11 hours in my sleeping bag last night tells me 2 things; I prefer sleeping in the tent to a motel, and that i'm getting ready for a day off. I'm a firm believer in listening to my body, and when I struggle like I did today to get out of bed i'm really ready to give the bike a rest.

I had the second tunnel of the trip so far today - not a pleasant experience. The best way to deal with them is to pull over before entering, put hi-viz jacket on, switch lights on, look for a break in the traffic, press the button to warn other road users of a cyclist in the tunnel, then ride through it like your arse is on fire. Fortunately the 2 tunnels I have ridden so far have both been downhill, so it's possible to get out really quickly.

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After a recommendation from someone yesterday I stopped in Cannon Beach, which proved that what one person likes isn't necessarily the same for another. One thing in their favour though was the library with wifi and a fire, so I was able to update the journal whilst thawing out.

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Seaside was the town that had it all for me, a top hardware store (if you like that sort of thing, which i do) for stove fuel, a large grocery store and a really helpful guy in the tourist bureau. I called in to see if they had a map of Washington, and came out having also booked 2 nights at a hostel in Astoria. All that remained now was to pedal fast to Astoria to start some R&R.

You only really realise how heavy a loaded touring bike is when you have to lug it up some stairs, so fortunately there was only 1 flight to go up at the hostel. After a quick shower I went in search of something to eat, and before long was quenching a thirst I didn't realise was quite so strong with a fisherman / boatman Chris and his friends Chris, Chrissie and Fred. They could do with some new names in this town! I was even asked for I.D. in one bar, and that hasn't happened for a LONG time.