Day 1 - Astoria, OR to St Helens, OR

Up at 5:45 am, get all the essential out of the way, eat, load the bags in the trailer, get on the tandem and we are off on a 69-mile ride to St. Helen's. Since this was the same route Kenny took us from the Portland Airport to Astoria, we didn't think it would be too tough on a tandem. Shows how different the perspective is from a van vs. on a bike! It was challenging with grades of 4 to 6% and long. The worst was a 4+ mile 5.5% climb with no breaks until we reached the top. Our average speed was between 6 and 8 mph. I was especially proud of Anne for hanging in there. I must admit I was toast when we reached the top. Our reward was a 3-mile descent. The scenery was really nice along the way. We took a picture of Mt. Ranier in the far distance. We made it to St Helen after a number of stops due my leg cramps. The weather was in the mid 60's and sunny. We looked forward to the two sag stops for the opportunity to refuel, walk around and talk to other riders at the stop. I should mention there are 41 riders on the ride, comprised of nine from outside the USA, 11 females and some 21 states. Tomorrow, 75 miles to Welches, OR.