Broken Ferry, Stuck on Puget Island

Day 11: Kelso WA to Astoria OR. We avoided the Columbia River's larger, windier bridges by bicycling across Puget Island, a farming and church-going bubble of land 30 miles in from the ocean. However, we nearly got stranded, as the tiny ferry was broken with no alternative except swimming. Hikers, bikers, and a small number of drivers congregated in the drizzle. Two hours later, the mechanic prevailed. This saved us from camping on the island and gave us ample time to memorize the location of a nearby pie shop. Sugar, flour and marionberries got us over Clatsop Crest. In Astoria, we got our first true view of the Pacific Ocean.