TORREZ TRAVELS

Today was our first official day of our bike ride. It didn’t go so well. Sterling started the day riding. I drove to our pre-planned lunch stop. I had a lovely morning walking on the beach. I have a few pics from that.

Sterling ready to take off on our adventure, under the Astoria – Megler Bridge.

I think this is an oyster catcher, but I didn’t get a good look.

These are sand pipers, but I’m not sure which species.

While I was enjoying the sand pipers, Sterling’s map led him to a private road with a locked gate. The biggest hurdle to overcome in bike touring is finding bike safe roads that can get you where you’re trying to go. I’m pretty sure most, if not all cyclists prefer not to share the road with large trucks or crazy drivers. Sterling had his phone, and the map of our route. He had to figure out how to get to our meeting spot. As long as he asked his phone for a bike route to our spot it took him to the locked gate. He changed to a car route, and was able to get to our meeting place; avoiding any highways that are not open to bikes.

When we met up, I had to change into bike clothes. We had to take my bike off the bike rack, and put Sterling’s on it. I also had entered a (theoretically) bike safe route to our camping spot. As we talked and got things ready, it started to rain. I was determined to do this ride, rain or no rain. Until I’d been riding for an hour. The temperature had dropped to 46 degrees, my feet were soaking wet. My calves kept cramping up from the cold. The rain kept beading up on my glasses and I couldn’t see clearly. I pulled over at a turnout, and a handsome man drove up to save me from hypothermia. Sterling and I then started driving to our next stop. Before we got there our car started alarming about engine trouble, possible low transmission fluid, and our braking system claimed to not be working. We had had our car checked out before we started this trip, and everything was supposed to be good.

We have an appointment tomorrow to have it checked out…