Great Outdoor Images

Today’s Highlights:

Today’s ride had a lot of variety.  We started along the coast for 19 miles, through the towns of Ft Bragg, Mendocino, Little River and Albion.  It was foggy, but we had occasional views of the ocean or the rivers flowing into it.   We then headed east on Rt 128, out of the fog and into the forest, and enjoyed more miles among the tall redwoods.  It was a flat and peaceful ride, and cool under the canopy.  After 33 miles, we left the forest and entered farmlands of mostly vineyard and wineries.  The landscape opened up with fields of grapes and orchards of apples and other fruits, with a backdrop of rolling hills under bright blue skies.  And from there, we climbed higher into those hills among the oaks in fields of golden dry grasses.  Every phase of the ride was beautiful.

The last half of our ride gained over 1100 feet with many ups and downs, but eventually hitting the peak around 67 miles.  At the 70 mile mark we had a great fast winding descent for four miles.  It was as fun as yesterday’s.  We ran out of water on the big climb around 60 miles, so we made up for that by stopping at a frozen yogurt stand in the town of Cloverdale just a couple miles from our hotel for tonight.  It was very refreshing.

It was quite hot in the afternoon, which was welcome after our very cool visit along the coast over the past ten days.  According to our bike computers, the temperature hit over 100, but I think that was when we were riding along side freshly paved road.  There were certainly some hot climbs, but it was all enjoyable with the beautiful scenery and sunny blue skies.

We are half way done with the 1400-mile trip as of mid day today.  Every day brings another challenge to conquer and we seem to be getting stronger.  And every day treats us with great scenery and new experiences.  What a great vacation!

Our Glass Is Half Full
Half way done already? It feels like we only left yesterday… and I feel like I’ve been riding for a month. What an awesome trip. We’ve seen so many things and today was a little of everything. Dad did a good recap. And today’s terrain had a little of everything, too. We started with some nice 2-3% inclines. Just what I love. Just like shooting wamp rats back home. Then we hit some rolling hills and ended with a bigger climb. The climb was tougher than I thought, after riding all day and climbing so much yesterday. But we were rewarded with another awesome curvy downhill into town… and rewarded with frozen yogurt! At mile 70 we crossed into Sonoma. Tomorrow should be tasting day 😉

My bike is all grown up now. It started as a little boy bike which was too small for me. Then it grew into awkward, uncoordinated adolescence as the seat grew up. Today it reached adulthood as the handle bars grew up and now the bike finally feels great. It only took half the trip. I’m a genius.

Tree Houses
Yesterday: We didn’t get any pics so I forgot to mention the tree houses that we saw. One was a house built into an upright tree. I wonder how many floors it had. The other was built into a giant log. It looks so cute. From the front it looks like a hobbit house. It has an official website: http://www.oneloghouse.com/ You can see more pictures by Googling ‘the famous one log house.’ I wonder what the rent is.

It’s Medicinal!
We’re in Cali and it’s legal. It’s odd to see the shops and the dudes who hang outside. In Garberville our hotel was right next to Hemp Connection. There was a group of white boys with dreads sitting on the curb with the munchies so bad they were begging for a dollar to buy cereal. On the way out today we past Herban Legends. Seems unreal.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

We rode 69 miles today and climbed 5240 feet, our hilliest ride so far, rising as high as 1900 feet above sea level.  I don’t remember any flat sections, except for the last few miles into Ft Bragg which was accompanied by a headwind.  It was either uphill or down.  The first 25 miles were very hilly and tiring, and then we hit the big climb of the day – a constant 4-mile climb gaining 1100 feet.  Although that long climb was a challenge, I found that getting into a steady rhythm for the 30-minute aerobic ascent was easier than the many miles of shorter consecutive hills.

The ride down was the highlight of the day.  We dropped 1800 feet in 10 miles in 30 minutes on a very winding road through the forest.  It was thrilling and great fun.  That big descent returned us to the ocean with spectacular views of the shoreline.

We had one more big climb after that, and constant rolling hills in addition.  After several miles along the coast, we went inland a little, passed some farms and through a few small towns.  In a couple places we passed by large eucalyptus trees lining the road and their aroma filled the air.

I did not take many pictures today, because I was either too busy climbing or flying down a curvy road.

I Eat Hills Like You For Breakfast
*note: Sometimes it takes me a day to digest all the wonderful experiences of the day. I have updated yesterdays blog. Now back to today.

Everyday I say, “It can’t be better than yesterday.” but everyday it gets better. What a ride!

Dad and I were the last ones out today because he had a flat and didn’t notice until we were just about to leave. After we fixed it up we headed out fast and up hill, and caught the middle of the pack pretty quickly. Lots of rolling hills and a few bigger climbs before we got to the first SAG. In fact, we did so much climbing before the first SAG that I thought we had done the Big Climb already. Boy was I wrong. I should learn to read a map.

Just after the SAG we started the big climb. Since I hate climbs, I try to get them over with as soon as possible. None of this slow-and-steady nonsense. So I’m going to pat myself on the back because I destroyed that climb. I put it in high gear, lowered my head, told myself this was flat and spun like crazy. I passed people like they were standing still and had time for a nice 10 minute rest at the top while I waited for everyone to catch up.

And then came the down hill. Good thing we were surrounded by tree, thus there was not view, because we had to keep our eyes on the road. Long, fast and winding. Super fun!

It was great to hit the ocean again. It was a perfect day for the views of the great rock formations along the coast. A few lucky people had some very nice houses overlooking the ocean. Jealous.

There were a few more big up-and-downs followed by some rollers at the end, but after the first two huge climbs even the little hills felt big. We’ll sleep well tonight.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

Our day started under overcast skies and more comfortable low 50’s temperatures.  We wandered through the streets of Eureka for a few miles, then played on the interstate for another five miles.  So, the main objective for the first eight miles was just to get the heck out of there.  We reached a nice country road and enjoyed twelve miles through farm country and then had our first rest stop in the very nice town of Ferndale.  Its main street had interesting 1800’s Victorian architecture.

From Ferndale, we enjoyed many more miles of country roads with almost no traffic.  It was a very pleasant ride, although the road was rough in places.   We saw irrigation in progress, and the usual cows and sheep.  The most amazing thing we saw was a super sized sprinkler-like machine that was rotating in a circle shooting out something that looked like dirt.  As we rode by it and got downwind of it, the smell made us realize it was a manure canon!  I didn’t know something could throw poop that far.

For several mile we had some roller coaster steep hills just to add some challenge to the day.  After passing through the little town of Scotia and by their big sawmill, we played on the freeway (interstate 101) for another four miles.  Once off the freeway, the big fun of the day started.  We got on the Avenue of the Giants, which is a nice low-traffic road that winds through the Sequoia forest.  It is really too amazing to describe, seeing those tremendous trees in an almost mystical environment.  It was also very quite and peaceful and seems far from any civilization, except for the paved road.

We passed through the towns of Redcrest, Weott, Miranda and Phillipsville, all of which had populations around 250 to 350 people.  I don’t know where they all were though, as we only saw things like a gift shop, general store and restaurant in each town, and we were in and out of each in less than 1/4 mile.

We ended the day with a few big hills just to get us more hungry for dinner, then another three miles on the interstate before entering Garberville.  We enjoyed a huge Italian dinner at Sicilito in hopes that it will recharge our legs for another big day tomorrow.

They Might Be Giants

It was such a great day I don’t know where to start. How about with the boring weather. It started cold again but got warm in the end – nice sunny day. A lot of the roads today were really rough; about half way through the day everything on my bike was rattling. I had to tighten up the water bottle cages and my head set! That would have been fun, turning the handlebars and still going straight! Also, I was riding so fast that my Built 4 Speed fell off 🙁 I’ll have to find a way to get it back on.

It is interesting to watch the landscape go from farm to forest so quickly. We passed so many cool sites there was no way we could stop to take pictures of everything.

The first bit of the ride was pretty flat, so we rode in a group — not as a group, more of a mob really. There were no hills to separate the men from the boys, so to speak. Stayed like that until Ferndale. Ferndale was a quaint little town. I would have liked to explore it a little more, but the trees were calling.

We passed by Redwood College. This is were the trees go to get there Higher Ed. All the big trees know that without an education you can’t get a good job, without a good job you can’t make lots of money, without lots of money you can’t afford good healthcare, and without good healthcare you can’t live to be 1500 years old and grow to 300 feet tall. So as Mr. T(ree) says, “Don’t be a fool! Stay in school!”

There were numerous shops and touristy places selling redwood gifts and crafts. Many had creative carvings displayed out front, but we kept riding right by, until we hit…

The Avenue of the Giants!! You have to see it to believe it. I don’t know that the pictures do them justice. I would love to come back here and hike around for a week or so. We did stop for one touristy thing: We rode through a tree!! (pics 43-45) I guess I’ve done it all now. Time to go home.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

Our ride today was totally awesome!  The day started with the sun shining on our smiling faces.  In the first mile we cycled on a flat easy stretch with a view of beautiful Crescent Beach with a calm surf rolling in and mist rising into the cool morning air.  As the road turned away from the beach into a wet meadow area, we encountered two large male elk with huge antlers.  We carefully passed the one near the road, then started a big mountain climb.  We climbed almost 1000 ft in two miles, then another 200 ft in the next two miles with some nice rollers in between.  It was a great way to start the day, and the best part of this accent was our first ride through a sequoia forest.  The huge trees were amazing.  After spending about five miles above 900 ft, we had an fun ride down with more amazing views of the California coast, which at times seemed to be straight below the edge of the road about 500 feet.  Reaching the shoreline again after 13 miles there were more beautiful uninhabited beaches.

We made a quick stop at the Trees of Mystery just to take some cheesy tourist shots of the Paul Bunyan and Babe statues, then continued down Rt 101 between towering trees and open meadows.  One of the biggest treats of the day was a eight mile ride on Scenic Parkway through magnificent redwood groves.  It is hard to capture their immensity on camera.  I would have like to spend all day hiking around this area.  We made one side stop at the “Big Tree”, a sequoia that is 21 ft in diameter and over 300 ft tall and estimated to be 1500 years old.

As if the Sequoia forest was not enough of a treat, our route took us back to the coast again along Patrick’s Point Drive with more amazing views of beaches, rivers and lagoons under sunny blue skies.  Our second rest stop was in the town of Trinidad.  From there, we went on a rough road called Scenic Drive, and wow there were more incredible views of the ocean, beaches and cliffs!

Eventually, we returned more inland and spent some miles on a bike path which had an interesting old railroad bridge to ride across.  This led to a very scenic country road through farmlands in a valley bordered by mountains to the east.  It was very bucolic, however the road had just been tarred and graveled, and was a little rough to ride on.  From there we hopped on the 101 highway for a few miles, then entered the town of Eureka.

In all, we covered about 84 miles and climbed over 4400 feet today, and although it was our longest day so far it was also the most enjoyable I can remember.  We even had a few minutes before our barbeque dinner to soak in the hot tub.

Sunny California

Ahhhhh! Now that’s what I’m talking about. It was a beautiful day with lots of great views. Between Dad’s post and the pictures, I don’t need to repeat the day. But I will say, Wow those trees are big. We ride the Avenue of the Giants tomorrow. I can’t wait.

I’m happy to report that raising my seat was a success. It was hard to adjust to at first but ultimately everything felt good. Thanks for always watching my rear end, Stacia.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
Zoom and pan the map to explore the route. Click the name or ‘View Detail’ to view more information at Garmin Connect.
I have a new heart rate monitor, so am capturing that data again. However, I had another accidental shut off of my bike computer at the top of the first climb and did not notice for three miles. Chris’s mileage and elevation data is more thorough.

Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

We have now successfully cycled the entire Oregon coast!  We covered 400 miles in six days, and although we started and ended at sea level, we climbed almost 20,000 feet along the way.  Today started immediately with a steep, exhilarating four mile climb in cold overcast weather.  It warmed us up very fast.  Once over the top, we were in a thick mist on a damp road, and I feathered the breaks most of the way down to keep them dry.  It was still a fast descent and very cold – another “polar bear plunge”.  The rest of the day remained a chilly ride.

Although it was overcast, the fog had lifted and we were able to see several of Oregon’s site along the way.  We made stops at Arch Rock, Natural Bridges, Whaleshead and Rock House, and we rode over Oregon’s highest bridge, Thomas Creek Bridge.

Thirty three miles from Gold Beach, we reached the California border and stopped for a photo.  Then we turned off RT 101 and headed inland.  The scenery was surprisingly different than the ocean and forest ecosystems we had been in all week, because we entered farmlands.  There were several different crops growing, including fields of Easter Lilly, and occasionally we passed dairy farms.  The flat country roads were very enjoyable, and Chris and I traveled with several other cyclists all the way to Crescent City.  For about six miles we road in a paceline to help each other with a headwind.

We reached the shore again near Crescent City and stopped to watch for seals.  We could hear their load calls out on a distant rock and saw one surfacing closer to shore.  Battery Point Lighthouse was also visible from this shoreline.  We arrived at our hotel around 3pm.  With all the scenic stops we made, it was a long day out in the cold to cover sixty miles.

We have a day off tomorrow and will be busy cleaning the bikes and doing laundry, and we hope to walk down to the beach or walk into town to see what is there.

Hello California

In answer to my own question, “Where’s the challenge?”, with no warmup or preamble we started with a 700ft climb. That will teach me to open my big mouth. For the first half of the ride it was either straight up or straight down. The wind chill was crazy cold, so it was good that there were lots of sites to stop and take pictures… so we could warm up. Once we hit Cali it was nice rollers and then flat and straight. It was amazing to see how quickly the landscape changed: the trees changed and the hills turned to flat farm land. Fascinating. I was also told that it would be sunny as soon as we hit Cali. That was a lie. The one thing that didn’t change was the weather.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
Zoom and pan the map to explore the route. Click the name or ‘View Detail’ to view more information at Garmin Connect.
I accidentally turned off my bike computer at the top of the first hill (4 miles) and did not realize it until 5 miles later. That’s why my elevation chart looks like I fell of a cliff. Chris’s distance data is more accurate for this ride.

Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

We started our day with breakfast at the Minute Cafe in Bandon.  Our ride start time was a half hour later because of the shorter distance today and because it would be a little less foggy.  The fog was thick this morning, almost to the point of a light rain.  The first five miles were on local roads along the shore, and we made a quick stop at Face Rock Park to see a big rock in the ocean with a profile of a face looking up at the sky.  We could barely see it through the fog.

At 5 miles, we got on RT 101, a mile or more away from the shoreline. Traffic was light, but very fast.  The road was nice, lined with tall pines and had a very wide shoulder to ride on.  Basically, the first half of the ride was a simple mission of cycling to get to the next town, with not many attractions close at hand.  We made one stop at a Myrtle Wood factory where they had an actual woodworking shop in addition to a gift shop.  We took a brief tour of the shop and saw a large live Myrtle tree in addition to slabs ready for milling. Myrtle trees only grow on the Oregon coast, so locals as well as tourist appreciate products make from these trees.  There were a few other Myrtle gift shops along our route today and we were glad we stopped at the first one because it was the only one with a workshop.  From there, we simply cruised along on rolling terrain to the SAG stop at 28 miles.

After our first stop, we started some climbing along the shore for a while.  Then the route went inland around Humbug Mountain.  This was a very pretty section.  We saw many Myrtle trees at the start of the climb, and continued through forest on the hilly, winding road.  The most notable part was when the sun shown on us!  I took a picture of that.  Then six minutes later I took a picture of Chris in the fog again.  That was it – six minutes of sunshine in 5-1/2 hours.  On the south side of Humbug Mountain the road returned to the shoreline and we had many nice views of beaches again, some fading quickly into the fog, but others extending for a mile or more under very overcast skies.  Either way, they were pretty sights.

We got off RT 101 for only 4 miles, traveling on Old Coast Rd.  Although brief, it was a very pleasant break from the highway.  It rolled and turned through pastures and ocean side, and we stopped for a few pictures. We then returned to 101, crossed over a very interesting bridge, rode through the town of Gold Beach and reached our hotel at the far end of town around 2pm.

Our hotel today is ocean side, about 100 yard walk to the beach.  Chris and I picked up sandwiches for lunch and took them down to the beach.  Although it was still overcast, the wind was calm and temperature was comfortable (60’s).  It was our first opportunity to have some relaxing time on the beach.  Chris eventually took a quick swim in the ocean, then we got back to business attending rap and out to dinner and preparing for the next day.

Taking It Easy

And I thought this was going to be hard. It just keeps getting easier. I barely broke a sweat. My average heart rate was 138 and my max was 171, which is usually my average. Where’s the challenge??

Just kidding. Dad summed it up nicely. It was a shorter ride and we were just taking it easy, enjoying the sites – when the weather allowed. While the rocky coast is still impressive (when you can see it), the two highlights of the ride were the Myrtle trees through the winding Humbug Mountain pass (pic 14-15) and the Old Coast Rd. (pics 32-35); both were peaceful, pretty, and unique.

We took our time but we still got to the hotel early. It was great to have some time to relax. Dad and I found a great spot on the beach to eat some lunch. Then Herb, Leo and I had some wine and jumped in the ocean. Awesome! It was chilly, but not as cold as I thought it would be. I’m guessing 55 degrees, which reminds me of every summer we spent in Hampton Beach, NH. Of course, to do it up right, we then soaked in the hot tub for a bit. I tell ya, this bike riding thing is hard. I wonder what challenges await me tomorrow. Maybe I’ll have to endure eating some ice cream and getting a massage.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

We left Florence today in a cold fog, and the mist collected on our helmets and dripped off the edge in front of our faces.  The cold is not too bad when you are riding uphill and generating some heat, but once you are soaked with sweat and riding the flats or downhills, the cold goes right through you.  On one steep descent around 11 miles, it felt like a polar bear plunge, and body shivers sometimes shook the handlebars.

We made one stop at 10 miles to visit the Oregon Dunes State Park.  I took some pictures so you could see what sand dunes in the fog looked like.  Looks like nothing!  However, I did get a good picture of a squirrel.  Our next memorable stop was at the Umpqua River Lighthouse.  We had a quick snack there and moved on.  The ride out of the park was through very tall pines and the sunbeams burst through the fog between the trees.  We climbed steeply from there and warmed up a little.

The fog lifted at about 10:30 when we were back on RT 101. The elevation changes were more gradual on this stretch, and Chris and I latched onto a paceline with five very fast riders. We cruised along at a good pace for several miles until I had to bail out.  I was only half way through the day’s ride and didn’t want to burn out.

We crossed a long dangerous bridge at Haynes Inlet.  It was bad enough sharing it with cars and trucks, and before we could get all the way across a big logging truck flew by us too close for comfort.  But we made it, then meandered through North Bend neighborhoods trying to stay off the congested roads through town.  This brought us along the bay, close to the ocean and back into a very cold fog once again.

We had our second rest stop at mile 57 in Charlestown.  We fueled up and got moving again quickly because of the cold.  The best part of the day was about to start.  We turned inland and climbed Seven Devils Road.  It’s call that because it has seven peaks to climb in eleven miles.  There were a few steep sections, but overall it was not as difficult as some of the climbs earlier this week, and it was actually a lot of fun winding through the forest.  The landscape changed to more of an alpine environment with smaller fir trees.  Eventually, we got above the fog and saw blue sky again!  There were very few cars, so it was the most peaceful part of the day also.

From Seven Devils, we had a nice long descent on Whiskey Run Lane, then another eight flat miles into Bandon to finish our 78 miles.  Chris and I were the first riders into Bandon.  We checked into the hotel, then found a sunny spot out of the wind for some well deserved heat and rest before the luggage truck arrived.  Bandon is a very cute town and we were looking forward to exploring it after an early dinner.  We finished dinner at 6:01pm, then discovered that all the shops closed at 6:00 pm.

My First Post

I’m here. Really. Look at the pictures. Due to bad internet connections and my falling asleep, this is the first chance I’ve had to post. And since my dad is doing such a great job of chronicling the days’ adventures and adding all of the pictures, I figured: what else could I add. I guess I’ll have to talk about me.

Actually, I’m going to start with a little bit about everyone else. This is quite a group. More than half of our 24 riders rode the cross country trip together and have become good friends. A few said, “I’m going to do Ride the West this year.” and then everyone else said, “Well then I’m going to do it to.” So the first couple days have been old friends catching up and playing remember when. But they’re all super friendly and it’s a pleasure getting to know them as we meet at the SAG and dinner and Wrap. I am definitely the youngest person in the group, and a few have lovingly referred to me as “young man” (though my body is feeling years older after every ride). However, these “old fogies” are no joke when it comes to riding. Herb is 81 and is impressive every day (pic 14). He’s also one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. John is 72 and, though he’s humble and says he’s only fast going down hill, is a very strong rider who is always one of the first to get to the hotel; he rode in first with me and dad today. I could go on (and I might later) but for now I’ll say that no one is a slouch.

As for today’s ride… My dad covered it pretty well: the fog stole a lot of our views at first, but Seven Devils was a beautiful ride. Though I would have named it “2 devils, 1 demon, and 4 minions.” It wasn’t that bad. I guess my perspective is changing. Bandon looks like a cute little town. Too bad we didn’t have more time to explore.

*note: I’ve gone back and posted for the first three days. Peace out.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

Chris bought us souvenirs last night – bike license plates that say “superbike” and “built 4 speed”.  Since he is the fast one, he attached built-4-speed to his bike and I attached the other.  It’s a good thing too, because we were the last ones to leave the hotel this morning.  Armed with our new accessories, we quickly caught up with most of the group.

The start was not as chilly as the other days, but still brisk.  There was a strong north wind all day, so there were times when it was bitter cold, like at the second SAG stop.  Most of our stops were very short so we could keep warm by cycling.  Also, that wind was great at out backs.  There were several stretches along RT 101 were the wind really help us with some extra speed (so it wasn’t all because of the license plates), and it even gave us a boost up some hills.

In one spot we saw many sea lions lounging on the rocks.  I even saw one whale surface and spout.  There were more great views of isolated beaches and rocky shorelines, and the wind swept waves accentuated the ruggedness of the Oregon coast.  We had a few sunny periods that bought some needed warmth, but most of the day was foggy, windy and chilly.

This was our longest day so far, ending at 80 miles, but a very nice day with less challenging hills and outstanding scenery.

It’s a Record

80 miles is my longest ride ever! Does that mean I didn’t train properly for this trip? Maybe. It felt long but not hard. The climbs were not as intense today, and the tree-lined avenues made me want to slow down and take it in (which is tough to do when I’m Built 4 Speed). The winds were crazy, and I guess they always are. Check out Pic 7 of the slide show. Almost every tree was like that: makes for a neat landscape.

Along the way we rode along this dirt wall (I think it was cut out to make the road). Many people had written their names or slogans in the wall. I decided to stop and etch my wife’s name into the wall to show my undying love for her (pic 29). I told my dad to the same for his wife (hi mom) but I think he got confuse because when I turned around to take the picture I saw that he wrote “Aunt ToTo”… whoever that is. Maybe he was dehydrated. Anyway… I love you, baby!

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Chris:

Today’s Highlights:

It was another beautiful blue-sky day with chilly morning temps and a little fog to soften the morning light.  Our first eight miles were very pleasant on flat country roads past farms and along the Tillamook Bay, and we breezed along at a good pace.  At eight miles we made a sharp left away from the beach and that’s when the work started, climbing a steep hill for two miles until we reached Cape Meares Lookout State Park.  We took a side trip there to see the lighthouse, beautiful Pacific views, and took a hike to the Octopus Tree.

From the park, we continue our hilly ride through the forest.  It’s amazing that such a short distance from the ocean you are deep in a dense forest of very tall trees.  The route flattened for a while as we pedaled along the Cape Lookout area, and we had our first rest stop there.  Our second big climb of the day came right after fueling up at the SAG, rising steadily 800 ft in 3 miles.  The downhill ride was very appreciated.

We cycled past several beaches today, and they were all very beautiful, with long stretches of sand, ribbons of surf, sea stacks and cliffs, and very few people.  The beach towns were small and it seems that we only traveled a few blocks before we were out of them.

At 50 miles we started our last big climb of the day with a 2-mile 700 ft climb.  It was very slow going and the top was a welcome sight.  For once, the downhill felt as long as the climb and we sped down winding curves.  It was quite windy by then and strangely turbulent, which occasionally pushed the bike to one side or the other.  At 35 mph, it added some excitement to the descent.

We are in Lincoln City tonight.  Chris and I walked down to the beach after dinner about one hour before sunset.  The beach stretches for a long way with cliffs in the distance.  A strong north wind was blowing sand all down the beach and kicking up big waves.  It was pretty, but not the right conditions for a pleasant sunset walk.

Did I say Beautiful…

because I meant breath-taking. We rode both on the shore and on the cliffs right above it. It was a clear day with more great scenery. It’s ineffable, so I hope the pictures do it justice. Good thing I slept for 12 hours last night (6pm-6am) so that I had the energy to ride and enjoy it. And I really enjoy the way the ocean comes right up to the cliffs with the towering trees looking down. The Octopus Tree was quite interesting.

The hills were tough again today, but I felt stronger. I was unaware of the last big climb, so it was tougher mentally than physically.

Chris

Pictures Of The Day:

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Chris: