Day 7 Astoria to Nahalum Bay 44 miles(330 miles total)

Canada to Mexico, Day 7- 

We rode 44 miles to Nehalum Bay (330 miles total). Despite some killer hills at the end of the day, it was a nice sunny bike ride along the beautiful Oregon Coast. The bad news is that I'm starting to get quite the funky biker tan. The good news is that having a tan means the sun is out and I am certainly not complaining about that! Summary of the day: dark tunnels (going uphill) with logging trucks sounding like tornadoes buzzing by is bad; shorts, sunscreen, bike lanes, wine, and spectacular views are good!

Day 6 Raymond to Astoria 52 miles(282 miles total)

Canada to Mexico, Day 6- 

We rode 52 miles to Astoria (282 miles total). OMG, it's amazing what the sun can do for one's soul! I literally had tears in my eyes when I saw the sun today! Everyone who knows me knows that I am a sun worshipper, but I have never been so glad to see the sun as I was today! You will never see the sun on my bad list! Thank you for your sun prayers and well-wishes! You all came through for us! Today was our best day yet. We started off with homemade cinnamon rolls from a friend's mom, followed by a sunny day with beautiful views of the coast, and ending with a stay at a friend's condo that has an awesome view of the Columbia River and a fireworks show that will be starting soon. The bad news is that we had to cross the Astoria Bridge, which has a small shoulder, is over 4 miles long, and has a sidewind. Also, when we were taking a water break on the side of highway 101, some guy across the highway came out of his house and started screaming at us because we made his dogs bark (we were across the highway on public roads, but this guy was crazy)! When we apologized, he told us that we should be sorry and he would not let up! We promptly left, but he continued to scream after us. Of all the things I worried about on this trip, a crazy guy screaming at us was not one of them! The good news is that we made it to Oregon and the sun was shining! Summary of the day: flat tires (me again) and crossing the Astoria Bridge on bikes is bad. Screaming lunatics are horrible; sunglasses, biking in short-sleeved shirts, friends and connections with food and condos, Oregon, America, lemon drops, and wine are good! The life-giving, soul-enhancing sun is magnificent! Happy 4th everyone!

Day 5 Montesano to Raymond 30 miles(230 total)

Canada to Mexico, Day 5: 

We rode 30 miles to Raymond (230 total). We wanted to go more, but as you can tell from the picture earlier, it was a very trying day! It poured all night, so everything was wet when we were packing everything up. Then it just poured all day. Plus, there was a severe headwind, so that was a lovely combination! I'm getting used to the traffic and hills (I can't even feel my legs anymore anyway), but the weather is just zapping our spirits! We finally decided to get a hotel so we can regroup, dry our stuff out, and get a mental break. A couple of quotes for our day: "Hang in there!" and "All rain and no sun makes Tanya a crabby girl" (a little twist of a famous line from Jack Nicholson in "The Shining.")So the bad news for today is that it poured on us all day. The good news is that Riley has been such a trooper! He's riding really well, not complaining, and keeps telling me, "Tomorrow will be better!" Summary of the day: Washington, wind, and rain are bad; Hotels, wine, people cheering us on, and an encouraging son are good! Again, you guys are rock star cheerleaders, which definitely helps our spirits! Thank you! I'm going to post a couple of more comments about some questions people have asked, so stay tuned.

Waiting out the rain

Day 4 Lilliwaup to Montesano 54 miles(203 total)

Canada to Mexico, Day 4-

We rode 54 miles to Montesano (203 total). The bad news is that the sun continues to elude us. I wonder if I'll ever use my sunglasses, sunscreen, and shorts that I packed. The good news is that we didn't get rained on! Yay! Summary of the day: Loud, scary semi-trucks and no shoulders are bad; wide shoulders, smooth roads, no rain, and wine are good! Thanks for the love everyone!

Day 3 Port Townsend to Lilliwaup 62 miles(150 total)

Canada to Mexico, Day 3-

We rode 62 miles today (150 total). Pat described our day best when he said that it was another "character building" day. The bad news is that it was a lot like yesterday with the hills, traffic, and weather (we were in the convergent zone, so we got rained on all day). The good news is that we didn't get a flat tire (forgot to mention that Pat had one the first day and I had one yesterday), I didn't cry (did that yesterday), and we had friends waiting for us with pizza, beer, and wine. Summary for the day: rain is bad and big RVs splashing water in my face is very bad; Gu energy gel, no flat tires, and washing machines are good. Friends with wine is very good! Thanks for your cheers- we love it!

Day 2 Bay View State Park to Port Townsend 44 Miles(90 total)

Canada to Mexico, Day 2- 

Today we rode 44 miles to Port Townsend (90 miles total). It was a bit of a rough day. I'm mentally and physically exhausted! The bad news is that we had more headwinds, it was raining, there was a lot of high-speed traffic, several winding and narrow roads, and many daunting hills. The good news is that we got a hotel for the night! Summary of the day: rain, traffic, and hills are bad; hotels, hot showers, restaurants, and wine are good!

Walking our bikes over the scary Deception Pass Bridge in the fog and rain.

On the way to the ferry dock on Whidbey Island

Ferry dock

On the ferry

Drying our camping gear in our motel room

Day 1 Canadian Border to Bay View State Park 46 Miles

Canada to Mexico- Day 1: 

We biked 46 miles today. We're camping at Bay View State Park, outside of Anacortes. The good news is that we didn't hit any rain. The bad news is that we had a headwind the whole way, which really sucked. Summary for the day: headwinds are bad, wine is good! Thanks for all your support, thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes! It was so fun to read your encouraging words during our breaks. They keep us going.

Under the Peace Arch in Blaine

Our First Campground