DAY 62
Rockaway Beach, OR to Astoria, OR

Of the 4,242 mile long TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, only 57.5 miles remain. We're up at 6 am. The ugly grey day outside leaves absolutely no desire to ride. Two months on the trail has left our bodies in peak physical condition. However, those same two months have left our minds mentally exhausted. I jokingly tell Flats we're going to take a rest day here. He's amused, but patiently waits for us to sort our gear one last time before setting out for the morning. 

Overcast skies threaten rain all morning. As we pull into the highly touristy town of Cannon Beach, a slight sprinkle begins to saturate the streets. This is our first and most likely only stop of the day. We sit on a bench under a covered overhang at the local market watching families and couples scurry about the crowded souvenir, antique, and specialty shops. Great people watching ensues as the three of us sit and reflect upon our tremendous journey which is coming to an end. It poured on us the first day leaving Yorktown Virginia. So I guess it's only fitting that it rains today on our last.

Being that the town of Seaside is located along the beautiful Oregon Coast, it's unfortunate that it resembles every generic main street strip mall highway in America. Heavy traffic spills by and between this and the gloomy depressing weather, our final destination can't come soon enough. I'm a firm believer in the opinion that life, or in this example our bicycle tour, is about the journey not the destination. But today this belief couldn't be further from the truth. All we want is to be thankfully rejoicing our successful trip at our destination in Astoria.

After the town of Seaside, the bicycle trail cuts inland over a few last PUDs (pointless ups and downs). This route accumulates five additional miles that the flat straight shot Highway 101 does not require. It's a no brainer, but still we pause for a brief second to confirm that we're all for remaining on the less painful, quicker option. None of us are above avoiding pointless miles.

An excited queeziness forms in my stomach as we approach the two mile long bridge connecting Highway 101 to the peninsula which the town of Astoria sits upon. I'd been waiting all day for the true excitement and realization to settle in. The cloudy solemness of the day melts away as old Victorian houses built along the hilly slopes of Astoria come into view. These quaint historic neighborhoods can be seen from three miles out. Hoards of traffic spew by us on the busy narrow bridge, but to me we might as well have been the only creatures on the planet. The day belongs to us! I give out a hoot and holler as I film our entrance into the town of Astoria, Oregon. We spoke of Astoria often, almost daily. In our minds it had taken on a mythical aura. An unreachable holy destination. This was our pilgrimage and we had arrived at the promised land.

A boardwalk along the Columbia River brings us to the official end of our journey, the Columbia River Maritime Park and Museum. Becky dances on a giant anchor sculpture and we all pose for photos. On queue, the clouds begin to part and slivers of sunshine congratulate us. Before arriving at the museum we'd stopped and bought a six pack of Rainier Beer tall boys, which we now enjoy via brown paper bags. Gazing out across the river at my home state of Washington, the three of us sit, joke, reminisce, and reflect upon our grand adventure. We delay leaving that spot for two hours not wanting the moment to end.

It's not that I believed we'd never make it, because I always knew we would; it's the fact that we made it the way we had. On our own terms, together. Through the adversity of bad weather, wind, heat, sore asses, knees and joints, and what seemed like an impossible deadline after falling so far behind schedule early on. Having never seriously cycled in our lives we had literally bought bikes and the gear we thought we'd need and flew across country knowing the only way back was to master a new craft. I say with 100% assurance that we are far from masters of cycling, but we have accomplished the feat of experiencing true adventure. Some may say we're crazy. That we place ourselves in unnecessary risk and danger. My response is that yes, there are calculated risks in the activities we pursue, but they make us feel alive. This is the only way we know how to live.

Thank you all for following our blog. I hope everyone enjoyed crossing the country pedal for pedal with us. As much work as it was, exhausted after a full day of riding, staying up late to write slouched over in a tent, or spending our days off at a library or McDonalds using their WIFI; I think we got more out of it than we put in. Hopefully the insight into our unique ways of thinking and our relationship was at the very least entertaining if not sad. Please comment if you followed us to let us know you enjoyed our adventure. We'd appreciate the feedback whether it's constructive or simply flattering. 

Love, 

TeamBeckyKeith

Stats: 
Miles: 54.21
Average speed: 11.4 mph
Max speed: 31.4 mph
Odometer: 4414 miles