West Coast of USA to Indio

Tillamook to Depoe Bay

 Yesterday was a good day not to ride! As I mentioned on my last report, the rain started Monday evening and thunderstorms rolled around for quite a while. By morning, the rain had eased off considerably and we managed to get a walk in down to the famous Tillamook Cheese factory. We had the tour there and sampled some cheese before heading back to the motel. Basil was happy, as he had been bugging me about visiting that place every time we went by on three previous occasions. Finally he is silent.

 I went downtown Tillamook for lunch, not much there really and by the time I started walking back, the rains started again and it poured for hours after that, so it was a quiet afternoon and evening in the motel and a good opportunity to rest up and let the body relax.

 

 This morning the skies were still overcast and I left the motel in a slight drizzle. Bob and Scott took off a little before me as they want to ride the slightly longer Three Capes route down the Netarts Highway. I’ve done that route three times before and never 101 proper in this area, so I elected to travel my own route. They couldn’t ride the first section of the Three Capes due to a road closure because of a landslide and unstable conditions – too bad as I had told them then that was a very scenic portion of the Three Capes route.

 My route was quite flat and the south winds of previous days held off for about 40km until I reached the coast again and even then they were very mild winds which allowed me to get some distance in today. I travelled through the small towns of Beaver (guess who was thrilled about that!), Hebo and Cloverdale, all farming and agricultural towns. Not much of note, other than the road was narrow in many places and logging trucks a plenty to deal with very little shoulder space until I rejoined the Oregon Coast Bike Route. The portion of 101 that I rode from Tillamook is not part of the official Oregon Coast Bike Route, so I assume that cyclists’ space was not required!

 

 After my flat riding for a long while this morning, I stopped in Neskowin for a snack, left there and had a monster of a hill to climb – about 3km straight up to over 750ft (231 metres) – no break in this hill, it was relentless, but what a ride down it was too!

 

 From here to Lincoln City it was easy riding and when I arrived in Lincoln City about lunchtime and stopped for a break, I contacted the other two to let them know that I was continuing on to Depoe Bay and hoped that they would do the same – they got back to me and were about an hour behind me.
From here on I got some great ocean views in certain places where the waves were crashing onto shore. The south wind was picking up some good speed by this time which I’m sure was driving the wave action even more than usual.

 

 But the time I got to Depoe Bay 90km later, it was blowing steady and a good time to get off the road. I got a motel room and the guys showed up an hour later and we relived our day over a well earned beer.

 

More tomorrow...

AdamK & Basil, "Beaver Service, indeed!"

 

Depoe Bay to Florence

 If someone told me that I would be riding for almost 8 hours to only travel 102km, I would not have set out this morning!
 About 3km out of Depoe Bay (where we had the slowest breakfast service to date at the only restaurant open), we turned off 101 onto the Otter Point Loop  which avoids the steeper climb of 101. The culmination of the loop is Cape Foulweather, standing there and watching the waves below is something special.

 

 Back on 101, the first 20km into and out of Newport were not too bad, the sun was coming out and the headwind was certainly bearable. Once again, temperatures are still mild on this part of the coast even though we are in late September. Then not too far out of Newport, we got caught in a viscous rain squall that almost soaked me before I had time to get my all my rain gear on! Not even a tree to hide under while I was frantically trying to get my waterproofs on! Anyway, I lived through that and the rain eventually died down while I rode further south for the next 10km. I noticed then that the wind was gathering strength but still bearable. The riding pace was decreasing gradually as the headwind increased, but that’s normal and anyone who cycles can appreciate that fact.
 By the time that we reached Waldport, the wind was getting up to full speed and we were only halfway to our destination by noon, but we really needed a break for a snack and to rest for a few minutes from fighting the wind.

 

 Well, that wind from the South was relentless today and heightened as we climbed numerous grades to one Cape and another; also heightened by the fact that we were riding next to the ocean and exposed to the winds straight from there without many natural or man-made wind blocks. The grades in themselves would not have posed a problem on a normal day, but with the headwind, I was almost stopped dead in my tracks many times today and I wondered to myself if I would be able to make it for the whole distance to Florence. It’s hard to imagine and explain just how tough the riding was today with the wind blowing a steady 30km/hr and gusting to about 50km/hr! One of the toughest 100km that I have ever ridden and I’ve ridden many!
 The only shining light during the whole day was that we were wild wave watching from some of the best places in North America to do so. Even then, the thrill was dulled by the constant battle for the whole afternoon.
 We met a couple of other tourers today who were struggling on par with us, a German fellow heading to San Diego and a younger chap from Seattle. Not much opportunity to chat with them as everyone was focused on making some headway in a challenging environment.

 

 We arrived in Florence totally spent and barely mustered the energy to go and forage for food, but fuel is required even though tomorrow promises a shorter distance and milder headwinds – let’s hope so, because another day like today does not bear thinking about.
 I can’t write anymore as I’ll just keep moaning about the damn headwind today and I’m really tired and need to close my eyes and body to today’s physical punishment.

Thanks to all for the positive comments that appear below my posts and in my email – great to hear that you are all “riding along!” and wishing me well. Tomorrow’s another day…

 

More tomorrow...

AdamK & Basil, "I pushed really hard today too!"

 

Florence to Coos Bay

 I was a bit groggy this morning after yesterday’s ordeal, but met up with the guys at the Safeway in Florence for a breakfast and supplies for the road ahead. Today promised to be a better day with lighter winds and no rain in the forecast, plus we planned for a shorter distance day to let the bodies readjust.
 And we got what was promised from the weatherman – headwinds? Yes, but much milder than yesterday’s as we rode in sunshine most of the day with temperatures in the 70’s. There were a few big climbs and although the legs were tired from yesterday, we all soldiered on and managed well. A second breakfast in Reedsport for some much craved for oatmeal and coffee was the order of the day when we reached there.

 

 Although we were riding in the Oregon Dunes section of the Oregon Coast, there were not very many photo ops of the actual sand dunes and riding was on 101 slightly east of the ocean, so not many ocean views either today. In fact, most of the areas that we rode through reminded me of BC as there were many treed sections and Lake views.

 

 We did get a high up view of the ocean above historic Umpqua Lighthouse, albeit from a great distance after a long climb.
 Our lunch stop was in a nice park with lakeside picnic table where we met a lady cyclist travelling with an electric car. She and her husband are travelling down the coast to the Mexican Border – one cycles one day and the other drives, then they switch for the next day. Kind of like having your own support vehicle and gear transporter with lots of rest days too! Interesting! We had a pleasant visit with her and she shared some fruit with us.

 

 As we neared the North Bend/Coos Bay area, the ominous bridges appeared that lead into the cities. The first bridge is especially tough as it is an uphill slog to the peak in very heavy traffic and no marked bike lane. It has been reported as a very dangerous bridge for cycling by numerous cyclists. I can attest to that, as I rode it many years ago and it was an experience that I really did not want to repeat. The second bridge section is not as bad or high, but still lots of fast and impatient drivers to deal with. We stopped and the guys eyeballed the first bridge with a little trepidation, so I mentioned that I had read of an alternate route around the bay and culminating at the south end of Coos Bay. As we were staying in Coos Bay proper, it would mean a detour of about 10km. We elected to do that though and stay safe on some quiet country roads around the bay. Admittedly, there were some hills, but they were easy to tackle on the quiet route of East Bay Road. A wise choice even though it extended our ride to 92km today. Even though we only rode 10km less than yesterday, we were on the road and hour and a half less than yesterday and not exhausted when we reached our stop for the day. Coos Bay is not a great place to stay as it is an industrial and logging area, but motels are there so we’ll have to save sightseeing for during the day.

 

 I would recommend this alternate bridge by-pass route to anyone cycling the Oregon Coast as a safe alternative to playing “chicken” with the heavy bridge traffic.
 On the road today we played leap frog with four other touring cyclists heading south – all have different destinations and speeds, as do we, but we kept meeting up with these solo cyclists at various times throughout today and had even seen them on previous days.

 

More tomorrow...

AdamK & Basil, "I even managed a nap today – don’t tell you know who though!"