September 4, 2015 – Mostly sun, 60 degrees

Miles Today: 94

Miles to Date: 6,525

States to Date: 22

I had a solid 75 miles ride today which extended, over and over with detours, some by choice, others by necessity. Since I hate going back the way I came, I decided to take the longer route around 101 and the Columbia River shore. Then I decided to take the Discovery Bike Trail to Cape Disappointment, so named because 1788 explorer John Meares was disappointed in finding a bay when he was seeking the mouth of the Columbia River. The irony is, of course, that he had found the mouth of the Columbia. There is nothing disappointing about this cape: it is spectacular.

I stopped by Fort Columbia, which had a nice campus of old buildings. It also had odd parking fines. Washington state has both high and bizarre fine amounts for littering, speeding and other citizen infractions.

My fear of heights kept me off the four mile Astoria causeway/bridge, so I took the longer route on the Washington side: Route 401 north to Naselle and Route 4 east to Longview. I enjoyed long stretches along the north side of the Columbia River, steady climbs through tall forests and windy descents.

The sky was full of giant clouds all day, though in mid-afternoon they turned grey. Rain fell coincident with a state-imposed detour around Route 4 construction.

Longview is not a bike friendly city. After too many honks and exhaust revs directed at me along Ocean Highway coming into town, I resorted to riding the sidewalk. Even though I am supposed to be on the roadway, it’s better to be safe than to be right. I was happy to arrive at my warmshowers hosts, who had a good meal, great conversation, and nice bed for me.