The Nomads

No Travel Day

Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

Temp: 14 degrees C

Sunny, Cold and windy

Nice not to have to pack up gear today. We had a leisurly coffee and decided to check out the Lewis and Clark Heritage parks and sites and if possible find a Laundromat for a wash.

The Fort Clatsop historical replica where they spent the winter was marginally interesting, the Astoria Column was impressive but the spiral staircase inside to the top and a supposedly super view was unfortunately closed temporarily for repairs. Darn!

Still, it was an impressive panoramic view from the headland out over the mouth of the Columbia River.

Next we were off to Cape Disappointment, the high promontory from which Lewis and Clark first sighted the Pacific.

Well we can’t say we weren’t duly warned (hence the appellation). This was the most aptly named tourist destination we’ve been to!

The bridge between Oregon and Washington state wich we had to cross to get there was quite a piece of work though! Three miles long across an immense body of water, the Columbia at this point resembling a large bay. And all the sturgeon rod-fishing along the breakwater was a first as well, on the way back we saw two sturgeon being landed. Claims of twelve foot fish were made but the ones we saw were more like four feet….still impressive, and a heck of a fish to reel in!

After an early supper of fish and chips and a coffee and internet posting at a Starbucks along the way we went back to the campsite for a quiet fireside “debrief”. Fun, relaxed day……

Kilometres - Daytrip: 101 km total: 23,775

Gas: $8 Tolls: $0

Lodging: Fort Stevens State Park $ 22

# posted by Richard and Susie @ 9:03 PM 0 Comments

Left Rock Creek National Forest Park, Oregon 12:15

Temp: 14 degrees C

Sunny, Cold and windy

We had a nice long chat with Bill and Dorie, the neighbours, this morning about everything and anything and were happy to find that no matter where you go there are always people you can find a lot in common with. Bill spent three years in the Armoured Division and has a Goldwing. He also has a lot of great stories…

…so we had a late start…

Driving through Oregon there are signs proclaiming that this or that town/village/whistle stop has the “best” or the “Biggest” or the “smallest” of this or that…

One place claimed they had the best clam chowder in the world, another had the smallest harbour in the world, and one little one horse town nothing exceptional to speak of claimed their village/town??? was the best kept secret in the world! There you go! Everyone is special in some little way, and the world goes round and round!

We planned to stop in to the Fort Stevens State Park (recommended by Bill and Dorie) for the night, set up the tent and hightailed it in to Astoria for groceries.

Sue had her heart set on roasting wieners on a stick so as we were driving back to the park we stopped in at a roadside firewood seller. We only wanted a small armload that we could manage on the bike with the groceries. Sue offered to pay but the seller was so pleased that we stopped in(he has a Harley soft-tail) that he insisted that we have the wood for free, claiming we were the first ever to pull up for firewood on a motorbike, and he was tickled pink about it!

Back for the weenie roast!

Kilometres - Daytrip: 294 km total: 23,674

Gas: $20.41 Tolls: $0

Lodging: Fort Stevens State Park $ 22

# posted by Richard and Susie @ 9:00 PM 0 Comments

Left Humbug Mtn. State Park, Oregon 10:3o

Temp: 14 degrees C

Sunny, Cold and very windy

We started bout heading for the nearest hot coffeepot (at Brewed Awakenings) and an internet connection to check with my realtor. While there I had a nice long chat with a young cyclist from Vancouver headed for San Diego. He is camping in a Hennessey Hammock along the way and averages about eighty miles a day, no mean feat when you consider the huge mountain climbs on the PCH! If you’re not pumping your guts out going up, you’re pumping adrenaline going down; can’t remember a long flat stretch for the last two states….!

The ride was sunny but the winds were very strong and super gusty. It was throwing the bike around to the point of getting very worrisome. And it was so very cold that Susie had on every layer she could muster including my raincoat and was still shivering so we pulled into a sporting goods store and she bought herself some Irish wool/merino underwear and wore it out of the store, Still cold!

Aside from the incessantly winding hills, the one thing that will stay with me about California and Oregon is the ever present smell of cedar or eucalyptus, the breathtaking headlands high above the surf, and the sight of the narrow, twisty, winding road through those giant redwoods and sequoia.

There’s something mystical and grand about it and we feel blessed to have had the opportunity to experience it!

By suppertime we were ready to pull up for the night and try to get warm. Set up camp in the Rock Creek State Park, bought firewood and made a fire before doing anything else! Went to bed with all our layers on inside the sleeping bags and my leathers and Sue’s piled on top of her bag for extra warmth but it was a very cold night nonetheless!

Kilometres - Daytrip: 206 km total: 23,380

Gas: $16.75 Tolls: $0

Lodging: Rock Creek National Forest Park $ 20

# posted by Richard and Susie @ 8:54 PM 0 Comments