Well, every day on the Oregon Coast can't be totally spectacular... today had a few flashes here & there, particularly the route around Humbug Mountain (yes, someone actually named it that- Including the state park that surrounds it!).
I got off to an early start, hitting the road by 6:30, and hoping to beat the traffic. Almost my entire day was on US 101, so getting out before the RVs hit the roads is always a good idea. And it happened, this 80 mile stretch had pretty much universally good, wide (6-10') shoulders, so traffic really wasn't an issue.
Today, much of the ride was through rolling terrain a few miles inland from the beaches south of Coos Bay and extending to Bandon, home of a bunch of fancy "links" style golf courses in the dunes.
Bandon was an interesting spot, with a quaint little downtown next to the harbor, and lots of beach access. This was the one spot where the Oregon Coast Bikeway separated from 101 for a dozen miles or so, with no traffic at all, except for lots of pedestrians walking their dogs.
After getting back on the 101, I rolled into Port Orford, and stoped for coffee. I also hoped the visit a bike shop, as I've been trying to get my tires filled to full pressure (90-100psi), as my anemic little mini-pump stalls at about 55-60psi. After fixing my flat a couple days ago, I discovered it was caused by "pinching" the tube between the rim and whatever small rock or stick I'd run over... It had the telltale "double snake bite" set of holes, a sure sign when running a less than ideal tire pressure, and no sign of glass or other debris in the tire casing. So... For the 3rd time in three days I rolled up to a bike shop to find it closed for the day! Very frustrating-- seems they've got my trip timing perfectly out of sync.
Then there's the occasional roadside whimsey-- today I passed America's largest safari park and petting zoo (sorry, no pics, just a tall fence along the highway), as well as a dinosaur park--
Complete with life-sized concrete dinos! And this was right next door to Humbug Mountain too :-). You can't make this stuff up ;-)
At any rate, the tailwind continues, and I rolled into Gold Beach about 1:00pm. Located at the mouth of the Rogue River, this is another big salmon & steelhead fishing town. My hotel today has a whirlpool spa pool, and after passing the 500 mile mark for 6 days of riding, it's now calling my name... More tomorrow when I enter California, and take my first rest day on Friday... Time for a little relaxed walking in the redwoods and let my sore bum recover a bit ;-)
Cheers...
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