For breakfast Jeff had his heart set on those Voodoo Doughnuts. So he went and picked us up some. He didn't get any weird flavors, just the more regular ones and they pretty much tasted like any other doughnut.

Voodoo Doughnuts

Today is the day when we will pick up Joe and Baltimore Mark from the airport. Originally we were also supposed to pick up Gary and Leo, but they got a car with a driver to drive them. They arrived earlier than the others and would have had a very long wait. Since Jeff and I had all morning we decided to go and drive up to the Washington Park. There is a Japanese Garden and a Rose Garden in the park. We went to see the Rose Garden which real name is International Rose Testing Garden. They have around 10,000 different kinds of roses there. Most of them had finished blooming already but many still have flowers on them. It must be just amazing sight when they are all in bloom. It was supposed to be a good place to see some mountains also, but we could only faintly see Mt. Hood which was covered in clouds. We didn't see Mount St. Helens at all. We did see it when we were driving to Astoria later in the day, but couldn't get a good picture of it.

A plan of the Rose Gardens, if you want to know
what is and where

Jeff at the Shakespeare section of the Rose Gardens

Shakespeare section of the Rose Gardens

Mt. Hood is faintly seen behind the tallest building

After leaving the park we stopped for a quick lunch at McDonald's. Then we headed towards the airport. Since we still had time, we went to see where my hotel was and if there were any gas stations nearby. Hotel was easy to find but the gas station was a different thing. The closest wasn't that close and it was in a bit iffy area. Once we got to the airport we returned the car we had. We were supposed to get a van for the next leg, with Gary and Leo coming with us, but since they didn't come Jeff went and changed the next rental to a regular sedan. We found Joe just when he was coming down to get his luggage. We still had an hour to wait before Mark arrived and so we went upstairs so Joe could get something to eat. Before we knew it, it was time for Mark's arrival and then to get the next rental car.

On the way to the airport with Mt. Hood ahead

Found Joe, with Jeff at the airport

Jeff drove us to Astoria. We took I-205 to I-5, it was all in Washington state, to Longview where we came back to Oregon and then took Route 30 to Astoria. As we arrived to the hotel we saw Leo and Mike and Barb Munk, Mike is the tour leader for Ride the West and Barb is helping out with the SAG. Soon after that Mark and Susan from Toronto arrived. They all had a nice reunion with their fellow ABB North riders. The two Marks, Susan, Leo, Joe, Jeff and I went out to dinner and met Gary at the restaurant. We ate at the Bridgewater Bistro by the Columbia River not too far from our hotel. The restaurant was very nice and the food was good. For some reason the it felt like a very long day and I think we were all ready for bed right after dinner, especially all the ones who arrived from the east coast.

On the way to Astoria, this is in Washington state

Line to the Longview Bridge aka
Lewis and Clark Bridge to cross to Oregon in Longview WA

Logging is a huge business in here

Longview bridge aka Lewis and Clark Bridge
between Longview WA and Oregon

Mark, Leo, Jeff and Joe at the hotel in Astoria

Susan, Jeff, Toronto Mark, Baltimore Mark and Joe

Sights along the way to the restaurant in Astoria

Some poor souls volunteered to take our pictures,
they didn't know that they would end up with 6 different cameras.
Susan, Toronto Mark, Joe, Baltimore Mark, me, Jeff and Leo