John Aylward Photography

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

West Coast Bike Day 06

Statistics: Zoom and pan the map to explore the route.

Time: 9/7/2012, 8:38:21

Duration: 05:54:24

Ascent/Descent: 2633 ft 2686 ft

Distance: 60.50 M

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

West Coast Bike Day 05

Statistics: Zoom and pan the map to explore the route.

Time: 9/6/2012, 8:35:19

Duration: 05:21:06

Ascent/Descent: 2608 ft 2630 ft

Distance: 57.90 M

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

West Coast Bike Day 04

Statistics: Zoom and pan the map to explore the route.

Time: 9/5/2012, 8:01:03

Duration: 06:31:24

Ascent/Descent: 3642 ft 3666 ft

Distance: 78.56 M