We awoke much refreshed and made the most of our B&B getting a great breakfast of salmon, eggs, peaches and cream and tea. After breakfast we checked out the town, and bought some supplies, like material for stuff sacks etc. There are two bike shops in Astoria. At the larger of the two, "Bikes and Beyond", we made arrangements to have our bikes overhauled the next day. That's one detail I didn't get to in the hectic week before the bus ride. During our wanderings we met a guy who had just finished riding from the east coast to the west coast. He gave us hope too, and some tips. Like the fact that the first week would be hell, but after that we'ld get in shape and have fun.

The daily bus came, and thankfully so did Patti's stuff. I built Patti's bike, although not very well. After 100 feet of riding her handlebar came loose and she, not used to having her feet attached to pedals, fell hard. I felt really bad. After I fixed her bike we checked out the Maritime museum, where she fell again. I knew that it takes about three falls before a rider gets used to clipless pedals. Knowing that didn't make it any easier for either of us.

We made what proved to be our typical late start, starting towards the coast at 4pm. The bridge leading to Ft. Stevens St. Park is pretty bad. It's narrow, has lots of traffic and tends to be windy. We made it, with some difficulty and got to the park a little while later. Our first night of camping was uneventful.