Day 39 – Bicycle Touring Fort Stevens SP to Home. Completed, Long ride, Astoria and Portland

DJ

Day 39 – Bicycle Touring Fort Stevens SP to Home. Completed, Long ride, Astoria and Portland

A big ride today, over 100 miles to reach home. I got up early at 6:30, ate and packed everything I could in the protection of the tent. The second I got out those mosquitoes would seek me out to get their meal. I must have the gene that gives a scent of attraction to them. Everyone else in the camps don’t seem as bothered by them like I am.

I got out and was quite efficient loading up the bicycle. Though, I must have looked like a lunatic to my camp mate that came out to talk. I never stopped walking and pacing in an attempt to out “Run” the mosquitoes. It probably worked, but I still got bit at least 5 times. I said good bye and rushed out, equally as much to get my long ride started as to get away from those mosquitoes.

The winds were fairly calm but my pace and conditions were to my liking. When passing the Warrenton grade school, a large bull elk was grazing in the track field. I stopped to get a picture and noticed another at the far end. The previous evening I saw a cow elk in the state park. I spotted three deer on my ride home today. There number of animals I spotted on my trip was great to see. Unfortunately, no bear this time.

Big elk 1 at Warrenton grade school
Big elk 2 at Warrenton grade school

My main goal for today was to make it home. Therefore, I was going to limit my stopping time and keep on top of my food intake from the start. I was still able to get some nice shots with my limited stop times.

The winds continued to support my long ride goal. There were quite a few climbs in the first half of the distance. Once these were behind me, the pace picked up and I was cruising. By the end, I had a moving average of 12.8 mph. This is quite fast for loaded touring and the fastest average for my whole tour. Even with that, it took me 10 and a half hours to complete, with 8 hours 19 minutes of peddling.

There were a few big climbs and lots of small ones today.

When I got to Astoria, I chose to ride the waterfront trail instead of downtown. I’m glad I took this route as there were many new things I haven’t seen before.

Astoria cannery Pier spa and hotel
Astoria multi use path with Astoria bridge in background
Boat for sale
Another view of the Astoria bridge, looking downstream.
A paddle river cruise ship was in ports today. Astoria is a thriving city from what I can tell. A lot of new businesses and buildings being built.
More pier based businesses in Astoria.
Houseboats on the John Day river near Astoria
View of the Columbia River from Bradley park.
View of the Columbia River from Bradley park.
Fish mural in Clatskanie
View of Longview Washington and mount St Helens
What long distance effort would be complete without a flat tire? My second of the tour. One each, front and back.
Well no wonder, the tread is not so thick anymore. Looks like about 2000 mile life span for these.
Crossing the St John’s bridge
St John’s bridge with mount Adams
Mural and Mount St Helens
Willamette River and Portland
Columbia River and mount Hood
Interstate 5 bridge
I made it! Crossed two states, south border to north (California and Oregon) in 1947 miles.

I was tired when I got home, but not exhausted. The ride wasn’t quite as difficult as I had expected. This is okay with me. Today, I celebrate my achievement and experience of this tour. For tomorrow, no riding!

Ride summary: 8/10 difficulty, 107 miles with 4158 feet of climbing. Mostly sunny with warm temperature. Mild to medium tailwinds which was a great boost. Today’s ride detailed GPS. Tour totals: 1947 miles (50 / day). 109,023 climbing feet.

13 responses to “Day 39 – Bicycle Touring Fort Stevens SP to Home. Completed, Long ride, Astoria and Portland”

  1. Congratulations DJ on the completion of your journey!

    I really enjoyed all of your stories and especially the photos. They reminded me of the things that we experienced on our way south, just from a different lens.

    My brother and I met you just north of Santa Cruz on June 4th. You posted a photo of us on your blog that day.

    Congratulations again on your successful trip. I know it contains memories that will last a lifetime.

    Gary

    Reply

  2. A proud moment for sure. I know I’m proud of you. Quite an accomplishment. It has been a joy to tag along on your quest. Thank you for letting us take part.

    Reply

  3. Way to go bother, so proud of you!! Rest up good as I know you will be back to riding again on your next adventure. I plan to go with you again on that one too. Hugs 🤗

    Reply

  5. Congratulations on completing your ride. I have really, really enjoyed following you and loved the pictures. You have a great eye for selecting the best angles for pictures. What an adventure!

    Reply

  6. DJ,
    The beginning of your trip reminded me a lot about several places I went through when I did the PCT in 2019. Not sure if you are interested, but here is a link to my journal of that trip:

    https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/609440

    It takes quite a bit longer to read because that hike took about 5 months to do, compared to the one month journal for the Pacific Coast Route bike ride and my 2 month long TransAm ride in 2017.

    Take care,
    Gary

    Reply

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