The Pacific Ocean – my first US cycling

Today I tested my bike out. I stayed the night in Portland, Oregon so I could get a bus to the coast and start my trans-continental adventure where the land meets the sea. This morning I put my bike on the front of a bus (as you can over here as standard) and rode it to within ten miles of the Pacific Ocean. I had to cycle the last bit from the small town of Tillamook (where I found a well placed brewery for lunch) but it was so worth it. The coast here is stunning. I met the ocean in a beautiful village fittingly called Oceanside. What a place to start my ride!

After a quick paddle and a cup of tea, I was off riding east, as I shall be for the next six weeks. I covered 64 eastward miles that took me over some mountains up to 1568 ft and down again. I passed through precisely nowhere at all after Tillamook, until I reached my destination for tonight in Forest Grove, OR, 52 miles later. The road was good, the traffic light, and the shoulder at the side of the road very useable for cycling. A good start.

It was a great start to my coast to coast journey, although the story of my official ride starts in a couple more days in Boring. but I couldn’t miss out on this first. It’s been a glorious day.