Day’s distance: 201 miles (odometer)
Total trip distance: 201 miles

Day 1 was an auspicious beginning to my 2018 riding season. Temperatures ranged from the 50’s to the 70’s. Let me sum up the warmth of the Oregon coast today with some evidence taken at 8pm.

Today’s ride was a relatively short and along a familiar route. I wasn’t rushed to leave the house and it was a little after 10am when I departed. Traffic along Interstate 5 flowed quickly and I reach the turn off to the coast in Olympia in good time.

I didn’t take a lot of photos during the ride. I stayed focused on riding and enjoying the weather, but thought this photo shows how happy the bike was to be out in the sun. She’s beaming! We are just about to cross the Astoria – Megler Bridge into Oregon.

After checking in to the hotel about thirty minutes later, I changed and headed out for a walk around this little town just south of Astoria.

Seaside is the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

There is a Promenade along the shore in both directions from this landmark.

The beach is quite wide with sand that is soft on the feet.

It was Happy Hour at Dundee’s. 🙂

The town was a mix of newer buildings and the older ones found throughout this very walkable downtown core.

The sunset was made better by being warm with very light winds.

Today was charmed mix of riding and walking around this beach town. I was planning to leave last Monday, but postponed due to the rain storm(s) passing through the coast. I’m happy I did. Today’s mix of sun and warmth was an easy start to the rides ahead of me during the next couple of months.

In contrast to today’s warmth, Apr 23rd, 2015, was a bit chilly. I was in the Angeles National Forest on my Southern States Tour (Day 11). It was raining at lower elevations but hailing at the Dawson Saddle (elevation 7901 ft).

It started to rain. Near the Dawson Saddle (7901 feet) it started to hail. I stopped at a pullout to close the vents on my jacket and met Deirdre Smith who was hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. This woman had already hiked the Appalachian Trail and it was fun to chat with her for a few minutes.

Luckily the hail was small and the temperatures were warm enough that the road was not slick. Out of an abundance of caution, I did slow considerably until the temperatures rose back into the mid 40’s.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow.