Day 4 Bush Pioneer County Park, WA to Cannon Beach, OR

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Seattle to San Francisco

Day 4 Bush Pioneer County Park, WA to Cannon Beach, OR

The Bridge to Astoria
The Scary Bridge to Astoria

I got up early this morning and hit the road around 7:30 a.m.. Rose left 15 minutes before I did. Before she left, we exchanged contact information. I had a very pleasant ride around Willapa Bay. I got some nice photos of the salt marshes in the early morning light.

I also noticed the logging activity in the area. The various lumber companies had signs posted showing when the areas were planted. Peering through the trees, I could see the old growth stumps.

I passed Rose about to 15 miles into the ride.

I reached the Columbia River and stopped at the town of Chinook, WA to send my email. A few miles later, I passed through a short tunnel that had a sign and light for cyclists to activate that warned cars that bikes are in the tunnel.

Immediately after that, I crossed the bridge to Astoria, OR. This was the scariest and longest bridge I ever crossed. At the end of the bridge, there was this huge climb then a twisting descent off the bridge. The whole time I had lots of cars and very big trucks passing me while I clung to an 18-inch shoulder.

At the bottom of the bridge, I met two Germans, a man and a woman. I had heard about them from the two Canadian Girls I met the night before.

I started to look for a place to get lunch in Astoria. But traffic was really heavy and I didn't want to deal with it. I headed towards Fort Stevens State Park.

Artillery Bunker at Fort Stevens
I found a place for lunch at the turnoff for Fort Stevens. I rode about 8 miles into the wind to get to Fort Stevens. The Fort was built at the end of the Civil War to protect the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort occupies a unique place in history. It is the only military installation on the West Coast to ever be attacked. In 1942, the Japanese Submarine I-25 fired 17 rounds from its 5-inch deck cannon at the fort. No damage was done and the fort did not return fire as the sub was out of artillery range. The incident did create a bit of a panic among local residents.

The Wreck of the Peter Iredale

Next, I visited the wreck of the Peter Iredale, a steel hulled sailing ship that ran aground in 1906. Nothing is left of the ship except the bow.

Riding with the Germans
I turned around and headed back to Hwy 101. When I got to 101, I ran into the Germans. They had been at a bike shop in Astoria. I rode with the Germans through Seaside. By this time, I had been out of water for a while. I stopped. The Germans kept going. At seaside, I pondered my destination for the night. I decided, to ride to Cannon Beach and get groceries. Then, I would find somewhere to camp. The next hiker biker site is in Nahelam on the other side of two big hills.

I got to Cannon Beach, a yuppified little resort town and got what I needed. Here I saw my first seastacks that typify the Oregon Coast.

Sunset near Hug Point
Sunset at my "secret spot"
I found a camping spot right off Route 101. It's on a bluff 60 feet above a beach. I can gaze out at seastacks. Earlier, I thought I heard sealions. I watched the sun set in the Pacific while I wrote this. In a few minutes, I'll let the surf lull me to sleep. This is not bad for a free camping spot. Life is good!