Riding the Coast

MONDAY, AUGUST 3

Oh, was it hard to leave little Paeton -what a little sweetheart!

We drove to Cannon Beach, parked the van and took off north on the bike. This was one of the first things we did: Riding through Seaside was surprising: a lot of building and an outlet mall. An outlet mall at Seaside, OR! Who would've ever guessed that would happen. The last time we rode through here (2001), it was still a sleepy little town.

We didn't start riding until about 1:30, so we rode only 43 miles - up to Warrenton and back.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4

I guess I was more out of shape than I thought - I slept 10 hours last night, and that was after only 43 miles. Sheesh.

Today we rode south, through the Arch Cape tunnel and up Neahkahnie Mountain, down past Manzanita to Garibaldi.

This wayside at Neahkahnie Mountain was where we were first inspired to ride tandem when we met a couple here that was riding the coast on a tandem as their honeymoon trip.

Yummm.....Oregon blackberries!

At Rockaway, we talked with an older gentleman cyclist from Wisconsin who had ridden the coast with a friend 15 years ago. He said he called the friend and told him that the hills have gotten steeper since then. He blamed it on global warming.

After dinner, we enjoyed a walk down the beach to Haystack Rock. Today was a 60 mile ride with two big climbs.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5
We drove to Lincoln City, got a campsite at the state park, then rode north for a short while. We climbed up the first pass, decided to turn around, then took the Old Scenic Hwy 101 at the bottom. This was a nice quiet ride with a gradual climb. About three miles up, we got our second flat - front tire this time. Because we started later, we rode only 25 miles.

After dinner, another walk on the beach was in order. I don't know if I would ever tire of it.

Love the Illumi-nite on the bike jacket!

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5

We left earlier today, even though the skies looked heavier than they've been all week. As it turned out, we only encountered a little rain when we reached Newport.

We especially enjoyed the Otter Crest Loop, which is a side road that drops off of Hwy 101. They've repaved it since we rode it last (which was sorely needed as it was badly broken up) and added a nice bike lane and made the whole loop one way only. It was also nice because it didn't climb as high as 101.

Looking down from Otter Crest Loop toward Devil's Punchbowl.

We stopped in Newport, had lunch, then turned back just as it was starting to spit a little rain. Today was a little better with 54 miles.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7

Today was "moving" day as we drove down to Florence where we found a campsite at Haceta Beach. All the state parks along the way were full again. After getting settled, we rode north up past Sea Lion Caves and stopped at the viewpoint between there and Haceta Head lighthouse. Down below us was a large group (or herd or flock or whatever sea lions are called) of sea lions lounging on the rocks or frolicking in the water. It was fun to watch them playing in small groups of two to four.

This was only about 10 miles from the campground, so when we rode back, we rode into Florence and made a loop around town down Rhododendron Drive which gave us 26 miles, another short day. But, hey, we're on vacation!

After a nice long, hot shower and dinner, we walked to the beach and once again enjoyed the waves breaking on shore, the ocean breezes and the saltwater smell.SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

Sunshine today! Perfect temps for riding with a little breeze. With it being a Saturday and the Oregon Dunes right here, we saw plenty of ATVs today.

At Reedsport, the 30 mile mark, we had lunch, then turned back. The two mile climb back out of town wasn't too bad, but I was glad that it was one of our last for the week. We've done plenty of climbing with all the passes we've gone up and over - twice each.

Today we had three "Close Encounters of the RV Kind". The first one I could've reached out and smacked the side if I hadn't been too busy trying to stay balanced for Gerry as he struggled to steady the bike between the RV and the curbing. I still think RV drivers should have to pass a driving test before they can take those things out on the road.

Back in Florence, we dropped down into the Old Town along the harbor, then stopped at DQ as Gerry was craving ice cream. Back at camp, we finished the ride at 61 miles, and celebrated with long hot showers.

After dinner, another walk on the beach finished another great day.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9

With our riding at an end, we drove to Newport and spent the day relaxing. We had a nice dinner out (our first) and our last walk on the beach.

Tomorrow, we head back to Portland to pick up Mom and drive home on Tuesday.

SOME OBSERVATIONS:

The coast has changed since the first and second times we rode: more people, more cars, bigger towns, worse roads, more litter. The amount of cars and people probably is due more to it being August rather than September (when we took our other trips). It wasn't as enjoyable to have so many cars whizzing by, and it was different to have all the state park campgrounds full every day, unlike our other trips when we would just cruise into any campground and have our choice of sites.

But...it's still a beautiful place to go and it's always wonderful to spend time together!