Day 1: Wednesday, April 5

We woke up early this morning to get started as soon as possible. After eating as much as we could from the continental breakfast at the hotel we started on our journey. The plan is to take two days to ride the 100 or so miles up to Astoria, Oregon where the official TransAmerica Trail starts. Astoria is also where we will meet up with the third member of our party: Greg. Less than half an hour into the trip, as we were passing the end of the runways at the Portland Airport, four fighter jets took off overhead. It was a perfect start to the day (almost like being at a ball game at the conclusion of the national anthem.)

Unfortunately, I also forgot the maps that I had printed out of how to get from Portland to Astoria. We got turned around a little in the city, but it didn't take us very long to figure it out. Crossing the historic St. John's Bridge was really cool, however, the eight inch curbs and narrow lanes of traffic made it an interesting experience.

The weather was beautiful the whole day. However, after almost 60 miles, I was exhausted. We set up camp behind a construction site in Rainier within view of the Columbia River.

Day 0: Tuesday, April 4

This trip got off to an exhausting start. Since my flight to Portland, Oregon flew out in the early morning, I left Flagstaff, Arizona at about 1:30 am on a Greyhound bus headed to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. I met Shayne in Portland and we got a hotel room near the airport. Loading all of the gear unto my bike was a scary experience. It quickly became apparent that I brought too much stuff. I was able to send some items back in the bike case. As I attempted to lift the bike now, I knew that I should have prepared better for this trip of a lifetime. While I had gone for a couple of rides, my bike was less than two months old... and I had never ridden when it was loaded down with all the gear! On top of that, I am still suffering the repercussions of the flu that I just got over. Unfortunately, I left my jacket hanging in my sister's closet. I called her, and she was kind enough to sent it to the Post Office in Walterville, a small town I expected we would be passing through in about a week. We grabbed some dinner at a Chinese restaurant near the hotel. As I lay in bed tonight, it is weird to think that I don't know the next time I will be sleeping with a roof over my head.