May 10th. Day 10.
I am out of oatmeal. Some trail mix and a Lara Bar
Deflate the air mattress, shake out the sleeping bag, pack the panniers. I carry the panniers to the gate, return, and walk my bike to the gate, lift it over and attach the panniers. Just as I set off I notice my GPS is missing!!
Park the bike, hop over the gate, walk back towards my campsite and there it is lying in the leaves! Whoa! I am so glad I noticed it missing before I hit the road.
8:55 AM. No more screwing around. I roll onto HWY 101, cross over the Wilson Creek bridge
9:20 Five hundred feet up in 0.92 of a mile.
9:30 Six hundred and ten. Take a little rest.
9:40 Seven hundred even. Stop to admire the Trillium.
10:00 Nine hundred feet.
10:15 One thousand twenty-seven.
10:22 Eleven hundred feet.
10:35 Bingo!!! Finally, twelve hundred feet!! I did it!!
Wrong!
11:00 The “real” Bingo is at twelve hundred and ninety-six feet!
11:06 Oh no. Down, around a curve, and MORE up!!
11:22 Finally, the Real Summit . Fourteen hundred and thirty-seven feet above Wilson Creek!!
A little rest, some snackage, zip up my jacket, and enjoy the long, fast, curving ride down, down, down and out onto the flats south of Crescent City.
I happen upon Rafael while riding into Crescent City
I follow along behind him and soon he pulls into a MacDonald’s! I guess he doesn’t know the difference between Burger King and MacDonald’s. Maybe inBelgium fast food is just fast food. Whatever, MacDonald’s will do.
We park our bikes where we can keep an eye on them, enter and order.
His English is some what broken but his is a whole lot better than my Belgium-eese.
There is a Safeway behind McDonald’s and Rafael keeps an eye on my bike while I get some oatmeal.
Soon we are on our way. Rafael decides to explore Crescent City
Once clear of Crescent City Lake Earl Drive . Fred Haight Drive . First Street through the town ofSmith River
A nice cemetery. Sarina Road , Oceanview Drive and then…
Welcome to Oregon!! By golly, my first new state!! (notice the clouds?)
I stop to call my friend Ed to brag but there is no answer. Bummer!
Onward to Brookings, Oregon.
I stop and fill my MSR fuel bottle at a gas station. My first purchase of regular gas for my cook stove since I left Fort Bragg. 53 cents! I'm getting pretty good mileage!!
Onward. Hopefully there will be camping at Harris Beach State Park; just a few more miles.
6:30 PM. The end of a long ride. I am pretty well whipped. It has clouded over into a light drizzle and, to add insult to injury, there is a small, steep, hill up to the entrance of the State Park!! Gack!
I ride up to the kiosk to read the information board to get a sense of the layout and cost when a guy rides up on his bike and asks me if I would like ham hock and beans!! “I have a crock pot full at my camp site!”
What a welcome!! Turns out “Hank” is a bicycle rider who could tell, when he saw me, I would welcome a warm dinner. He tells me his campsite number and says, "Come on over after you get set up". I ride over to the hiker/biker camp area.
Whoo Hoo! There's Rafael setting up his ham radio antenna! He already has his tent up and has finished dinner!
I set up my camp next site over, grab my towel, soap, a change of clothes and ride to Hank’s for ham hocks and beans.
Hank has the crock pot out on the picnic table along with a place setting and a bottle of wine. There is a smoky campfire and classical music on his boom box. Welcome to Oregon indeed!! Hank tells me about the bike rides he has enjoyed inNew Zealand and Australia while I have three helpings!
Finally satiated and on the verge of tipsy from the red wine and good company I repeat my thanks for the last time and head for the showers.
Great showers! Unlimited hot water unlike California's 25 cents for three minutes. I notice there is also a laundry with washers and driers available. Oregon State Parks!! Woo Hoo!
Great showers! Unlimited hot water unlike California's 25 cents for three minutes. I notice there is also a laundry with washers and driers available. Oregon State Parks!! Woo Hoo!
Hot water and a full belly. How unbelievable and excellent a day this has been. Wow!
Refreshed and pleasantly tired I ride back to my tent, crawl into my sleeping bag, lay down and listen to the soft murmuring of Rafael calling, “CQ, CQ, CQ”, into the night air.
May 11th. Day 11.
Just as I get my food bag and stove out Rafael invites me over for breakfast. I am interested in seeing what he calls breakfast. Joining him at his picnic table we share milk, bread, raisins, sardines and cashews. Tasty, energy packed, quick and easy. No fiddling around with a camp stove, no dishes afterwards. Good idea!!
While we are eating and talking I notice a Ravin fly away from my campsite with something in its beak. I run over to check and by golly, he stole one of my tortillas!! He, or she, pulled the zip-loc bag of tortillas out of my nylon food bag and somehow extracted one! I put the remaining tortillas into my food bag and put the food bag back in my front right pannier! Bad bird! Boy, they don’t miss a trick!
Back to Rafael and the remains of our breakfast and conversation.
One thing and another, pack up my gear, I don't get back on the road until almost 11:00 AM!!
Overcast, rather cool and soon it starts to sprinkle. Riding along I wonder if it is going to continue and finally decide it is. Bummer. Welcome to the Pacific North Wet!!
The good news is, Lolli bought me some nice rain gear for my birthday and, for the first time, I am going to check it out. I stop beside a small building and dress under the eave. Back onto the highway and yes, it is a good idea to put on the rain gear. It is now really raining!
This rain gear has “Pit Zips”; zippers under each arm that I can open or close to help keep me from getting hot and sweaty. Pedaling up a hill I unzip to keep cool. Cruising down a long grade I zip up and stay warm. They work great! Thank you Lolli!
After thirty miles, a long hill, increasing rain, I finally arrive in Gold Beach
Turn off HWY 101 and look for it. Up and up into the hills. This must be a mistake and then, there it is, six blocks off the highway up a long gradual climb!! It is not in town but rather, out of town in the woods! The good news is, it is a very nice looking, modern, recently built library.
I pull up under the porch overhang, park and remove my rain gear, helmet, and gloves. Get out my notebook, camera and USB cord. Walk into the nice warm building, see all the nice shiny computers and am told by the librarian they do not allow “devices” to be attached to their computer!! This means no photo updates to my blog! Beans!! I'm sure having a heck of a time with "connectivity"!
Greatly disappointed I decide to hell with it, and head back into the rain.
Outside the entryway I discover a middle aged man and a young black girl looking at my bike. He is explaining various part of my bike to her and then he turns to me and tells me how dangerous it is to ride a bike and how bad people are. I realized this guy is some kind of nut. I am already pissed off about the library and the steep hill I had to climb for nothing and the rain and now I just don’t have the patience for his crappy outlook on life so I interrupted his spiel and “Share with him” my favorite parable.
“It seems a traveler is walking (biking) along when he sees a wise man sitting beside the gate to a town. He asks the Wise Man, “What kind of town this is?”.
The Wise Man responds, “What kind of town did you come from?”
“Oh, it was full of rascals, thieves and liars.”
The Wise Man says, “You will find this town to be about the same.”
Later, another traveler arrives and asks the Wise Man, “What kind of town is this?”
“What kind of town did you come from?”
“Oh, I hated to leave; it was such a nice town full of friendly, honest people.”
“You will find this town to be about the same.”
That shut him up and he actually thanked me for my story. He really did seem to have a dark cloud over him and I felt bad for the little girl, wondering what their relationship was but, enough was enough. I was getting chilled.
Down the hill in the rain I go thinking about the "town" I came from, Sunny California!!
HWY 101 and, Whoot Whoot!, there is Rafael checking his map in front of theGold Beach
We discuss our situation and I tell him I hope to find a campground in Gold Beach
“No, the next campground is twenty eight miles”.
Twenty eight more miles! I have already ridden thirty, mostly in the rain, and my stuff is getting quite wet. Rafael says he is going to press on and I decide to continue too but crossing the bridge north of town the wind is blowing the rain sideways, I am totally miserable and decide this is nuts. I tell Rafael I have had enough.
We say our good byes, “Good luck, I hope to see you again”, and I return toGold Beach
We say our good byes, “Good luck, I hope to see you again”, and I return to
There is a motel. I ride up to the office. $30.00 for a small room. Good enough.
Fifteen minutes later I have stuff spread out all over the room with the heat on high, crawl into bed shivering and try to warm up. Damn!
5:30 PM I cross the highway, in the rain, to a bar and order fish and chips and a Budweiser. This is my first night out of my tent since leaving Fort Bragg
Or..., maybe, this is it!!
Or..., maybe, this is it!!
May 12th. Day 12.
I wake to a beautiful, clear, 40 degree day!!
I check out of the motel at 9:00 and ask if they can recommend a good place for breakfast. They do. Unfortunately it is about a mile in the wrong direction but I ride to it and order a sausage patty, two eggs, home fries, and an English Muffin. I sit in the corner where I can keep an eye on my bike while catching up in my notebook. I notice the Gold Beach
After a nice breakfast (and a bit stuffed) it is time to get on the bike, get back to work, and head north. In a while I pass the motel and recross the bridge that defeated me.
I’m surprised and happy to discover the ACA map routes me off of HWY 101 and onto a much quieter, “North Bank Road”, alongside the Rogue River.
Gradually the road rises to the hills and I reach the turn-off onto Cedar Valley Road . It is a beautiful ride up into the woods with lots of moss and greenery. There is very little traffic. Up, and up, and finally a nice long downhill back to the coast. As I near the coast I hear traffic hammering along HWY 101.
Back onto HWY 101 and a nice long straight shot beside the beach. That's Humbug Mountain off in the distance.
Early afternoon I happen upon Ophri Roadside Park, pull in and spread out my sleeping bag and clothes and lay down beside them to enjoy the wonderful sunshine. Ahhh!
I start thinking about Raphael and how he has it together. He gets his “thirty miles” over easily and explores towns and information centers along the way. He is “touring America ”. Me, I’m just trying to get the "thirty miles" to the next state park over with before I drop!!
Rafael has a system for keeping his clothes clean. He washes his “other clothes” each night in the restroom and hangs them to dry overnight; “People don’t steal underwear!” Also, I think I might do better on yogurt, fruit and nuts like him than on sausage, eggs and home fries for breakfast! And, I must admit, I have a lot of anxiety. Raphael is cool, calm and confident. He has bike toured extensively. There is a lot I could learn from him.
After a nice sunny rest and refreshed sleeping bag and clothes it is back on the road and onward. In the distance I can see Humbug Mountain
Onward and upward and soon enough I am past Humbug Mountain and zooming down to Humbug State Park
I find Humbug State Park
Hey! Hey! Raphael and his ham radio camped here!! Cool!
While I am setting up my tent a young couple walk by with backpacks. I stop and talk to them and discover they are hitchhiking down the coast to Point Arena! The more interesting thing is the little blue parakeet the girl is carrying a wicker basket! The little bird sitting on its perch looking out at the big, big, world! I can identify!!
After camp's established I walk over for a shower and discover someone stole the temperature control handle! I look in the other shower stalls and they are missing handles too. There is only the shaft the handles should be attached too! Finally I realize the “shaft” is actually a push button! Push the button and water comes out at a pre-set temperature!! New one to me! I rinse my shirt, bike shorts, and socks and drape them over my bike to dry.
It has been a short day’s ride so I walk around the campground and discover a trail out to the beach that passes under the 101 highway bridge. The structure of the bridge is quite remarkable; the beach, not near as interesting.
Back at my camp I see a young couple on touring bikes have arrived and are setting up next to me. We greet and meet and too soon I discover they leave their radio on all the time. Strange!
Time for dinner, some wine and call it a day.
May 13th. Day 13.
Up in the morning, my neighbors are ready packed and on the verge of leaving. I discover it was a series of podcasts they were listening to, just loud enough for me to hear it but not loud enough to be able to understand what the podcast was about.
I too pack up and get rolling. The couple with the parakeet are walking out the entrance of the state park as I leave. We say goodbye, they head south with their thumbs out while I turn north.
The sun is filtered through clouds, this south wind might mean some weather heading my way. I ride over the HWY 101 bridge I hiked under last evening and immediately encounter a hill. I have to stop and take a break part way up. Pretty, but quite windy.
Over the hill I coast down into Port Orford and stop at the Safeway. Two young women are sitting outside on the curb eating their lunch. Behind them are their bikes with panniers. They are taping up their knees. They are heading south and both are having tendon troubles. I leave my bike parked with theirs and enter the store to buy a salad tray of carrots, broccoli, celery, cauliflower with dip, plus 3 bananas, 2 containers of yogurt and a two Snicker bars. When I come back out the women are gone and some homeless guy is standing next to my bike looking at it. I quickly check to see if anything is missing as he shuffles off. I thought I would be out of the store before the ladies left. I hate to leave my stuff unattended.
I move around to the south side of the building and enjoy the sun while eating my salad. I check and discover there is cell phone coverage so talk to Lolli and some other friends.
The afternoon is a hard ride against the wind which has shifted to the north. I stop at Sixes, Oregon and eat my yogurt, sheltered out of the wind, in the abandoned building next to the post office. Finished, I enter the post office and ask the young lady if I can use the restroom. Not supposed to, she says, but come ahead. Nice restroom! On my way out of the building she offers me a Red Vine! Nice stop!
Onward into the wind with some sprinkles but mostly sun. I spot a nice, new, modern library beside the highway. Langlois , Oregon
It is a long tough day but I finally make it to Denmark!! :-)
I try to take it easy and use granny gear a lot on the hills but the inside back of my knees are starting to talk to me. This is the first time I have heard from my knees since starting this trip! Initially I was worried about my Achilles tendon, the one I pulled before this trip, but I have not had any problem. The back of the knees issue is new.
Finally, Bandon , Oregon and only a few more miles to Bullard State Park
They have five dollar hiker/biker sites and soon my tent is up and I am blowing up my air mattress.
This is the first campground with mosquitoes!
(In my notebook I am musing about how I seem to have enough blood to either operate my legs or my brain but not both at the same time. I seem to experience, "Runners Dumb", I can't think straight when exhausted!)
I enjoy a wonderful, long, hot shower. Back in camp I discover the “hook up” at a trailer site near me has a 110 volt outlet! No one is camping there so I plug in and re-charge my cell phone and Zune!
I have decided to take a day off. Right after dinner I crawl into bed. It is only 7:30 PM but I don't care. It has been a tough day against the wind. With my Zune I finally find a Jefferson Public Radio station with NPR. For a while I was afraid there was going to be no choice but country, religion or Limbaugh!
May 14th. Rest Day.
In the morning I remove the panniers and put them in my tent, zip it shut, and enjoy a light and zippy ride back to Bandon , Oregon
Over the bridge and into the touristy section of old Bandon. I find an art supply store. He doesn’t have any Micron pens but he does have Prismacolor pens. I buy one. He also has 4Gig SD cards and I buy one for my camera. That is the end of my cash! I am flat broke! I plan to get more money when I buy groceries. I had an ATM machine eat my credit card one time while on vacation. It was a very involved process getting it back. I avoid ATM machines as much as possible and go for extra cash when buying groceries. I hope I can do that in this town!
Heading back to the State Park I spot a Ray’s Grocery. It is a big modern market. I buy more than I need because I am concerned about whether I will have enough food to last a couple of days if the rain causes me to hole up for several days. I also get “cash back”.
$36.00 on food and AAA batteries plus $50.00 in cash. I’m happy again.
At my tent I decide to ride out to the nearby lighthouse to do a drawing of it. The ride is further to the lighthouse than I expected, about four miles, but it is a nice ride just inland from the beach sand dunes.
The lighthouse is a small one.
Looking north along the beach.
The lighthouse hosts are a husband/wife team.
The husband mans the gift shop while, up the tight winding staircase, his wife is in the lantern room waiting to explain the history.
The Fresnel lamp is gone. She tells me the lamp went missing years ago and no one knows where it went. Too bad.
Outside I find some rocks to sit on with a nice view of the lighthouse and spend a pleasant hour or so sketching on post card size watercolor paper. I’m going to send this one to Ed and Suzanne. I plan to sketch more lighthouses as I travel along the Oregon coast.
The overcast increases and a light drizzle begins so I ride back to my campsite. Inside my tent I bring my notebook up to date and listen to “This American Life” followed by “Prairie Home Companion”. (Thank you Jefferson Public Radio.) 54 degrees at 5:35 PM. A lazy evening confined to my tent munching mild cheddar, dried salami, crackers and reading my book.
May 15th. Day 15.
9:00 AM. Packed and rolling.
A rather nice, sunny, morning ride. Soon my Adventure Cycling Association map routes me off of HWY 101 onto a secondary road called, “Seven Devils Road ”. It is a pleasant ride past a lot of retirement homes in the quiet country side set back a ways from the ocean. All going well until I suddenly arrive at the end of the blacktop!!
I find it hard to believe ACA has routed me onto gravel.
Checking my GPS and ACA map I discover I should have turned off onto “Beaver Hill” road. Hmmm. Beaver Hill road is about three miles back. I see on the map that Seven Devils Road continues and eventually reconnects to HWY 101. I decide to press on even though it is gravel.
The road turns into a series of ups and downs and then I encounter some very steep up and down through a heavily logged area. Oh boy! Did I ever screw up. The hills have become so steep I can only walk! The day has become sunny and warm and I am working up a sweat and drinking all my water. I start worrying about whether I will have enough water and finally come across a small stream. I am able to filter and refill my bottles. I begin to wonder if I am going to be able to get out of here before nightfall. This terrain is so hilly it would be hard to find a level place to camp.
He is out testing his electronic dowsing rod, looking for gold! The device seems like “snake oil” to me but he is quite excited about it. A friend of his makes and he sells them. He tells me I only have about a quarter of a mile of gravel road left before I get to the blacktop.
He continues on his way and I resume my struggle. By golly, he is right, I am back on smooth, wonderful, black top gently rising and falling with a final coast down a long hill towards Charleston , Oregon
Along the way I meet a mom and daughter team riding south on recumbents. Holy Moly, they packing a load! I can’t imagine how they are going to cross some of the narrow bridges I have crossed without tying up traffic. I tell them to be sure and take the Beaver Hill turn-off.
“Do not stay on Seven Devils road!”.
At the kiosk I locate where the hiker/biker section is and ride over to have a look and choose my campsite. I think I am going to need to see the ranger to break a twenty but discover I have a five in my billfold. Being whipped I decided to lie down on the picnic table for a little rest before checking in. After a nice little nap I walked over to the kiosk to pay my fee and discovered I don’t have the five dollar bill with me. Darn! I recall I left it on the picnic table! I walk back to my campsite and discover it isn’t there! I look all around under the picnic table and then search my whole campsite. There is no wind to blow it away, there are no people around to take it, there is just a Raven sitting in a tree watching me!
Unbelievable! There is now a five dollar bill in a Raven’s nest somewhere inSunset State Park , Oregon
Back to the Ranger to change my twenty after all!
I get the tent up just as the sprinkles start and then it commences to rain! Nothing for it but sit in my tent enjoying snackage; apricots, salami, cheese, crackers and some Merlot wine!
Overall it was a short day but still a lot of work due to my screw-up. Seven Devils was harder than Leggett! Pushing my loaded bike up that gravel road reduced me to, 25 steps, stop and catch my breath, 25 more steps. Over and over. The down hills required gripping the brakes very carefully through the loose gravel trying to keep from sliding out and falling down. Wow! I now know why it is named, “Seven Devils Road ”!
I got to meet all seven!!
May 16th. Day 16.
Mixed sun and overcast this morning with a temperature of 44 degrees. The radio says 40 percent chance of showers this afternoon in the Coos Bay
I decide to call this a rest day. I’m not excited about riding in rain.
Hello Skunk Cabbage, my ol' friend. I've ridden to Oregon to meet you again...
But, since it isn’t raining, yet, I decide to ride out to the coast to see the lighthouse.
It is quite a long, uphill, ride to the overlook and, guess what? No lighthouse! But a great view up and down the coast and some guys fishing off the rocks.
Early afternoon I ride into Charleston to buy "comfort food"; Dinty Moore Beef Stew, a box of Double Stuff Oreo Cookies and a bag of English Muffins. I also purchase a two pack of Lithium AA batteries for my camera which has been giving me a "low battery" symbol or even refusing to turn on this past week. I'm afraid it is on its last legs but, remarkably, the Lithium batteries snap it out of its lethargy!
It starts sprinkling while in the store so I get out my rain gear, put it on, but the rain stops by the time I get to camp. Along the way I finally spot the lighthouse. It is located out on a rock and is no longer accessible for tourists. Because of the drizzle I decide to skip doing a drawing of it.
Back in camp it starts sprinkling again and I hole up. But then I notice the camp host and his wife are out mowing the lawn and trimming brush. It dawns on me, I am nearing the Pacific North Wet where people even golf in the rain! No more California dreaming ! Stop sniveling!!
3:30 PM. The sun is out full strength and I have everything spread out to dry.
I walk to the far end of the campground where the yurts and the nicer showers are located. As usual, they are located far from the hiker biker section.
Oops, I’m sniveling again!
May 17th. Day 17.
Okay, make that two days of sloth. Time to move on. Some sunshine sure would be nice. No NPR via JPR this morning. Just god and cowboys and “easy listening” music on the FM.
9:00 AM. Packed and outta here.
Hmmm. If the weather doesn't improve I may have to go there!
Hmmm. If the weather doesn't improve I may have to go there!
Coos Bay and then North Bend sort of blend together into one long ride.
10:27 AM. I lived in North Bend once upon a time, North Bend , Nebraska, that is
I stop in a nice little store for hot tea and egg sandwich.
I stop at Moe’s bike shop to top off my tires. My tires gradually lose their 80 psi over the course of several days. Moe’s is a big, cluttered, famous, bike shop. They hand me an air hose that is hooked to their compressor. I have to be real careful to not over fill. They probably sell a lot of tubes and tires because of that compressor. Most bike shops let you use a hand operated "floor pump".
Since I survive topping off my tires successfully they give me a sticker for my bike!
Right after Moe’s, and I mean, right after Moe’s, there is a big girder bridge with no bike lane. I have to gut it out staying as close to the railing as I can. One asshole honked. Everyone else was courteous. The two ladies I met yesterday, on recumbents, told me they really held up traffic when crossing this bridge! I believe it!!
3:00 PM 31.92 miles. Umpqua State Park
Drips from the trees and drizzle all night. Mosquitoes. A fog horn blows every ten seconds.
Insert F word here.
May 18th. Day 18.
Up and on the road by 8:30, my earliest start yet.
After a nice, six mile warm up ride, I enter Reedsport , Oregon
I spot this awesome skateboard park. For such a small town, population 4,378, it is really quite something. Fort Bragg
Further in town I see a “whole food store”! Ride over, park, and Oh boy!, finally a chance to buy oatmeal, brown sugar, raisins and cashews in bulk. I make my selections and, as I am checking out, I tell the owner what a wonderful the skate park they have. He says he wishes they would tear it out, “It is nothing but a hangout for druggies”.
!!!
At the town library I notice a city worker getting out of his truck. I walk over and ask about the skate park. He tells me it is, “It is great for the kids and a wonderful place for family gatherings on weekends”.
Hmmm. I guess it is all in who you talk to!
The Reedsport library is one of those marvelous old brick buildings with wide steps up to the front doors but, even with the help of the librarian, I can’t upload my photos.
I notice they have a rack for swapping paperback novels so I "upgrade" mine. No charge!!
Next town, Gardner, after crossing the Umpqua River
Interesting old town.
3:00 PM. 26 miles. Honeyman State Park
5:45 PM. Seven other cyclists have rolled in and are staying the night! A guy from Georgia and a photographer from Texas, they happened to meet on the road and decided to travel together. There is a girl from Eugene , Oregon and an older couple from Germany . Also another couple who are riding a tandem fromOttawa , Canada
May 19th. Day 19
A sunny clear morning but the sun hasn’t reached my campsite.
I move my tent and sleeping bag into the sun and visit with the cycle tourists in the next camp over. When I return, one Bluejay, two crows, one squirrel and a chipmunk scatter! Now what?
The little farts have been feasting on my $7.80 per pound bag of trail mix I bought in Reedsport!! Damn!!
They have knocked it off my picnic table and torn it open! They have been gobbling as fast as they can!! I try to salvage what is left while they squawk at me; the birds in the trees, the chipmunk and squirrel from the ferns, just looking for another chance!! Aggressive little buggers! Jeez!
I get myself organized, everything packed in the panniers and, by 11:00 AM, I am off.
A beautiful day. The highway cuts through sand dunes several miles east of the Pacific!
And then back out to the coast. Hetica Head lighthouse but when I get to the turn-off it is to too much work to get to it for a sketch. Lazy me.
Up and down. Up and down! Taking a break. The north wind has really picked up.
2:00 AM 13.85 miles. Sort of reminds me of HWY 1 down by Jenner. Steep up and up. No shoulder.
A group of Adventure Cyclists are doing a weekend loop out of Portland, thirteen of them. One of them informs me I am climbing Cape Perpetua , the highest hill on the Oregon Coast
I stop for snackage of avocado and crackers at a pull out were I can get out of the headwind. I have been pushing the bike uphill for the last twenty minutes! I’m told there is a tunnel on the downhill side.
Finally, over the top and a nice downhill zoom and then, there is the tunnel. It is quite narrow with no bike lane. I see some bicyclists coming uphill in the tunnel. I don’t want anyone trying to pass me with them coming so I take up all of my lane. We whoop and holler in the echo-y tunnel as we pass by each other. No place to stop and talk.
Out of the tunnel and into the sunshine and headwind and, finally, Yachats (population 617), where my map indicates a state park. I stop in the store for some supplies and a celebratory bottle of wine for surviving the hill climbing and headwind. The checker says there is a park down by the ocean. I ride over to check it out and yes, it is a park but just a park. No camping! Day use only! Bummer!
Nothing for it but to ride back up to HWY 101 and onward. It looks like five more miles to a Federal Park At least the wind has died off
I arrive at the Federal Park
Okay. One more mile to Beachside State Park
6:30 PM. Beachside State Park. Whoa Momma! A total of 36 miles today against the wind! I’m tuckered.
How about this! The shower and restroom just a hop, skip, and a jump away!
Another bike traveler arrives, Dan.
He is a young, energetic guy. He asks if we can double up on my five dollar hiker/biker site. Why not, he has interesting stories to tell. Then a homeless guy walks up wearing a backpack, smoking a cigarette. Already he is complaining about this and that so I encourage him to move on to a different campsite. I'm not interested in listening to sob stories.
There are a lot of crows hanging around and bird shit on the picnic table. I tell Dan about my previous experiences with wildlife; "Be sure you keep your food out of sight"!
Dan is riding a Surley Long Haul Trucker, green, and has Ortlib Panniers and a Brooks B-17 saddle. He says he really likes his Brooks saddle.
After dinner (I'm currently on a Chef Boyarde Spaghetti and Meatball kick, fast and simple) I go for a walk to see if I can find the ocean. The campsite is with-in hearing distance but a dense wall of brush and trees block the view.
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