Day 2 Clatskanie to Portland

A Better Day.  78 Miles We awoke around 6 AM to the sound of pouring rain.  Our wet gear from Day 1 was strung across a coat rack in hopes that it would dry over the heating unit.  That was mostly successful but we prepared in earnest for another wet day by putting on our rain covers.  The other riders stayed overnight at the Bike Inn, a cyclist only accommodation a few blocks away.  They arrived at the Northwoods Inn around 8 AM for the start of the day.  “Start” doesn’t always mean riding and the start today was the espresso coffee shop along the road in front of the Northwoods Inn.  We actually hit the road around 9 just as blue skies opened and the rain dissipated. Our maps had us routed again along US 30 east of Clastkanie.  The proprietor of the Bike Inn had suggested an alternative route with less traffic and a much less drastic climb.  As it turned out it was also scenic as it took us near the river and along winding two lane roads. We took advantage of a photo opportunity at Beaver Falls.  The detour was about 5 miles longer than the direct routing along US 30.  It was worth the additional mileage. Continuing along US 30 we past thru Rainer and St Helens on our way to Portland.  The roads on occasion were narrow and wet and the cars and trucks threw up a spray as they past. An interesting thing that happened at least twice was when we approached a road construction area with flaggers.  Both times they gave our group priority stopping traffic in both directions until we were clear. Our goal to reach Portland in the afternoon was to some extent urgent. Phil had to pick up the rest of his equipment at Amtrak and Joe and I wanted to explore alternatives to his overloaded rack.  We eventually found a Burly Nomad trailer at the Bike Gallery in Portland.  Seeing that we were long haul cycling passing through, the staff made every effort to get it set up on the bike.   They stayed past closing hours to get it done.  A big thank you to Josh and the mechanics at Bike Gallery for going above and beyond. Our accommodations for the night had been arranged by Natasha.  She had an acquaintance on the staff at the Christian Church of Lake Oswego.  It was “just a few miles out of our way.”  As it turned out it was 8 miles away on the south side of Portland.  Not an easy trip as Portland is settled on a large hill overlooking the Wilmette and Columbia Rivers.  The only way to get there was to bike up, over, and around.  It took over two hours.  The accommodations however were great.  We camped out in the youth center.  It was only with trepidation that everyone regretted the return trip to put us back on course to continue up the Columbia River Gorge tomorrow. Overall however, a much better day!