Rainy Ride to Rainier

Monday, September 18. Portland, OR. Tuesday, September 19, Portland to Rainier, OR.

After spending a rest day on Monday in Portland, we were nearly ready to get on the road again. Matthew's parents, Suzi and Jim, drove up from the coast on Monday to spend the day with us, and we enjoyed a preview of our new home-city. Lunch at the 99-year-old Oyster Bar, a walk through the city's Rose Garden, a quick trip to both REI and Trader Joe's, then dinner with Matthew's twin sister and her family in Beaverton filled the day. It will be another adventure for me to figure out how to get around the city.

After a leisurely breakfast on Tuesday morning, we headed out. While we ate, the rain seemed to clear out, but minor showers misted over us for most of the morning. We rode on Willamette Blvd., taking a cycle-tour of Portland's northwest neighborhood around Ainsworth & Vancouver streets. Crossing the Willamette River via the historic St. Johns Bridge put us on the outskirts of Portland, and soon we were in Linnton. At a c-store stop, we met Scott Kelly, a local cyclist from nearby St. Helens. He recommended Ichabods Restaurant as a good lunch stop in Scappoose, about 12 miles from Linnton. We did stop and have lunch there, and as we were leaving we ran into Scott again. He wanted to give us a contact e-mail so we can hook up and go cycling together once we get settled in town.

From Scappoose it's only about 8 miles to St. Helens,and then another 18 miles to Rainier, where we'll stop for the day. We're still on the Lewis and Clark Trail, which means that the Columbia River is our constant companion. As we rode out of Portland, the river was close, calm and decidedly urban. Houseboats lined the docks and piers that are just a stone's throw from the bicycle path.

Once we get out of Portland, the route puts us on Hwy 30. The river here is pretty much the way the Discover Corps woudl have seen it (minus the highway). The towns of Linnton, Burlington and Scappoose are all port towns, but the hills are increasingly encroaching on the river. These towns are small and mostly support only the needs of their residents. Further on, the landscape changes again, and we're riding in thickly forested groves of firs. The scent of the trees is wonderful.

Hwy 30 is not so wonderful. There's a big shoulder, so I feel pretty comfortable riding it. Matthew feels more comfortable riding on Hwy 30 than on the interstate, though I'm hard-pressed to tell the difference. Sure,there are fewer lanes of traffic, but they're just as close and just as loud.

The skies cleared up after lunch, but temps remained in the mid-60's. After cooling down during lunch, I had to put ear warmers and gloves on for a few miles. It was a beautiful day to ride, and I guess that eventually I'll get the hang of calling temps in the 60's a warm fall day instead of the dead of winter.

We pulled into Rainier around 5pm, checking into Rainier's only hotel. We had dinner at Tapatio's, an Oregon-based, Jalisco-inspired Mexican food chain. We had a table with a view by the river--and a great view of the wood processing plant across the river at Longview, WA. As we ate, we watched the night's river traffic roll by--a tug boat wending its way back to its home port, and a huge barge stacked with railroad cars. Our new home will have a view of the Willamette River, so we may see more of the same river traffic (sure beats looking at traffic on I-85).

Tomorrow we'll head for Astoria, which is where we'll first see the Pacific Ocean. I'm sure it will be as exciting for us as it was for Lewis & Clark. We plan to take an extra day in Astoria, just to take in some of the historic sights (and to find the bakery in the pink Victorian house). From there, we'll have another 3 days on the Pacific Coast route before we pull into Lincoln City and put the kickstand down for the last time on this journey. As we roll along these last few days, both Matthew and I are thinking about all of the other days on this trip. We're savoring these last few days, because our cross-country journey is finally coming to an end. Even after all of these weeks and miles, it's hard to realize that we're really doing it. I watch the miles tick off on the odometer, and I'm amazed. We passed the 6,400-mile mark, and that means there's only 200 miles left. But the miles are just the way we know the beginning from the end. The really important things are the trip stats. And here's a couple more: number of jars of peanutt butter eaten on the trip: 3 1/3. Number of times I cried over our hotel accomodations: 0 (but it was a close call in Moran Junction). More later.