Sunset Bay State Park to Port Orford (Photos to be Added)

Pacific Coast Bike Trip: Day 5

We managed to get the camp packed up faster than usual this morning, but still had time for some Mountain House Blueberry Granola and bread with Nutella! With spirits high, we set out on what was supposed to be the shortest day of the trip...

Upon leaving the park, we headed south on the same road we had entered by, which as it turns out was a mistake. Despite pleadings from our Garmin GPS, we pushed on for about a mile and a half before decided to consult our Cycle Oregon map. About 20 minutes after we started the day, we arrived back at Sunset Bay and began again.

The route calls for backtracking into the little port town of Charleston, and then begins in earnest when one makes a turn onto a road aptly named "Seven Devils Road." We hope to upload Garmin data soon and that will tell the tale, but there were several excruciatingly steep sections. Our quads screamed and our backs ached as we hooted and howled our way up the devils. Someone who was clearly not on a bike at the time of writing had spray-painted words of solace on the pavement as we came over some of the harder sections; they didn't help much.

After summiting this series of climbs, we were supposed to have a few rollers, a gradual descent, and then flat roads into the finish, which sounded just about right. What we got instead was a series of rollers where our momentum was blunted by headwinds (yes, our tailwind luck ran out) and dodgy shifting from the front derailleur. As we reached the halfway point and our lunch stop we pulled into a local bike shop and spent some time recovering and tuning the bike.

The town of Bandon had a nice little downtown, worth exploring more than we did, but we scored BIG TIME when we chose High Brow Cat Bistro for lunch. Jo had the best gyro of her life (her hero for the day) and I had a delicious pepperoni pizza made on a pita-bread crust.

Back out on the road we continued to face a headwind that I will estimate at 10 mph. Not enough to break us, but enough to keep us out on the road much longer than we had intended. The countryside continues to be stunning every day though, and we were somewhat distracted by a series of U-pick blueberry farms and glass-blowing and wood-carving shops.

Before long, we came to a sign that lured us in...

The Langlois Market, only 14 miles from our hotel for the evening, was a welcome respite from the day's peddling. They featured gigantic waffle cones of Umpqua-made ice cream (to die for and very inexpensive) and local jams. We stopped there with Brent, who we had been playing bike-tag with all day. We've seen him out on the road every day and our encounters with him will be missed when he finishes his journey in Brookings tomorrow.

After refueling, we made our final push and arrived at Port Orford and the Sea Crest Motel around 4:30 in the afternoon. We took some time to rest and sink-wash our clothes (hoping they'd dry by the morning!) and then rode our wonderfully light, unloaded tandem (which we've taken to calling The Thorpedo) into town for some dinner.

The Crazy Norwegian, made popular by Sunset Magazine, was a popular spot this night and we got in just in time. Jo had fried clam, french fries, and hot chocolate, while I opted for the grilled ham and cheese, fries, and a couple of Red Hook IPA's. It took a while to get served, and I'm not sure all the fried food was the best idea, but we left satisfied.

Garmin 500 Data:

Distance: 56.38 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,592 feet
Max Speed: 31.3 mph
Min Temperature: 55.4F
Max Temperature: 77F

Honeyman State Park to Sunset Bay State Park

This morning, before we packed up, we headed out to the sand dunes, for which Honeyman is best known. Being early, the fog was thick coming off the Pacific, and hung low over the dunes and adjacent lake.

We had packed and set out by about 9am, and made quick work of the first few hills, stopping along the way to take a few photos of the lakes and flowers bracketing both sides of the highway.

 

After about two hours, we rolled into Reedsport ready for a big meal. We stopped at the first diner in town, the name of which we'll have to search for later. Suffice it to say, we ate well and had lots of coffee. Soon after, Jo's stomach started acting up, but we kept moving at a rapid rate, aided by a tailwind, along the 101.

We honestly can't remember much more about this day. The towns are starting to run together a bit, but Sunset Bay State Park is a great campground and we got there without too much difficult. Dinner of bread with nutella, macaroni and cheese Mountain House, and a banana. Yum!

Garmin 500 Data:

Distance: 59.05 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,365 feet
Avg Speed: 11.5 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 13.8 mph
Max Speed: 38.8 mph
Avg Temperature: 68.7F
Min Temperature: 59.0F
Max Temperature: 82.4F

Newport to Honeyman State Park

Oregon and Northern California Bicycle Touring Trip: Day 3

Waking up in a hotel room after two hard days of riding felt pretty good this morning. We took our time getting out and about, and took full advantage of the continental breakfast at the Days Inn. Then, we headed over to the Digital Diner, where we hoped to finish our first few entries with some photo uploads. While we can write some text, uploading photos and videos on the iphone has proven too complicated so far. Digital Diner was the perfect place to do our updating: right in the heart of town and also a good spot to get our morning coffee fix. After spending way too much time updating our blog, peddled away from Newport around 11am.

Before long, we were taking advantage of a nice tailwind and we made our way through Waldport, and then into Yachats where we made a stop at Grand Central Pizza for some Garlic Knots! Moving on, we followed the coastline and the wind increasingly picked up, until we found ourselves being literally pushed up the coastal climbs until we reached the "famous" Sea Lion Caves.

The Sea Lion caves are reportedly the largest sea caves in the world, and they were spectacular in that sense, but this spot gave us more than a whiff of "tourist trap." Still, it was a welcome break at the top of the main climb of the day.

Continuing onward, we made rapid time and before long we entered the town of Florence on a long, straight road that allowed us to really push for the finish. Florence is probably the nicest town we've visited thusfar, with a small but lively "old town" area along the bay.

We had a few tempting options, but finally sat down at Restobar and enjoyed an excellent Italian meal. I also had the chance to try another ale by Rogue Brewery that goes by the name "Dead Guy Ale." It's a new favorite. After enjoying our meal thoroughly, it was time to hop back on the tandem and cross the bridge at the edge of the bay and head a few miles down the road to Honeyman State Park, our camp for the night.

Again, Oregon has impressed us with the quality of their campgrounds. Hot showers and well-kept facilities, cheap $5 hiker/biker sites, and stunning locations. Thus far we have been spending our nights with fellow cyclists, some of which we have seen frequently on the road and become friends with. The campsite was oriented around a communal firepit, which got everybody talking. There was a young couple (Jessica and Mark) from Victoria, Canada already setting up camp when we arrived, and soon after, several other familiar faces turned up, including Brent and two Canadian women we had met briefly the day before. We all huddled around the fire and devised our own methods for cooking our collective foods (smores pop-tarts, cheese and crackers, left-over pizza).

 

 

Garmin 500 Data:

 

Distance: 53.15 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,487 feet

Avg Speed: 12.2 mph

Avg Moving Speed: 14.4 mph

Max Speed: 38.9 mph

Avg Temperature: 69.8F

Min Temperature: 64.4F

Max Temperature: 80.6F

Cape Lookout State Park to Newport

Today was shorter, if not easier. We awoke to a thick fog and got peddling after a tasty Mountain House breakfast. The terrain changed often throughout the day. We cycled through lush green forests, agricultural land with an abundance of cows and barns, sand dunes and finally the much familiar coast.

We stopped for a hearty brunch at a popular brewery named Pelican Pub and Brewery. I got hot chocolate and Trevor got to sample their award-winning IPA. In retrospect, 15 miles in was a bit early to stop, but we sure did enjoy it!

Once back on the road, our ride was interrupted by an unexpected climb with pitches up to 17%. This climb was supposed to be avoided by detouring a few extra miles around the mountain, but we learned from a make-shift cardboard sign that the detour road was blocked a few miles down. After much struggle, we rejoiced in our victory on a beautiful descent into Lincoln city. We stopped to admire the coastal views, rest our aching muscles, (and grab a Red Bull "for the wings") before hopping back onto the bike and riding to Newport.

By the time we hit Newport (10 miles after our GPS had given up and died on us), we were more than ready to stop for the day, and appreciated the decision to pre-book a hotel room at the Day's Inn right in the heart of town. We got changed and had a nice, casual walk down to the waterfront to the well-known Rogue Ale House, where we ate like rabid animals and enjoyed a few brews. Then, we hopped in the hotel's jacuzzi, followed immediately by bed.

Garmin 500 Data:

Portland to Cape Lookout State Park

Pre-trip Family Photo in Portland!Pacific Coast Bike Trip: Day 1

Well, we're off to a good start on our two-week odyssey down the Oregon and Northern California Coastline. We started off from the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, heading west towards Tillamook with Johanna's cousin along for the first section. No more than 5 miles in, Tom got a flat, which he quickly fixed. We were relieved that when we heard the burst behind us it hadn't been our rear tire going flat. With so much gear on back, our tandem has become somewhat less nimble and light.

 

As we continued on, riding down hwy 8, we were greeted by deep forests of green all around and very little traffic. The light traffic part ended when we hit Hwy 6, but when we split with Tom so he could make his way home, we were already talking about how beautiful  and fun this trip was turning out to be.

Then, we hit the major climb of the day in earnest. We saw pitches reaching towards 15% and consistent grades between 5-8%. We dropped into the granny gear and spun up that thing relatively well, particular despite it having become very warm.

Soon after cresting the top of the climb in Tillamook Forest, we came upon Lee's Camp, a welcome sight where I picked up a milkshake made with Tillamook Ice Cream and Johanna got a tasty hot dog, which the place is known for. We were happy to hear for the shopkeeper that it was a gradual downhill with almost no climbing all the way to Tillamook, so we started out for the cheese-town.

Reaching Tillamook saddle sore and a little worn, we made our way through the town to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We got to sample some award-winning cheese, and picked up some cheese and crackers for a mid-afternoon snack in the shade.

After getting going again, we made the decision to skip the "scenic route" and head the more direct way on hwy 131 to our campsite for the night. We heard afterward from a fellow bicycle tourist named Brent that we had made a good decision, as he'd faced a nasty headwind and lots of potholes for the overcast view of the bay and ocean.

 

We arrived at Cape Lookout State Park about an hour before sundown. The hiker/biker sites were excellent and we got some great tips on best sites and hottest showers from one of the park employees. We wandered over to the beach for a bit after showering and setting up our tent, but were quickly overcome with hunger and sat down to a nice Mountain House meal of chicken and noodles, plus a few Clif Mountain Mix Bars.

Garmin 500 Data Summary:

Distance: 76.21 miles
Avg Speed: 9.8 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 13.2 mph
Max Speed: 39.1 mph
Elevation Gain: 2,208 feet
Avg Temperature: 83.7F
Min Temperature: 64.4F
Max Temperature: 91.4F

Garmin GPS Data for today's route
 

Introduction to the New Blog

After having spent nearly a year dreaming, planning, and preparing for our first bicycle touring adventure, Johanna and I stand just a week away from something big. For several weeks during the month of August, we will be riding our Cannondale Tandem from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, California.

Along the way, we'll be doing lots of camping, sightseeing, eating, and some 800+ miles of riding, too! Johanna and I were looking for the best way to keep friends and family in the loop as we make our way south and after much social media studying, have decided this blog will be our forum. We'll also be reviewing routes/lodging/dining and a number of touring/camping products along the way.

Whether you're interested in touring yourself, want to live the trip vicariously through our adventure blog, or just want to confirm that we haven't gone off the reservation, enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Trevor and Johanna Thorpe