2008 The Adventure continues - Pacific Coast Route, Part 1

After using all our leave for our epic adventure last summer, we decided that 2 weeks was about the longest we could do this summer and keep our bosses excited about our bike trips. The Pacific Coast seemed like a natural since it wouldn't take a lot of time to get to the beginning or reach home at the end. So we decided to divide the 1850 miles into 3 trips. Part 1 takes us from Vancouver, British Columbia to Astoria, Oregon.........at least that's the plan!

And so we begin......

August 21, 2008 - Friday - Everything is packed, the bikes are boxed and the checklist completed. We are headed to Portland to spend the night with Cameron and Meagan so they can take us to the Amtrak station early in the morning.

August 22, Saturday - The day dawns bright and warm as we arrive at Union Station.

The train is on time!

Crossing the Columbia River headed north.

One of several newly remodeled train stations.


Our first view of Puget Sound and its ubiquitous ferries. That is the Olympic Penisula in the background.

Mt. Rainier

Starbuck's headquarters - purveyor of Doug's favorite beverage.

We arrived in Seattle pretty much on time (noon), only to find that the Amtrak bus was delayed at the Canadian border because of 20 other buses carrying cruise ship passengers back into the US, and would be late.

And then later........

..........and later. Fortunately it was a beautiful Seattle afternoon for just hanging out with our luggage and boxed bikes. Hard to ride around town with them wrapped in cardboard!

And it gave us plenty of time to read.

No ballgames going on next door either.

The bus finally arrived at 4:30 and we were on our way at 5:15.

We arrived in Vancouver, BC train station at 9:45 pm and it took us about an hour to repack, change clothes, and put the bikes together. Then the adventure really began......riding in a strange city in the dark looking for a bed and breakfast house we've never been to before. It actually turned out to be pretty easy and it was a balmy night so the riding was pleasant after all that sitting. We found the place by 11:00 and were settled in by midnight. So much for an early start tomorrow!
August 23, Sunday. Well.......so much for any start! Sometime after midnight it started raining........and not just a drizzle. We decided that delay was the prudent thing so we spent the morning exploring Stanley Park with a bunch of other wet people.
Point A is the location of Mickey's Kit Beach B&B, our home for today.

The Totem Pole garden

This bike path goes all the way around the penisula that is Stanley Park. The bridge in the background is Lion's Gate and we will be crossing it tomorrow as we head north.

The seagulls even seem to appreciate fine art!

We spent the afternoon in the Vancouver Museum, which does a very nice job documenting the history of this area and the many peoples that have influenced it.

They even treated the 60's and 70's as history. What a way to make a person feel "young"!

A fine day spent exploring Vancouver (18 miles worth), just not quite what we had planned. That's the thing about bike trips, you get many opportunities to practice flexibility.