Goodbye Washington - Hello Oregon - Day 11

Today is the day we leave Washington and have to face the Astoria Bridge crossing the Columbia River.  This bridge is infamous for bike riders in that it is 4 miles long, only 2 lanes of traffic, traffic is typically heavy, winds can be quite strong, steep climb to allow large ships to cross underneath, and minimal bike lane. One of the park rangers suggested we go up river another 40 miles and take a ferry and then ride 40 miles down the Oregon side to avoid the bridge.  This was not an option for us because  didn't want to spend 2 more days just to avoid the bridge.  He also said he rode it once and would never ride it again. We decided that we wanted to cross it early in hopes of avoiding lots of traffic and before the wind picked up.  An early start allowed us to get to the bridge about 9 a.m.  Traffic was relatively light and there was no wind. A car accident occurred halfway up the steep climb that stopped traffic in our lane.  Sharla felt God used this situation in that it gave her a chance to catch her breath.  The bridge was conquered safely and everything worked in our favor.  

We had hoped to see one of our former pastors and his wife, Larry & Shari Rydman in Seaside but they apparently are out of town.

Today's journey was 59 miles and included 3 difficult hills.  We are camped at Nehalem Bay State Park.  The hiker/biker campground is pretty full for the first time on our trip. We were glad to see Nick, who we have camped with on 2 previous sites. Nick is from Sweden and is a full time bike tourer. He began this trip in Anchorage and will travel to San Francisco.  He will then travel to South America and bike tour Brazil, Chile, Peru, and other countries. His touring makes ours seem small.