Oregon Tour 2014 Day 1: Astoria to Nehalem Bay State Park

The weather today was perfect, temps in the sixties and mostly sunny. It was a fairly short day, around 45 miles and about 1,600 feet of elevation gain, with one big cape climb. Glad to be out of our train sleeper and out in the ocean's fresh air.

Fortunately, this is a no-kill facility.

Looking down on the resort town of Seaside.

Cannon Beach.

The Arch Cape tunnel. Some of these tunnels were a little scary, especially the ones with little to no shoulder. Bikers are instructed to push a button the blinks a light to let motorists know there is a bicyclist in the tunnel. Pretty sure most drivers don't notice the light at 75 mph. 

This tunnel was typical, with a raised walk path and almost no shoulder on which to ride. You really are forced to take up a lane and hope the drivers behind you aren't distracted on their phones.

Oswald West State Park, Arch Cape.

Looking down at the park where we'll be staying tonight.

Hard to see with the slight cloud cover, but this bad boy is covered with puffins. Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Finally reached our destination after a few short hours in the saddle.

This is why we tour. Picked up these beers at a local shop in Nehalem Bay, from Fearless Brewing Company in Estacada, Oregon. There was only one other camper in the hiker-biker campground, a fellow bike tourist, from Japan.

That's about right on the Google estimate of time actually pedaling, and considering our many stops.. We probably left Astoria around nine and set up camp around three. Tomorrow, we head down to Cape Lookout State Park just past Tillamook (where they make the cheese).