day 11: willapa bay koa (washington) to astoria (oregon!!)

2:40am wakeup call from hunger and  having to pee!

5:40am wakeup call from hunger and  having to peepoop! 

stayed up till 6:45am and finally fell back asleep until my alarm went off at 6:58. went back to sleep for another 20 minutes before finally crawling out of the tent, groggy.

i feel like a GIANT baby with bodily demands i have to take care of myself. no crying to get mom or dad to come change my diaper or put food directly into my mouth. that's what this trip has done to me - it's reduced me to baby status. 

let's just say today has been an incredibly slow. i've been super sleepy and low energy. last night's dinner was healthy, but we had little to no protein in our meal and we really felt the effects of that. 

we left the koa site and pedaled our way down the bay. we had a decision point about 15 miles in to either take the long scenic route or cut through hwy 4 to reach astoria (final destination), 11 miles quicker. 

(these signs always = FUN!!!) 

even though we were both tired, we turned right and decided to take the longer route. about 200 meters in, while battling the light headwind in that short distance, i stopped and said to samuel, "i don't want to ride through headwind all the way. i'm way more tired than i thought." he agreed and we decided to turn around. 

instantly, my spirit was lifted and i felt HAPPY to be going in the "right" direction. we were thrilled to reach our destination sooner than we expected. 

good thing because i "lost it" for a few miles after that. i could not stop laughing and that always affects my motor skills. (when i start laughing uncontrollably, it means i'm past the point of exhaustion. it happens everytime when i backpack.) it didn't help either that i made up a particularly hilarious game where i'd make up a scenario and samuel had to play it out. ie. i'd say: "arnold schwarzenegger can't carry his grocery bags" and samuel would make up some dialogue using the associated accent. this game doesn't sound as funny as i type it out.)

anyway, to celebrate our decision, we stopped for lunch at the intersection of hwy 4 and 401 at the rocket diner to eat a club sandwich and salad (and milkshake).

after the diner stop, samuel yelped with pain. the back of his right knee's been hurting for the last day or so, but this time he experienced sharp pain. yikes!!! i massaged his leg a bit, and found some major hot spots in his calves. he pedaled mostly with his left leg the rest of the way to give his right leg a break. i'm a little worried that his really tight atb, hamstrings, and calves are all pulling at his knee. i know that some pain you can just work through, but acute pain can be more serious. mmmmm.... :-/ any thoughts? 

even with his back of the knee issue, samuel did exceptionally well riding across the astoria-megler bridge propelled by his left leg - what a rush!  

(notice the bridge goes uphill?!)

we finished our 38 mile day with happy hour at a sushi joint and by checking into the norblad hotel/hostel. it was cheaper than most other places (~$70/night), smack in the downtown area, and super clean. it looked perfect for two nights of relaxing. (we are taking tomorrow off to rest.)

(there's a sink in our room with shared toilets and showers down the hall.)

(drying out my washed clothes) 

i fell asleep almost immediately on accident, then woke up dazed, ready for a shower and 2nd dinner. took a shower and walked across the block, to a small (but pricey) co-op to buy groceries for a giant salad, loaded with tofu, avocado, olives, and sardines (to name a few ingredients my friend torea suggested we eat to get more healthy fats and protein input.)

we ate and then almost immediately fell asleep again. (notice the theme?) i slept until 1:52am, woke up used the bathroom, brushed my teeth and fell asleep again.

sleep sleep sleep. this is my medicine. 

i am so grateful for a comfy bed with a large window next to it that let's in just the right amount of cool breeze to refresh my sun-kissed skin. good night!