LONG DAY

Saturday,10/6 Florence-Bandon,OR
77 miles. 3700 ft elev. gain
This part of the Oregon coast has huge sand dunes everywhere. Giant Wild Rhodies and white yarrow all along the roadside.
More long bridges with no shoulders(we "take the lane")
First palm tree sightings
Seven Devils Road at the end of our day was devilishly hilly- an 11% grade- will I ever get used to these hills?
Spectacular rock formations again in Bandon.

Sea Lions

Friday 10/5
Newport - Florence ,OR. 53.5 miles
Google "whale explosion". That is the town we stayed in Friday night!
First sea lion sightings today- basking on the rocks, barking and smelling. Weather and wind still favoring us- we are so fortunate! Since I can't put captions on pictures and have no control of the order they appear on blog, I'll write the cap and you can guess what picture it is for:
* Janine (Canada)modeling new and safe helmet
**Janine and Sheila from Scotland
***Beautiful old art deco bridges

REST DAY...

...how we love them! Spent the day sleeping in, wandering Newport,OR, napping, doing laundry, finding a Starbucks for Katie and having a lovely dinner of local sole at nearby April's Restaurant. As in the Southern Tier ride all thoughts of being a tourist on off days have evaporated-resting and catching our breaths is what we do. Oh yes and the bike store- one picture is a tricked out beach cruiser, the other a custom made bamboo and hemp gem that could be yours for $7000.

Another Day of Superlatives

Pacific City-Newport, OR
52.9 miles 2700 ft elevation gain
Ok this has to have been one of the greatest biking days ever! Cold start but sunny and still blessed with a tail wind. Ten miles into the ride we go off busy 101 and do a 10 mile loop through of forest of giant evergreens (Douglas firs?) on a road closed for road construction but open for bikes. So no cars, a steady but not horrible 5 mile climb and then a gradual 5 mile descent- can it get any better? Well back on busy 101 for awhile, whale sightings in Depoe Bay and then a 4 mile designated bike path along the cliffs-Otter Crest Loop. And following that a short jaunt to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse where puffins and other seabirds linger on the rocks-- whoa what a day! And all that is left of my cold is a nagging night cough which probably drives my roommates mad. Forgot to mention large herd of wild elk we rode by yesterday on the outskirts of Tillamook. According to biking friend Mike who used to live here, they head for the hills when hunting season starts soon.

Beautiful Oregon Coast

Cannon Beach-Pacific City,OR
64.4 miles
Wow the weather here is dramatic and changes dramatically. Started out cold, damp, cloudy (but NO RAIN so NOT complaining)we go off and on rte 101 which has busy traffic but wide enough shoulders to feel mostly safe.Big logging trucks everywhere but they seem to be in better working condition ( brakes that work) than the ones we encountered in Mississippi and Florida on the ST. And logging trucks mean clear cut hills everywhere among the beautiful forests.
Had lunch at the Tillamook Cheese Factory along with dozens of tour busses and rental rv tourists- now those are even scarier than logging trucks!
Hydrangeas are the most purple purple I have ever seen- almost Aubergine.All the shrub and perennials here almost make you want to stop trying in the Midwest.

Back in the Saddle

Monday,October 1st
Long Beach,Wa-Cannon Beach,OR 48.4 miles
Assisted by DayQuil, NyQuil and general stubbornness, I did the whole course today...a perfect day,warmish, sunny and a tail wind- a bikers dream day. Began it on a 4 mile bike path along the ocean and through a waving prairie of dune grass. Then a quick hike with guide Patty and Rita to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. Crossed over the Columbia River( roll on!) on the 4 mile narrow , scary, high Astoria Bridge into Oregon. Another bike path through the village of Seaside going past the end of the Lewis&Clark Trail.
Many little drive through espresso shacks all over the northwest-finally stopped at one today. Ended the day with a late lunch of fresh panfried Wilapa Bay oysters in the scenic beach town of Cannon Beach, home of the"haystacks"- giant rock outcroppings just off the beach
Our first margarita night today to celebrate crossing from WA to Or!

Heading to the Sea

Sunday 9/30 (no Internet access)
Elma- Long Beach, WA
An 83.8 mile day but I did only 46
Cold still hanging on-bumped up to the 37 mile mark then slept in the van for 2 hours and then decided to do the rest. The start for the others was challenging-- at 40 degrees with cold damp heavy fog and long uphills. When I started at 11 the sun was out and we ended the day in bare legs. Finally made it to US 101- Pacific Coast Highway- yaaaahooo! Beautiful ride into Long Beach - on the ocean but it looked more cove , bay, slough like. Did not see the roaring Pacific until we reached our uber hip Adrift Hotel.
Delicious salmon, mashed potato and coleslaw dinner in the windy cold parking lot next to the ocean .
Had all of our regional warnings last night at map meeting...tsunamis(run away from the water) earth quakes and roque waves(good luck) and bears(only black bears, no brown , no problem.)So with all that in mind we forge on tomorrow.