We Start Our Ride, and Blow a Tire

Bike Day 1, 20 miles: Trip Total 20 miles

We awoke this morning full of excitement and began the final drive to the sea and the beginning. We arrived in Astoria about 9 AM this Sunday morning and I began to look for a Catholic Church for the Trail Boss. We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce and the host Andrew was marvelous. He first gave us a map of the Columbia River Gorge Bike Route. I did not have that map in my packet of Trans-Am maps, as we were to originally go down the Oregon coast route. Second he gave the Trail Boss a listing of all state and county parks. And most importantly, the kid is a Catholic, and directed TB to the 10:30 mass.

We drove to Astoria Columns where there is a great view of the mouth of the Columbia and the Pacific Ocean. It was not a ‘Pacific’ day, and we could hardly see the hand in front of our faces. The highlight was when the TB said, “we’re not supposed to be sight seeing, and you’re supposed to be pedaling.” There’s some truth to that! We’ll do it right after his church.

I parked the Van at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the official starting point for the Trans-Am Bike Ride and began getting things together for the start as my TB went to church. Immediately, I couldn’t find the key to unlock the massive chain I had on the bike. We tore the van apart and found no key. Finally TB sprinted off the half mile to the church as I continued to search. Finally, after 40 minutes I started to just load the bike while it was on the rack. I put on the handle bar bag, and found no key. I put on the trunk rack bag, and found no key. I dressed into the riding clothes—no key. I put my wallet in the pack and thought I should add some cash from my bank envelope, and there was the key in the envelope! What a stupid place for the key, but that’s where we had it.

About that time TB came back from church saying something about a couple of urchins making noise behind him “just at the most important part.” He didn’t say anything “to be nice,” but left church early to get back to the work at hand.

At precisely noon we took a picture in front of the museum, and in front of a Coast Guard Cutter sitting on the Columbia, and I was off on my ride across America. I said a silent prayer thanking God for this opportunity and for a good friend like Cimarron the Trail Boss dedicated to helping me enjoy the adventure.

The weather was spectacular. Clear, 65 degrees, partly sunny, the slight wind was out of the West—a tail wind. What a start. It was Sunday afternoon and Route 30 is the road to the beach for Portland. By noon they were all going home. Several thousand cars per hour were whizzing by as I pedaled. I’m surely glad I had some of this traffic experience back home with my expert, Dr. Dick Weaver. One red car came by and blew an air horn at me, scaring me out of my whits and consuming a lot of my energy. The old folks (defined as older than me) who tow trailers hug the right side of the road so as to almost blow your helmet off. But for the most part, the shoulder was wide and the cars stayed away and TB checked on me several times. At about 20 miles there was a significant hill climb and I was in a lower gear chugging on up. Suddenly things seemed more difficult and the rear wheel thumped and I had my first flat tire. One cross country rider we met last week in Colorado had gone 2000 miles without a flat and I had gone 20. I am not an experienced bike mechanic—but I will be soon. I took the wheel off with help from the TB and found a common office type staple inside the tire and into the tube. I removed the staple, put in a new tube, inflated the tire and the bead would not hold inside the rim. Each time we inflated to about 30 pounds the tire bead popped off the rim, and the tire is supposed to inflate to 105 pounds. So we quit for the day and came back some 20 miles to the same camp site with the idea of going out in the AM with the spare bike and after stores open, find a bike shop.

We camped with me in the Stephenson Tent (check out their web site) the best tent in the world and one of the most interesting web sites. Cimarron the Trail Boss was in his camper. We were both quite comfortable and pleased with the adventures of our first day.