County Line Park to Astoria, OR - 42 miles

It was a cold, cold morning when I awoke, and I could even see my breath in the tent. I made a breakfast of oatmeal and hot cocoa on my little campstove, but just as I was finishing my cocoa it started to rain. I waited for a lull to pack up, and then set off. On my way out of the camp, an older gentleman staying in an RV asked me if I was afraid to bike and camp by myself. We had an interesting conversation and he informed me that his daughter travels in a similar fashion, but she now carries a P38 after an incident with a stalker! After riding to Cathlamet, I took the cute little ferry across to Westport, OR. The ferry was pretty small, with a spot to park Camille and quaint little passenger booths on the side. Onto Highway 30 and a beautiful shoulder all the way to Astoria. There was a lot less trash on the sides of the road, but a rather large assortment of bungee cords. I saw eight from Westport to Astoria. There were quite a few hills, but some great sweeping downhills as well. One of my new practices for climbing hills is to decide on a topic to think about at the bottom and see where I end up by the top. Some very interesting tangents result, but they all help to divert my attention from the "up-up-up". It rained pretty much all day, but I got to Astoria around 3:30. I was starving, but I thought I'd better hit the bike shop before it closed. Scott at Bikes and Beyond was very helpful, and adjusted my shifting, brakes and had a look at my pedal. I set off on a test ride to check out the adjustments and just yards from the bike shop had a crash. I was crossing some railroad tracks and the wood around it was very wet and slippery still. I must not have been at an exactly 90 degree angle, because the next thing I knew, Camille was wedged in the tracks, and I was ejected from the bike (minus my shoes which were still clipped in) and landed several feet away on my side. Poor Camille. Her front rim was an utter disaster. Back to the bike shop for some major surgery. Camille pulled through, but was ready for a quiet night. I got a motel room and hung the tent out to dry. It was lovely to be dry and warm and clean! :)