Day 8

Posted by my dad:

A very cool (88 miles along the coast watching sea stacks) today.

It was really foggy when our intrepid riders Carry and Nick woke up. They stopped less than 2 miles from yesterdays campsite for breakfast at a little cafe. They split a huge plate of veggies and food.  The pile of veggies was too tempting after days of doughnut holes and coffee (but later in the day they wished we hadn’t eaten quite so much.)

Then they journeyed inland then back to the coast and continued zigzagging back and forth. It was the first day they saw surfers and fishermen standing in the surf casting into the waves. At the end of the day they crossed the Thomas Creek Bridge-345 feet high! It is the highest bridge on the Oregon coast and we thought it would be necessary to ride UP and then DOWN, but the bridge proved to be virtually flat. A glance over the side revealed a DEEP GORGE below.

Day 7

Posted by my Dad:

Day 7 took Nick and Carry from Honeyman State Park in Florence to Bandon. According to our intrepid riders it was a boring day through the woods and not along the coast. They crossed the Coos Bay Bridge which was very cool and really, really tall. In total, they biked just over 70 miles today.

Big Ride Update #1

Posted by Nick:

Greetings from Lincoln City, Oregon.

Our coastal ride has been brilliant so far. Leaving Renton in drizzle was no fun, and the familiarity with the area made for a dull morning on Saturday. Things livened up in Puyallup though when the sun came out and we spied a bull/steer/cow animal in a field with 4-foot horns on each side of its head. Dramatic wildlife. The rest of the ride to Chehalis was pretty dismal, with heavy rain showers and nobody but Carry and I equipped with fenders. Thanks for drumming that courtesey in guys. Thankfully, when we reached the campground, the ride director arranged for us to stay inside so no camping on the rainy Night One!

Day Two was brilliant riding, starting on rolling roads through farm land with a heavy mist. If you’ve ridden STP, this is the same route. Glorious, though pretty cold. I was cold all day, even when the sun came out. After crossing the Columbia we turned west to Astoria. More glorious riding with hills long enough to get warm on, but followed by descents long enough to get cold on! Did I mention I’d like to move to Astoria? After a second 100-mile day, Fort Stevens State Park was a welcome sight. Dinner is provided by a catering operation in Chehalis. They’re travelling with us down the coast.

The group we’re riding with is pretty diverse. Small cliques are starting to form based more on personality than riding ability. We’ve met some really nice people we enjoy riding with. We’ve only had one flat each.

Morning comes far too early on this ride. We get up at 6:00, pack the tent and get dressed, loading our gear on the truck before breakfast. That’s right, breakfast in lycra. When it’s 40 degrees out. Mmmm. Good times. The third day we road a mellow 38 miles to Nehalem Bay State Park, passing through Cannon Beach. I love Cannon Beach. I had coffee and the biggest apple fritter you have ever seen. I sat in the sun. Since we had such a short distance to go, Carry and I dawdled around town for a good two hours.

Yesterday we rode through Garibaldi, Tillamook, Rockaway and landed in Lincoln City for a day off. On the way we rode the Three Capes Scenic Route. Three major forested climbs over headlands that jut into the ocean. Awesome views, aweseome descents.

This is a stretch of the coast I have always wanted to ride. Lots of cliff top climbs, great views, twisty descents. Apart from almost being run over by an RV in a tunnel, it has been all fun, all the time. 

Until the next convenient stop,
Nick

Big Ride - REST DAY!

As you may have figured out, I haven’t been successful at posting any pictures of the ride, yet. I never ended up packing my laptop, and I’m glad I didn’t bother. At the end of each day, I’m too tired to do much more than put up my tent, clean the bike up and eat dinner. I try and write a little in the journal, so that when I find Internet access, I’ll be able to write fast and furious. Not a lot more happens.

Rest assured, we’re taking lots of pictures. When I get home, I’ll post them in a photo album, so you can see them then.

Lets see...today is our first rest day. In Big Ride terms that means laundry and eating. We started the day with a huge breakfast at the Sun Garden Cafe, then hit the laundromat for a little washing.

It’s a great experience to be at a landromat and know almost everyone there. As Nick said: He wasn’t worried at all about the creepy guy in the corner stealing his socks!

We hit the grocery store for some essentials - fruit, bagels, a bottle of wine (Oregon Pinot Noir, of course) and some sandwich bags. And now we’re here, posting a few words for y’all to read.

We plan to spend the rest of the day cruising up and down the beach, looking for fishing floats. Apparently local artists create and plant them on the beach here. If you find one, the visitor’s center will ID the artist for you and you can keep it. Pretty cool, if you ask me!

We’ll eat a huge dinner and then go to bed early. It’s a big day tomorrow - 80 miles to Florence, OR.

Big Ride - Day 4

Today was an amazing coastal ride from Nehalem to Lincoln City. The ride was only about 88 miles, but since it was over several coastal mountains, it felt more like 125!

After leaving Nehalem, we cruised south along the Three Capes coastal bike route past Girabaldi and Tillamook Bay. At about mile 26 we arrived at the Tillamook cheese factory. We spent about 40 minutes sampling cheese curds (squeeky cheese) and indulging in yogurt and other delicious dairy foods. It was much needed protein since our breakfasts to date have consisted of donut holes, bagels and oatmeal. Not a lot of protein to keep a body going on long riding days.

We continued on back along the water and did our first huge climb of the day - 11% grade in some places - and then had a scary descent on poorly maintained road.

One more climb took us to the top of Cape Lookout. I missed Nick at the top because he had turned off to see the view (which he never found) and cut his foot on his fender. By the time he finished patching it up, I zoomed over the top and was on my way down. He didn’t catch up to me until Pacific City.

On the way down from Cape Lookout though, we passed some amazing sand dunes that were held in place by pine forests. They were so big that most of us did a double take before realizing we were actually looking at sand, not just some open landscape.

Once out of Pacific City, it wasn’t too long before we hit our final big climb of the day - 2.3 miles on a road with a very narrow shoulder. The pavement was awesome on the descent. Most of us saw 40+ mph as we fearlessly peddled our hearts out just to stay warm.

A rolling few miles took us past the 45th parallel (halfway between the north pole and the equator) and into Lincoln City.

We had dinner at a little diner called Maxwells. I think I ate enough for three people! The pecan pie at the end was definitely worth it though

Tomorrow is a rest day - a much needed one at that!