Getting There & the Day Before the Ride Began

I am new to blogging so we will have to see how this goes! This blog is about Michael and Anne Hunter's Xcountry bike trip from Astoria, OR beginning on 6/17/13 and finishing in Portsmouth, NH on 8/5/13. We will across the Norther Tier going through Idaho, Wyoming, S Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, across Lake Michigan via ferry, Michigan, Ontario, Canada, New York, Vermont and finally New Hampshire! It is with America By Bicycle (ABB). We are riding a tandem some of the time and Michael will ride a single bike the other time. Many, including ourselves, have ask, "Why are you doing this?" Well, because it is there, for the experience and it is a bucket list item. The experience started in Cedar Rapids, IA where we got on the plane to Portland, OR. A beautiful flight and we arrived in Portland 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Our transportation to Astoria was right on time and the Chinese driver "Kenny" was extremely nice. However, he spoke so fast that neither Anne nor I followed much of what he was saying so we mostly just kept shaking our heads up and down. The accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express were great. Our room faced the Columbia River and to the right about a quarter mile we could see a high bridge that spanned the river for about two miles. After we assembled the Co-Motion tandem, we went on a 30-mile roundtrip ride for a "dip your rear wheel in the Pacific Ocean" ride. Actually, from where the road ended to the beach was about a 400' walk over fine sand to the ocean. So, we decided to not do the dip and say we did. After the ride, we had to attend four mandatory orientation meetings ABB presented. They are really concerned rider safety. They have lots of rules for loading bags, where not to lean your bike, washing your hands first at the sag stops and on and on for the good of all. However, some of us are wondering how many demerits we will receive before the ride's end!