of fluids. 

Joe successfully navigated us through a winding path through Portland to our overnight stay in Gresham. Of dietary note, we christened our country-wide search for the best barbecue with a credible baseline provided by Buster’s Barbecue. Even so, we are eager to experience the best Memphis can provide, but that is, as the pig flies, still many, many miles away.

Our mileage total between Jim, Bruce, Mark, and Joe was 117 miles.

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