Olney, OregonOkay, everybody sing... "Olney the Lonely..."
I have another name for Hwy 202, but it's not likely to be heard much in polite circles. The road surface is concrete in places (the places where it is smooth) and broken asphalt everywhere else. The log trucks and semi-tractor pulled flatbeds were loving it. It is difficult to hold a smooth line through a turn when the ground is continually moving up and down on you. The scenery (what I dared to look at) was wonderful. There are a number of "recently" reforested areas with signs indicating what year they were planted. I didn't see any old growth labeled "Planted 1657" though.
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I don't think I had ever seen this town on a map before. If you look close enough, you will see it about nine miles southeast of Astoria. Coming from Portland, I snuck up on it through Scappoose, along the Scappoose-Vernonia Highway, through Mist (also hard to find on a map), and westward on through Jewel on Highway 202 (also known as the Nahalem Highway).
When I arrived at the Olney General Store, I was a psychological mess: shell shocked from the beating I took on 202, I was only able to grunt a few words at the very nice woman who stamped my tour book. I hydrated, took care of a pressing physical need and headed off. What did I forget to do? Put my helmet back on? No, that's not it. I forgot to snap a picture of my bike in front of the store! Duh. While that sort of thing isn't necessary for the rally, it would have made nice dressing for this web page. In its place I am providing a picture of the ugly Hwy 101 bridge in Astoria taken from in front of the historic Dairy Queen there.