The Candian Job - Day Trois

Day three was an intense day of riding. I rode more this day than any other day of the trip (88 miles) and a lot of it was uphill because I was crossing the Coast Range. Unfortunately the first 20 or so miles were backtracking. I decided to go backwards so that I could get onto highway 26 and heading to Seaside instead of going forward towards Tillamook which was in a slightly southernly (and therefore counter productive) direction.

There were a few times during the day when I just didn't think that I was going to make it. Riding over a mountain range on a single speed bicycle in really hot weather was starting to make me crack. If there was a point along the trip where I was really considering giving up it would have been on this day, on this stretch of highway.


I stopped at this park just off the highway that claimed to have the oldest Sitka Spruce tree in the United States: 750 years old. That was one massive, old tree. The picture doesn't really give much scale, but trust me, it was big.



I ended the day in a state campground called Fort Stevens State Park, which was in a little town just a couple miles away from Astoria. It was the biggest campground I have ever seen, something like 250 sites. I stayed in an area officially designated for hikers and bikers. I was amazed that I only had to pay $4 to stay there.

Not long after I first set up camp this older cyclist (I would later learn pretty much all touring cyclists are retired) came over and started chatting with me. This guy had ridden from Los Angeles California, all the way up into the Yukon territory, and was on his way back. Thats one epic quest; especially alone, for someone in their 60s. After talking to him I felt like a real amateur.

By this point I was feeling really filthy too. My body, and all of my gear was disgustingly dirty and sticky. The campsite I was staying at had free showers, but of course I had no towel.