Homeward bound

Our last day. We leave North Bend, commenting that after blowing by on the way south we stayed there after all. We consider which road to take home and consult with our new expert, Lisa, who took highway 38, to Reedsport, down to meet us, and highway 42, through Bandon home. She recommended highway 38 that follows the Umpqua River so we took it and had no regrets. The sun was warm and the river magnificent. To finish in style, we stopped by the winery of friends Mark and Shaghayegh who were having a seasonal winery event on the very day we were driving through. We visited with friends there and relaxed in the sun, toasting to a job well done.


It has been a wonderful trip. I would like to extend thanks to a whole lot of people for helping make it that way:

Amanda, for letting me take her bike. I had plenty others to choose from, but I got so used to that TREK 520 when it lived here for so long ... it was a great ride.

Bad Monkey's bike and skate shop in Vancouver, for tuning that bike up superbly, and with a fantastic turn around time as well.

Cheryl, who delivered Bonnie to my door for a smooth start to our trip.

Ellen, for driving us to Dismal Nitch, our starting point and then taking on the Astoria bridge with us and then traversing the Astoria bridge AGAIN before heading back home. YOU ROCK!

Lisa, for joining us for a tour of Bandon. She was tour guide deluxe, and her quick laughter was great medicine for sore muscles.

Nancy and Lisa, for watching Lily and tending to her every need. Bonnie seemed to enjoy the news of Lily antics everyday.

Steve, Jeff, and Patrick, for lovingly watching Kizzy for me, and Julie, Lucy and Annie for taking Kiz to the dog park for a wonderful day of play.

Bonnie, for planning and going on this SUPER trip with me. As I realized how easy it was to travel with you I started to worry ... if I thought you were that easy to travel with, then maybe it's because you were inconvenienced! ROTFL!! (I sincerely hope not.)

And ... to ALL OF YOU, for reading this and cheering us on!

On our way home - post ride Day 1

We slept in, read and were out before our 11 departure time. The Whales Head area was still awash in the white of fog, so we set our sights north and sun followed. We ducked into Gold Beach for a short drive around and found it a little more interesting than before.


Cape Blanco sounded nice, and if it wasn't we could escape to the car. :) We now know why it is called Cape Blanco. I doubt the sun EVER shines there. It was foggy-white beyond belief and the wind had to be 50 MPH. I got out to look but could hardly shut the door for all the wind blowing it open. We stayed 5 minutes and rejoiced that we have warmth and an engine to get outta there. It had an eerie quality, like you could film a horror movie ... a smothering feeling and a constant whistle of the wind. I climbed down the steep hillside to find it totally protected . Bonnie wondered where I'd gone thinking perhaps I was blown off the edge.

We passed Langlois, the best little town-of-nobody around. It had a library and post office, a couple artist places and a small market where I was able to score some Rock Star Juiced, like I enjoy once in a while ... which is about how often you can find it.

As we continued up the coast, we couldn't help but stop into Bandon again, and we found more fantastic places to hang out! We walked the beach, shopped a little more as well and scored a plate of fish and chips before they closed for the night at 5pm. I guess a lot of people have home cooked meals in that town.

We kept on cruising up to Coos Bay and then North Bend looking for a place to stay the night. We will be in range to have a leasurely drive back home tomorrow.

Crescent City Finish - Day 7

Our original plans included getting a car in Brookings, but it was so small they had no rental car company. Alternately, we planned to rent a car out of Crescent City California, seeing the irony of renting from HERTZ only after the better part of a weeks worth of aches and pains, LOL. We blew by our intended lodging for the night fairly early, 17 miles north of Brookings, at a place called The Whaleshead Resort. We would come back to that place with a car after we were done with our ride through Brookings, then to the California Border and then 19 plus more miles to Crescent City and the Hertz rental facility. We were in California a day early. So far, being early had presented no problems whatsoever, but things were about to change. So sure it would be okay, I didn't even check to see if we could get a car early until we arrived in Crescent City. Nope. They had no cars until 9 am the next day! Wow, what a blow that was! here we were, after 67 miles of riding, at least 45 miles from our reservations for the night, and 70+ miles from the next possible town with a rental car. We needed to sit down and think and get warmed up as well. Bonnie thought coffee would do her some good so we rode through town until we found a Starbucks and went inside.

It didn't take long for the dozen and a half patrons of the establishment to hear of our plight and offer up solutions, all of which we'd already thought of. We got a phone book though and thumbed through what looked more like the a Bi Mart Christmas ad than a Yellow Pages ... excuse me ... it was BOTH white and yellow pages, LOL. Suddenly small towns seemed oppressive.

Things looked up a bit when we found 2 listings under Automobile - Rental, in their book. The other was a company we'd heard about when checking out Brookings rentals. It was a company that provided local rentals only, and for a song, we could rent a newer model vehicle back up to our place at The Whales Head and return it at the Hurts ... oh, I mean HERTZ ;) place the next day when our car was ready. We wanted to drive around the south coast area anyhow, so we could spend the rest of the day checking things out down there and be ready to head farther up the coast with our HERTZ car. Eileen at 2 Guys Auto Rental said they were only about a block from Starbucks ... we could cruise up when we were done with our hot beverages and they would get us on our way. Like, WHICH Starbucks, I thought? Figures, it's the ONLY Starbucks, and it's new as well. This guy with a well worn pair of Dickies and a cap that has a monster truck on it, like he's cheering on the monster truck team, approaches me from across the condiments counter with his cup tipped so I could look inside and asks, "Miss, is this cappachino stuff SUPPOSED to be all frothy like on the top?" He supposed all people who spend a week riding a bike just for fun down the whole Oregon coast, were no doubt from a big city and would know the answer. What he didn't realize was that I don't drink ANY coffee, and he shouldn't have expected it, given that I was standing in a coffee shop warming my hands around a hot cup of brew -- herbal tea as it turns out. Nonetheless, I authoritatively nodded yes, knowing Starbucks put frothy stuff in lots of their drinks, and sure he knew not what he ordered. He nodded affirmatively back to me, not even questioning the truth of it while scruntching up his nose "I won't order this again". I guess Starbucks should have sent a handful of Seattle 16 year olds to Crescent City, to do a tutorial on how to order coffee properly! ROTFL!

We got our car and set our sights north. Back up to Brookings with a walk at Harris Beach State Park, a place Jamie and Beth recommented. It was beautiful ... even in a foggy haze. Then, to the Whales Head for a finish line supper and a nice warm hot tub to relax in!

Gold Beach to California border and beyond - Day 7

Leaving Gold Beach was easy. Throughout our trip we have been noting spots we'll want to explore a little more with a car as we head home, and Gold Beach didn't really make the list. We started out in a fog so heavy we got wet from riding through it. I figured it would burn off in no time but it didn't. I started with lots of clothes and lighted vest, then removed extra layers and just had the lights, because it wasn't that cold, just misty - my glasses and skin then got dew covered and I was verging on uncomfortable until I got hold of myself and did a reality check ... we had just ridden nearly 400 miles down the coast of Oregon in September without a drop of rain!!! Even this fog, was a minor inconvenience; it just collected on us as we moved so fast through it, LOL. We each found a tolerable combination of clothes and kept moving, up several climbs and then down. I found it most comfortable without glasses or jacket as I warmed on those up hill challenges ... at the top of the first big one the pavement was graffitied "nice warm up" and we figured it was prepping us for what was ahead. Yikes!

Over the course of the last week, have made a few observations about riding a highway that you don't see ... or see differently, driving a car. Some we liked, others we didn't, here are a few:

..... I scratched my head, perplexed when I saw signs reporting "BICYCLES ENTERING ROADWAY". Mostly, we were ALWAYS on the roadway. Still every hundred miles or so ... maybe in a narrow place ... maybe not, they remind the drivers we are out there. Hmmm. I guess its like when we were in a construction zone in Northern California today, with those flagger people with orange vests, walkie-talkies and a duel stop/slow sign in hand. This particular flagger lady had us wait until last to proceed through an area of one-way traffic. As the last of the north-bound cars cleared, she got a message from her south-end buddy "white toyota pick-up" and then released our fellow south-bound travelers with engines. As she held up the stop sign for the next transition and let the two of us have our turn at the tail end, we heard her call into her walkie-talkie "18wheeler, unloaded, Dickens Company logo on door".

"WHAT ABOUT US," we screamed as we rode fast to try to catch that 18 wheeler! Sometimes you just don't count when you're on a bike.

Here's another ...

...... "ROUGH ROADWAY". You just don't get a good sense of "rough" from your car, or even walking, like you do from a bike. Even when it's not posted, it's often rough. There are miles of new roadway down hwy 101, owing mostly to unstable coastal soil. Cracks in the existing pavement are painted, no doubt under the scrutiny of the highway department's watchful eye. Anyway, old and new layers of pavement meet irregularly ... yes ... in the bike lane. Exactly where you feel it most.

...... "Passing lane 1/2 mile ahead" Not a good sign. On pedal-power, that means you're coming to a hill, probably a very, looooooong one.

..... On the other hand, "RIGHT LANE ENDS" is a very, VERY, good sign. From my bike, it is a sign of hope. We are approaching a DOWNHILL! Yeah! :)

..... Strangely enough, I learned to appreciate those big trucks for there ability to draft me just a little. Every bit helps when you've been on a hill for an eternity and your quads feel the burn.

Well, we made it to California, cold and cloudy, but our trip wasn't over yet ...

Ahead of schedule - Bandon to Gold Beach - day 6

Our visit in Bandon kept us off the road until 1pm, when we bid farewell to Lisa after a good breakfast and quite a few laughs, and headed to our new destination - Port Orford. I knew we weren't going to stop in Port Orford when Bonnie didn't even slow down to take a picture of the "welcome to Port Orford" sign. The ride there was unremarkable. Though the weather was pleasant, there were no astounding vistas to mark our trip and I never stopped to take a single picture, ohmygosh!
Instead we were headed to Gold Beach, and I was grateful. It sounded like a quaint place and Port Orford looked to be just another blip on the map. We stopped at a local grocery and grabbed a quick snack, talked over plans for the night in Gold Beach, guessing we would arrive about 5-6 pm. Off we went for the last leg of the night, expecting more scenery as we had seen since Bandon. Alas, we were MOST pleasantly surprised!
The road out of Port Orford opened up to a spectacular view of blue-green water with sandy beaches and interesting rocks standing irregularly against the magnificently sculpted coastline. It was a totally jaw-dropping moment. We stopped at Battle Park at the south end of Port Orford and captured it there in the late afternoon sun, on camera. This remarkable view continued down all 35 miles of coastline that we traveled to Gold Beach, where the folks at the Azalea Lodge welcomed us a day early. Then dinner at Spinners and a quick look around town.

Like ... what town? Although the trip to Gold Beach was AMAZING, Gold Beach itself was blah. No cute waterfront or boats in port. No boardwalk or even street side baskets of flowers. We had higher hopes for Gold Beach for sure. Leaving in the early morning was going to be easy.

A day in Bandon - Day 5

"We have a ride to dinner!" Bonnie sang while doing a happy dance. Lisa met us on our way in town. We cleaned up quickly and went out to eat - IN A CAR! :) Hungry from a fun fruit and one cookie lunch, we were rewarded with a great dinner at the Crows Nest, a bar above the Wheelhouse restaurant in Old Town, Bandon. They serve a full menu up there and the view of the Bay is spectacular. Afterwards, we drove to the Bandon Marsh and walked out to the viewpoint, chatting with folks from Manitoba as we watched Canadian Geese fly in onto the water. Humans and fowl, travelers all.
The waterfront in Bandon is very nice. We walked that as well and took in the sunset with a multitude of pictures on every possible setting with all our cameras, then back to the Hotel La Kris, since these small towns close up early - seriously. The restaurants clost for the day somewhere between 5 and 6:30! Luckily, the Dairy Queen next door was still open so we got a little treat. Now this morning, after a bit of laundry we will have breakfast and check the town some more.

Rolling along - Day 5 - Florence to Bandon

It was another great day for a ride today. We left the cute, clean, little Motel called the Ocean Breeze before 9am, in search of a good breakfast spot. On our way we mingled with some biking chicks traveling from Seattle with a group of friends. I got to chat with Sherrie. for a while. She is traveling to Brookings, but some of the members of her group will continue on to LA. They're staying in campgrounds and have a friend sagging their gear.
We found our breakfast in Reedsport, happy that we had made good progress. We had a couple of options for today. We could stop in North Bend, or continue on through to Bandon. also a consideration was Lisa, a friend that was planning on joining us for the day. Unsure of how we would hook up, we sent her to Reedsport to catch 101. We passed by a few dune filled waysides and campgrounds that would have been worth checking out but we were less sightseers today, and more bikers. Quite early we were in North Bend. Have you been to N Bend? It's plain ... nothing caught our eye or screamed "stop here". Seems to me North Bend is a great place to be LEAVING ... so we did. On the bridge into town, we had to walk our bikes 2 miles as it was under construction. We traversed amid signs that mandated ear and eye protection. The view was part stunning( in the waterway and hills), and part trash heap. We couldn't get outta town fast enough. CoosBay was just right around the corner and it was much better, but we only had 25 more miles to Bandon. We texted Lisa our new location while standing in front of Les Schwab's, so we pottied there, drank water, and had a bit of popcorn as well, since we knew Les wouldn't mind. We met a lady there who told us she used to live 3 blocks from Steve Prefontane when she was a kid. She said he used to run past her house everyday. I was thinking he probably ran past EVERYBODY'S house EVERYDAY ... but there you have it. Essential Coos Bay history to be learned right there at Les Schwab's!
We kept on moving. There were more flats and downhills than before and we had high hopes of a ride to Dinner.

"Cape" Really Means UP! And ... STUDLY BIKER CHICKS to the rescue! - Day 4 - Newport to Florence

With another good ride behind us, we are playing in the cute town of Florence. In a lot ways, it resembles Newport, with bridge on the way out of town and all those shops down below the bridge on the north side, but Florence is more decorative with better restaurants. It is not the fishing community Newport is, so its not stinky or dirty like that.

We started out today with breakfast-a-La Quinta, strong and fast and stayed that way until Haceta head at least 40 miles up the road. We dipped into every wayside viewpoint for pictures or just to have a look. That's how we came upon Justin and his breakfast-cooking female, from Estacada, this morning at a beautiful viewpoint. What a splendid place for breakfast! He took our picture there and we were on our way after Bonnie checked either the breakfast or the girl; I wasn't sure which. ;)

We've met a couple groups of people going on the same kind of trip, with various start and end points, and they resurface from time to time along the route. When they pass us long after we're settled somewhere I must say we get a little smug about it ... But they are past us now, so we'll return the favor and come up from behind while they are playing or eating I suppose.

We went through the ever-so-cute towns of Waldport and Yahats too early for lunch so we kept on traveling. Hitting a beach for a while sounded good, but we didn't really want sand on our bikes so we passed on several options, settling for the view. We ducked into several viewpoints including Seal Rocks State Park and Haceta Head, going up it seemed, much more than down. We took in the sights at Haceta Cape and Cape Perpetua - really nice. It was almost noon FOREVER and I was ready to stop. Bonnie was ahead and I felt like a kid in the back of the station wagon when I felt like calling out "are we there yet". Luckily for me, Bonnie was ready to stop as well. We eyed the down-sloping entrance to Haceta Beach suspiciously, knowing we would pay for our departure on the way back up. Bonnie inquired to some motorcycle guys at the entrance, who as it turns out, were pondering a trip down there as carefully as if they were pedaling, I thought. I mean they had a gas tank after all. As they turn to go downhill, one of those guys tipped over his great big Harley entrapping his left leg at an odd angle. His buddy was on uneven ground as well and was unable to assist as he had his own bike to steady. But ... NEVER FEAR! STUDLY BIKER CHICKS ARE HERE! Bonnie first, then me, lifted it, much to his embarrassment, LOL! They were yet another group from Canada, and took our pictures a little later for their own memoirs and we chatted a bit, aye.

Resting and enjoying the sun there, we walked up to the Haceta Head Lighthouse, refueled with fruit snacks (which we now call LIFESAVERS because they're such a great re-energizer), and headed out and straight up, but the rest was well worth it.

Soon we were at the sights hinted of Florence and we rode through, looking for a bike shop for a few small repairs. We passed rode into Bicycles 101; a joint bicycle/guitar shop. I bought a jersey next to a woman purchasing drumsticks, while another searched through sheet music and helmets nestled next to one another. Bicycles and guitars were found alternatingly throughout the store. Oddly, it seemed to work as there were plenty of shoppers for an early Monday afternoon, I thought.

Our place in Florence was just passed the bridge again, as it was Newport, and we were ready to settle in and walk to town for dinner.

Dahlia-ing Along - more of day 3

Our trip into Otis was spectacular enough to think it could get no better, but as luck would have it, the ENTIRE day was unparalleled! Special nods go to the Otter Crest Loop; fantastic views, almost no traffic and the most perfect weather anyone could hope for in any month on the Oregon coast. We stopped everywhere. I patronized a roadside stand in the middle of nowhere and bought dahlias and daisies putting them in my trunk bag and decorating my bike handsomely in summer Sunday style. We cruised in at Salishan taking in the outdoor patio and fireplace there. In Depot Bay, my secret whale watching place came through with instantaneous results ... As usual. Gray whales so close you could nearly hear them breathe. :) Yaquina Head was birdwatching and harbor seal territory, and Nye beach served us up a tasty lunch at Quimby's. They locked me in however, so do use the restroom cautiously if you're there nearing 3pm when they close until dinner at 5. A girl could be confined to the place for 2 hours if shes not careful!!
Off to our place in Newport for a comfortable stay in the La Quinta there ... Always happy to support businesses that LOVE OUR DOGGIES, even when they aren't there. We still had lots of time to hang out in Newport, walking the bridge ... To the north bay front and walking that as well catching a bite to eat ... The only chips and salsa we could find, and then to Saffron Salmon for dessert. Ride, eat, ride, eat, ride, eat, walk. That's just about how its been going! Hoping for just as good a day tomorrow!

ps ...

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Otis Heaven - Day 3 - Neskowin to Newport

After falling asleep VERY early the night before, I woke up at 5:15. Not wanting to awaken Bonnie, I preped myself for coastal drizzle and headed out the door. With nowhere to go - everything was closed. I sat myself down with my palm and answered emails for an hour and a half on the bench outside the Neskowin store until it opened. They have the best hot chocolate this side of Australia, no kidding!
Bonnie was soon up and we were out by 830 expecting cold, foggy, drizzle like I got used to yesterday and the weather report predicted for today, but it cleared up just 15 min. into our ride. Who knew?
Happy Birthday to me!! Woo hoo!
We took the old scenic hwy 101 all the way to Otis, which was about the best ride you could ever hope to experience; up hill for a loooong way - about 5 miles, but a much gentler slope than yesterday and then an equally breathtaking downhill that I rode like Meg Ryan in the movie City of Angels, for the other 5 down to Otis. The cafe there is known in cycling circles as a great place to stop. There was a wait, but it was worth it. One half order of German potatoes, 2eggs, fresh veggies, a load of "white" cheese, and a piece of fresh baked bread with blackberry jam on a platter-sized plate. Yum yum. Quite a departure from yesterday, which I didn't tell you about yet, because I was too tired.

Lost on the 3 Capes - Day 2 - Garibaldi to Neskowin

Well, we left Garibaldi for Tillamook and then planned to ride seperately for an hour or two - I was to take the 3 capes scenic route, while Bonnie decided on the more direct route with a little less hills. We were to meet in Sand Lake but when I didn't arrive there after 3 1/2 hours, Bonnie left word at the cafe there that she would meet me in Pacific City thinking I had missed the cut off. We finally made cell phone contact at 3pm ... 5 hours after we split in Tillamook and agreed she should continue to Neskowin and I'd meet her there. I arrived at about 5:30 tired and cold from a day of scenic vistas of nothing but fog. There were a couple ass-kicking hills that had me searching for more low gears, but mostly I went slow and steady. I showered and ate and went to bed at 730. Wow. It was a hard day ... AND IT'S ONLY DAY TWO!!!

Oregon Coast trip - Day 1- Washington to Garibaldi

We are done with our first day, pulling in to Garibaldi (Port Of Garibaldi picture at right) at about 4:30 in the warmth of the September sun.
It didn't start that way. Although the weather looked promising at home, the closer we got to the beach, the more cloudy it became. It figures. We reached our start at a rest area appropriately named Dismal Nitch, a mile from the Astoria bridge, at 9:30 am, with a heavy grey sky and a light mist to greet us. The only bright spot there was a lovely grounds keeper named Theresa. She took our pictures and sent us on our way with a story of the naming of Dismal Nitch. Unfortunately, I missed ithe talk because I had to go back to the car for my helmet, of all things. With my head warmer on, I didn't immediately notice I didn't have it on.

Ellen had decided to ride both ways across the ASTORIA BRIDGE! This is no small feat. It is a very busy bridge with logging trucks blowing by .... and she doesn't regularly ride a bike. In fact, she doesn't even have one ... she used one of mine for this adventure. Go Ellen! We parted company in Astoria and Ellen headed back to Dismal Nitch and the car alone.

We took our time as the morning wore on taking pictures as necessary and chatting with our fellow beach wanderers. We stopped at the cute little town of Manzanita for lunch on the bright patio of the seafood restaurant recommended by our new best friends at the pie shop after 2 pm, just as the weather was clearing. We got to ride the last of our cycling day in the luxury of shirt-sleeves without our flashing safety vests or coat.

The altitude map for this trip is not encouraging. We gain and loose altitude so rapidly and often it looks like v-tach, LOL. The day's biggest challenges were after lunch.
Now in Garibaldi, challenge over, it was a piece of cake. We ate a dinner of fish and chips with all the local fishermen who caught them. This is a working town. Their boats are their livelihood, not their luxury. If they don't fish they work at the lumber mill. Everywhere you hear the sound of people busy.

Getting on the road

I guess we are really going! Only 2 days away, and this trip is just now seeming real to me. Bonnie gets all the credit for starting the bike rolling, so to speak. It was her brain-child early last winter. She put out an email invite to the 10 folks who went to Moab last year to join in. Seems nothing could compare to Moab ... there were no takers ... well, except me.
So, we decided to do it!
We are set to depart from Portland at 7:30am. My SUPER friend ELLEN will take us to the otherwise unknown town of McGowan, Washington, which can only be known as the spot ... and I mean SPOT ... at the north side of the Astoria Bridge.
We are not yet sure how we will get across and have Ellen arrive back at the car, we are planning on taking her riding with us across that awesome and expansive bridge. I guess she might trek back across alone, if she's comfortable doing that; it takes a strong cyclist to siddle up next to the fast paced traffic there. Alone would be harder yet. Bonnie and I will be anxious to move on down the trail, but I wouldn't mind dropping Ellen and Bonnie at the Washinton side, driving to the Oregon side and riding the bridge myself to our starting point where they would be waiting. In fact I think that's what I will advocate.
Today I still have to get ready. I not only have things to pack, but I have a garden and yard that need more tending before I go. So much to do ...