A Nightmare on Elm Street

While not as conspicuous as the gentleman in my previous post, I was reassured by the motorist who excitedly let me know that he could see my hi-viz vest and panniers from a half-mile back. A girl likes to stand out from the crowd. Hopefully that was also the case when I got caught in the first downpour of the trip shortly before Astoria, Oregon. Yes, I’m now in Oregon!

To be honest, I was rather underwhelmed by the state of Washington. Though I had glorious weather, the Adventure Cycling route frequently took me inland on busy roads. But there were some definite highlights: The views of the Olympic Mountains, Mount Rainier, and Mount Saint Helens were stunning, and seeing eagles overhead was awe-inspiring. Also to Washington’s credit is that the state is still at “peak beard” 🙂

Though I’ve had a lot of rain since crossing into Oregon, I’m loving the Beaver state. (Yes, it really is called that!) The scenery is spectacular and the Oregonians very welcoming. Take the scrawny, tattooed lad in Subway, where I’d sought refuge from a sudden downpour. Instead of the usual melodic “Welcome to Subway”, he darted from behind the counter – mid-sandwich – wanting to know if I was Robert Englund. Preening myself that I’d been mistaken for a Hollywood starlet, I sheepishly confessed that I had no idea who that was. Happy to inform, he googled Robert Englund on his phone and showed me … Freddy Krueger!

Raining heavily again today, but I had great company all day. Cycling past Umpqua Lighthouse State Park after leaving the warm, dry motel this morning, I ran into Tom from Vancouver, who is cycling from Seattle to San Francisco. Tom had camped at the state park last night – along with two other cyclists and a retired lady from the UK! Definitely made of sterner stuff than me – or Freddy Krueger!

Author: CL Mackay

Aspiring gentleman of leisure in San Francisco, who fancies himself to be a trust fund kid swapped out at birth. Not dented by the male menopause and a pesky diagnosis of leukemia, this former strawberry blond cycled across America, coast to coast, in 2016 and is presently cycling from Vancouver, Canada, to the Mexico border. View all posts by CL Mackay