Day 2: Astoria to Tillamook

We started this day in Astoria. Astoria is a beautiful, scenic city with a nice riverfront trolley and walking trail. After waking up in Best Western Lincoln Inn (4/5 stars) we had some breakfast at the hotel, packed up, and started going. We walked along the paved path next to the Columbia River (they call this path the Riverwalk) to the city center. It was about time for lunch when we got there, so we stopped at a Mexican place called Rio Cafe, because it was next to the T.C. and highly rated on Yelp. The food was as good as the reviews said it was, and I had a quesadilla and a side of black beans for the first part of lunch. Then we walked to the local co-op, Columbia Produce, and finished of our meal with some large, organic carrots. Then, after an hour of reading Hardy Boys at the Astoria T.C., the 101 to Seaside arrived. It was a very strange old bus, not the kind you would see every day. And it was stiflingly hot, and quite a few shady characters rode it. One we were dropped of at Seaside Cinema, we took some pictures of the river right next to the bus stop, and had an apple for snack. Then, our next bus, the 20 to Cannon Beach, arrived. This bus was a lot cooler and more standard-looking, but it had HORRIBLE shock absorbers. In Cannon Beach, however, the mood changed entirely. The weather was perfect, so we decided to walk from the city center to Tolovana Wayside Park (1.4 miles in all). On the way there, I got a delicious chocolate ice cream, and we saw some amazing views  of the ocean from the shoulder of Highway 101. I was worried that we may not make it to our bus in time, but we got to the park with a half-hour to spare!  While we waited, I read some more, and pretty soon our bus was here. Buses in Tillamook are very well decorated on the outside with pictures of scenes and activities from around Tillamook, and the bus itself was reasonably comfortable. After the hour and 20 minute ride, we checked in at Mar Clair Inn, a motel right next to the Tillamook T.C. (for a motel, 4.5/5 stars). We ended the day with some pizza and a meal from the excellent Pacific Restaurant, the smell of cow dung fresh in the outside air.

Here are some photos:

The slightly shabby sign of our hotel in Astoria 

Lumber being loaded onto a ship in the Astoria port

Astoria Bridge in the morning

The trolley track cutting through the middle of the Astoria Riverwalk

A weird old bus operated by Sunset Empire Transportation District

The side of a S.E.T.D. bus.

Fruits and veggies at Columbia Produce

 The building at the Astoria T.C.

Seats on the 101 bus. Very comfy!

An ancient Blue Bird bus running the 101

The 20 bus to Cannon Beach

Seats on the #20 bus

Seats on the #3 bus to Tillamook

Tillamook Transit Center