Linda climbed aboard the Goldwing and put on her helmet. "Can you hear me?" I asked.

"What?" came the clear response in my earpiece.

"Can you hear me now?" I once more queried.

"Ed, I can't hear you." Oh, oh.

I dismounted the Honda and started looking for the problem. After careful inspection we discovered that two of the small pins in the connector piece going to my helmet had broken off. With another 10,000 miles to travel, not being able to communicate with each other didn't seem like an option. OK, how do we fix this thing? We left the parking lot of the motel while I pondered a solution. After about twenty minutes on the road, I pulled off at a rest stop and started the process of finding a Honda dealer for a possible repair.

The biggest dealer in Eugene was a Harley dealer. What the hell, I'll try anything, but of course, no luck. Next I called a Kawasaki/Honda dealer in Eugene who knew exactly what I needed but had no parts. He could get them in, in about four days. Unfortunately, we don't have four days. He referred me to a motorcycle parts dealer who didn't even carry communications parts, but the parts dealer referred me to Fred's Honda in Corvallis. There I got Buzz Kassner, who said he didn't think he had the part but would scavenge one already on a helmet if that would help get me back on the road. I'm on my way, partner.

Back on Hwy 5 we made good time to Eugene where we exited for SR 99N. As you go through Eugene, you pass some nice parks by the river close to the University of Oregon then it's all strip mall/commercial type of riding for the next half hour. The funny part is that the signs say "Scenic Route." Well, I guess it all depends on what you consider scenic.

Finally we turned left on SR 99W and the road takes us through farm country down in the Willamette Valley. Not spectacular but very nice. After an hours travel through wheat fields and truck crops, we entered the outskirts of Corvallis and up ahead on our right was Fred's Honda (www.fredshonda.com). Inside this fine establishment, Buzz came to the rescue. He did have the part and he proceeded to take the offending connector and earpiece off of my helmet and replaced it with a new one. Voila, within three-quarters of an hour we were back on the road. If you ever have a problem with your Honda and you're anywhere near Corvallis, Oregon, be sure to call Karl (Buzz) Kassner (Buzz@Proaxis.com) at Fred's Honda. He was friendly, helpful, and efficient (photo 1). All the things you want when you have a problem but seldom find. Thanks Buzz.

Since we now needed to make up a little time, we took a more direct route towards Astoria (a local road recommended by Buzz) hoping to get there before too late in the day. One of the reasons for stopping by Astoria in the first place was to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum, a favorite of mine. If we didn't get there in time, it would cause us to get out late tomorrow so we scooted north with hope in our hearts.

Another nice surprise, Highways 47 and then Hwy 26 over to the coast are really nice rides. Hwy 26 gets narrow and tree lined and at times you feel like you're in the middle of a tree tunnel. The smell of evergreens was strong in our helmets as the temperature dropped to let us know that the ocean was getting close. Over a hill, around the bend and there it is…..a traffic jam.

It turns out that Seaside is a very popular destination this time of year. As we turned north towards Astoria, a mere 31 miles away, there was bumper-to-bumper traffic for the next several miles. We hadn't been in bumper to bumper since we left the Silicon Valley. What is this? Add to that an auto accident with ambulance and flashing lights, two more times to pull over for speeding police cars with flashing lights, and I was thinking I was back in the big city. This is Seaside Oregon, for goodness sake. Where are all of these people coming from? Well, some apparently from as far away as California. Maybe I better go on to something else.

Within an hour's time, we are crossing the low bridge to Astoria (photo 2), in heavy winds off the ocean. It was getting late in the day and we entered the Columbia Maritime Museum within an hour of closing (photos 3, 4, & 5). That's alright, I've been here many times but I enjoy each visit. I quickly browsed by the familiar and looked at the new displays. Last year, when we were here, they were in the middle of remodeling. They've done a nice job.

The museum is divided into several parts that express a maritime theme. The first, of course, are those maritime trades associated with the Columbia River, fishing, local Native American artifacts, coast guards, etc. Then there are others associated with Astoria itself, Naval ships named after the city, military, and anything maritime that they happen to collect, such as scrimshaw, models, etc. It's all laid out nicely for the enjoyment of those who are interested in the maritime past of the Columbia. It happens to be one of the better maritime museums in the US, and that's saying a lot when you think about the maritime history and artifacts located on the east coast. I've encluded a sampling of the exhibits for those of you who like maritime history or are just interested in seeing what's there (photos 6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16). I bought a shirt and left.

It was time to get a room and relax. We head for the Red Lion Inn right under the Astoria Bridge and right on the water (photos 17 & 18). As we watch the sunset (photos 19 & 20), we know the day turned out much better than we had a right to expect and we are right on schedule to boot.

The truth is that after four days of non-stop, get up and get on the road, Linda and I are starting to get a little tired. Tomorrow we get to see Brian, Tami, and Chris and, hopefully, relax a little bit. We are seeing some beautiful country so I can't complain. It will be interesting to see if we can keep up the pace for sixty days. We shall see.

Today's Route: Hwy IS 5 North to Eugene, OR. SR 99N to Corvallas then SR 99W to McMinnville to SR 47 to SR 26 to Seaside, then Hwy 101 N to Astoria where we stayed at the Red Lion Inn.