USA Trip Report Day 01
Vancouver (BC) – Astoria (OR) – 546Km
A first day of riding should start bright and early. It never does, because there is stress and excitement in packing clothes, gears and loading the bike. So this first day started around 11-am, and after stopping at a bank in richmond and swallowing a sub, I did not make it through the Border until 1:30 p.m.. The visa was a formality even though the pacific highway border crossing is much more organized than Aldergrove.
So down I5 for the first time and first stop at BMW South Sound in Tacoma. I wanted to check out a GS who had an orange paint job, I heard about a couple of months ago. The dealership is mighty impressive, and I was left to wonder what is all the sales staff doing. I counted 10 of them, and only a newbie came round to check on me. Strange…
Down on I5 I reached the 20K on the bike. I reached Astoria just in time to catch a pretty nice sunset, and had no problem checking into a cheap motel.
Overall a day hitting the slab, where the only excitement was to go though Seatte for the first time, and get spooked by a highway patrol cop, who pulled over a sportbike I just encountered in traffic.
I am now in the USA where everything is bigger especially junk food.
Lewis and Clark bridge. It links Washington state to Oregon. Mount St Helens is barely visible in the background
Astoria bridge at the mouth of the Columbia river
Astoria bridge (the flat section)