The fog was rolling in as we turned in for the night about 8 pm.  All night we had rain.  When we got up in the morning the tents were soaking wet, but when we looked out on the road it was dry.  It had not rained all night, it was just fog condensing on the trees and dripping on the tents..  We broke camp, packing up wet tents and headed out in the fog toward Cathlamet, WA.  Breakfast was 13 miles down the road in Chinook, WA,. Where we found  restaurant that was open, but extremely slow service as only one waitress was working.  After breakfast we headed east past the Astoria Bridge where John suggested that we change the route and head south to San Francisco.  The group did not agree and we continued on towards Naselle on highway 401.  Leaving the Columbia River we climbed over the divide and dropped down in the Naselle River drainage.  Short stop in Naselle for a snack and then east on highway 4.  In Grays River we found an Irish Pub with great food and ambiance.  After Grays River we faced another long climb out of the drainage and dropped back down towards the Columbia River with a nice tail wind heading into Cathlamet.  Camped at the Cathlamet marina right on the river.  Did laundry, showers and had a nice dinner in town.

Distance:  50.87 miles

Average Speed  12.79 mph

Riding time:  3 h  58 minutes

This morning we had to catch the ferry that would take us from Puget Island to Oregon.  After a quick breakfast we made a mad dash to the ferry landing, just making it.  Short ferry ride to Westport, Oregon.  Flat road to Clatskanie, but right out of town the climb began.  We all regrouped at the top of the climb then headed towards Rainier, OR.  Along the way Paul, Glen and Bill got a bit ahead of John and Tom.  Tom got a flat on the rear.  John and Tom then spend the next hour+ attempting to fix it.  Tom’s tire is extremely difficulty to remove from the rim requiring the use of tire levers to get it off and then back on.  Every time we go the tire back on the rim, a new pinch flat developed.  After 4 tries, John suggested that we put his spare tire on instead.  Only problem was it was 700Cx 32 while Tom’s other tire was a 700C x 25.  Problem was there was not enough clearance with the frame, so we had to let air out so Tom could peddle.  With only about 30 pounds of air the tire was still rubbing and it was difficult to control especially with the 7% down grade into Rainier, OR.  Eventually we got to town and found the rest of the gang and decided we needed to have lunch and then work on Tom’s bike.  As we heaed to the restaurant, Tom threw his chain getting it wedged between the frame and the small chain wheel.  The group decided to have lunch first then work on Tom’s bike.  After lunch John worked on freeing the chain while the rest of the gang worked on putting Tom’s old tire back on the rim. Ninety minutes later, Tom’s bike was fixed and we peddled out of town towards Portland 49 miles away. We arrived at our motel in Portland about 6 pm, going to dinner at B.J. about 8 pm. 

Distance:  74.97 miles                                       Riding Time:  5 h 25 min

Avg Speed:  13.84 mph

Max Speed :  43.87 mph