Friend and Food

Look who we found on the side of the road in Seaside! Actually, my friend Earl from Portland dropped in to ride with us. Not only that, he brought wine and food and cooked a gourmet dinner and breakfast for us in Rockaway Beach.

Today we decided that we had committed to BIKING every inch but we certainly didn't care if we carried 50 extra pounds every inch. We gladly placed some of our gear in Earl's car. He joined us for the ride to Tillamook where he turned around to bike back and get his car. He bounced forward to Pacific City, our destination for today, and then rode back to meet us again. This way he spent half his miles riding his style, FAST. The other half he Dilly-Dollied along with us and I'm sure he wonders how we are ever going to reach Mexico if we keep stopping to take pictures, smell the roses, eat, fiddle with things and change tires...

Yes, I had the dubious honor of getting the first flat of the trip. Not only was it flat, but the tire itself had a big slash in it. Of course my foldable tire was lounging peacefully in Earl's car. Alice saved the day by giving me her new foldable tire to use. It was Alice's excellent suggestion that we each bring an extra tire on the trip. Thank you Alice!

Oregon has some tunnels on the route. There is a system where the cyclist pushes a button to activate a signal to drivers that cyclists are in the tunnel. This was the first tunnel and I admit to being a bit nervous. I dislike tunnels because I generally can't see well in them. This was extremely well lit and the cars that passed were careful and courteous. Good system Oregon. I gave it one thumb up. It would have been two this up for a separated bike lane.

After only six hours in Pacific City, we have already eaten in three separate restaurants. Right after showers, we went to a brew pub where we had bowls of clam chowder and local beers. This was followed by a trip to the laundromat and while we waited for the laundry, we had hot tea and cookies. This became a planning session for tomorrow. We settled on a destination and booked a room. We took about an hour rest before we walked down the street to a recommended bar for ling cod caught right out in the bay today and pork ribs that had simmered on site all day. The food was wonderful!

It's time to head to bed so we can get up for our first breakfast!