Day 5: Astoria to Nehalem Campground

Our day started late due to all the pancakes we had to eat. Tough job! It was a very pleasant ride along the Lewis and Clark Road, through a wide valley, avoiding the busyness of 101. We would be on it soon enough. When we popped out at Seaside I was surprised by the hubbub of what looked similar to a ocean resort town in Maryland. Cars cruised by us one after another in a long line, but the shoulder was great, the tail wind was huge and we enjoyed seeing all the sites.

That night we stayed at Nehalem state park for $10. The sign said “FULL”, but certain Oregon State parks have a Hike and Bike site that reserves camping sites for hikers and bikers. So we cruised in to find the campsite quite full. It was occupied mostly by a motley crew of hikers. A young couple, two older men, and a middle-aged woman. Except for the woman, they all had street clothes on and a mish mash of gear. The young man looked like a prophet with a beard down to his chest and long hair out the back. The woman had dreads and was full of life. The two older men were hard to describe, but we both quickly stereotyped the whole crew when we said to each other, “We’d better lock our bikes.” It’s a common thing on a trip like this. You ride up to a campsite or a town and you classify the people and the possible ramifications of meeting up with them. It’s probably because you are vulnerable on a bike... You have no back-ups. Everything you bring is useful so you are extra careful all the time about losing, breaking or having stuff stolen. I believe humans do this naturally, all the time, classifying people into friend or foe categories, almost sub-consciously, in a blink! Regardless, we still felt humbled when they turned out to be very kind and giving people. This happens over and over again on a bike trip.

After dinner we went through the campsite to the ocean. The Pacific has a totally different feel from the Atlantic. It just feels bigger, deeper and more powerful. Wow.

On the way we passed through the Horse Camp. It is so cool. People bring their horses to camp with and ride them on the beach. We slept well and got a pretty good start on what would be a longer day of riding.

Here are few pics from the day!

A very happy man!