Today we crossed the Astoria bridge from Washington into Oregon. Days with a state crossing are always exciting but the Astoria bridge adds an extra frisson. It is 4 miles long with narrow lanes and no shoulder to hide in, so the car drivers either get VERY p*%^#^d off waiting behind you or decide to squeeze past. Neither is much fun. Just for good measure, in the middle of the bridge, there is a bloody great hill.  Everyone survived and we then had a fun half hour in the bike shop replacing all the lightweight racing tires with something more suited to 1600 miles of riding in the gutter.  You might wonder, as did I, why they didn’t fit these from the outset as recommended in the bumpf we sent out months ago ;-).

At the start of the trip I had told the riders about the wildlife we saw on the last trip and asked them to let me know if they saw anything interesting.  So far only one rider has shown much enthusiasm for this but I am starting to doubt the accuracy of his reports.  First he sighted a white tailed eagle…….very impressive.  Then he saw otters but, under interrogation, backtracked and said that maybe they were mink.  Today he proudly reported that he had seen a dead duck-billed platypus at the side of the road.  Hmmmmm;  if he tries to claim unicorns I’m going to want a photo!

Tonight we are going to Garibaldi and everyone is looking forward to some flat biscuits filled with dead flies.