THE HEAT IS ON (CH.2)

DAY 62

SATURDAY 4 JUNE 2016

CLATSKANIE - ASTORIA

1230 - 1700

56.6 km (35.2 miles)
Av. Speed: 17.8 km/h (11.1 mph)
Max. Speed: 62.4 km/h (38.8 mph)
Time On Bike: 3h 10m 46s

With a serious heatwave predicted for today, it was entirely my bad that I didn't wheel out of Clatskanie until 12.30.

My excuse is that I spent about an hour or so at the Saturday morning markets hanging out with John and Kris, the operators of the Bike Inn where I had spent the night.

I have previously written of how all cyclists should be bestowed with hot tubs and masseurs at the end of each touring day.

Well now, you may add a Bike Inn to this list.

I don't think it's too much to ask.

And feeling as I did when I had arrived in Clatskanie on Friday evening, it was the least that was due to me.

I could have easily passed for a 90-year-old when I showed up, such was the toll the heat and hills had taken on me.

And yet there was more to come.

THE BIKE INN FROM INSIDE AND OUT

The first 10 miles out of Clatskanie was a flat, tailwind-assisted run through to Westport.

A false dawn, if ever there was.

From here I knew I would be climbing and the heat had really ramped up uncomfortably, even in the 40 minutes I'd been on the road.

I made a point of stopping to hydrate in Westport before confronting the inevitable.

And just as well it was too.

650 ft Clatsop Pass was every bit as crushing as Rainier had been the previous afternoon - the only difference being that I only had 12 miles under my belt for the day - unlike the 50 miles I'd done prior to Rainier.

By the time I pulled into Knappa approaching 3 pm, I was struggling and unbelievably, so was my equipment.

The temperature was hovering around 100/high 30's and I knew I still had 15 miles through to Astoria.

Worse still was that the newest addition to my rig continued to provide plenty of grief.

Having fixed the flattie overnight, the quick release wheel mechanism (not a feature on the old trailer) was failing - to the point that the entire quick release pin fell out of the hub along the way and I rode the last 10 miles into Astoria without anything holding the right wheel on at all!!

Checking into the Norblad Hostel right on 5 pm was a relief on more than one level as my body and equipment were both cooked in the near term.

I was not in the least bit sorry to be spending the next couple of days here.