I was hoping to book a motel in Astoria OR today, and maybe even take a rest day. But all the rooms in the reasonably-priced, and not downright scary-looking, motels, were already full by the time I got to town.
So I bought more food, got some more cash and continued south to Fort Stevens State Park.
The park is about five miles off route for me but glad I decided to visit. Astoria is a bit too grim and touristy for me. Plus, the Oregon hiker-biker sites are a great deal for touring cyclists.
In Oregon, the HB sites are $8 per night compared to $12 in the Washington state parks, and the Oregon park showers are free compared to 50-cents-per-3-minute charge assessed in Washington.
Many Oregon sites also come with these cool lockers that have electrical and/or USB outlets, inside them. With these, cyclists can recharge their phones and battery caches, and store other valuables, without having to worry about them disappearing.
The fellow grinning in the ball cap below is Will. He and a buddy are riding south as far as Santa Cruz CA.
I first met Will on the ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend days ago. He and his friend took a different route to Astoria than I did. So it was coincidental that I ran into Will on the street today in Astoria, where he is taking a rest day.
The woman in the yellow shirt is Joyce Casey, chair of the Adventure Cycling Association. She is out on her own adventure.
Also below is a photo of Brittany and Tom, who I ended up hanging out and riding with for several days.
Brittany was formerly married to an advertising executive in LA; Tom is a retired firefighter/EMT. They met several years ago at a Burning Man festival, where they regularly offer crisis counseling as volunteers.
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