While it was cold (50 degrees) and damp and eventually rain-filled, the sky was clear on today's ride, allowing us to see some of the most beautiful scenery. No matter where you stopped, there was a fantastic view. Only wish I knew what I was doing with my camera - as my photos do not do the Oregon Coast any justice. At one point I put the camera away as I figured I would not get into Florence if I kept stopping to shoot another picture.
As we are on Route 101 (which is the only road there is) we are sharing the road with big logging trucks, large trailer trucks and some insanely large RV's driven by some really, really old people (got nothing against old people). It's the RV's I fear the most - as a lot of these drivers do not have a clue on how to drive on narrow, windy roads - never the mind that they have to navigate by a little old cyclist hugging a 2-3 foot shoulder loaded with road junk.
There were a couple of times I was trying to decide what would be better - getting hit by the RV or getting pushed off the side of the road over a cliff. Thank god tourist season is over - riding this road in the summer would really be a challenge. Only AARP card members to deal with right now.
As noted in the heading the ride was supposed to be 78 miles. I made it 80 as I got lost immediately out of the hotel and ended up at an Indian casino. Took me some time to figure out what I did wrong.
The first town we rode to was Depoe Bay and it billed it self as the World's smallest harbor.
Personally I think Pamet Harbor in Truro could give these guys a run for their money.
Immediately after leaving town we started climbing. It wasn't like there was one or two big climbs - but lots of medium size climbs one right after the other. Took the following shot from about 1/2 way up one of the climbs to give you a sense of the height...
We had our first support stop (sag stop) at about 25 miles. Check out the gear we are wearing and Barb (one of drivers) wearing her winter ski jacket. Brrrrr.
Almost immediately after this we had to cross a long two-lane bridge.
They have this button you hit when you pass on a bike that then turns on some flashing yellow lights to let the cars and trucks that there are bicyclists on the bridge. What a waste of time - doesn't slow any vehicles down. Not sure where these idiots are going to but they are intend on getting there - damn the biker. The only thing that sort of works is to ride in the middle of the lane forcing them to stay behind you. But as soon as the opposite lane is open, they pass regardless of the double yellow line.
I swear some of the locals (the 4x4 pickup trucks with big wheels and no muffler) actually make a sport of trying to see how close they can get to you. The beauty of the ride makes up for the mayhem.
The rain was supposed to start at 3 pm so I decided to try to ride without stopping. First the rain started at about 2 pm and second for some reason I thought the ride was only 68 miles long. When I got to 68 miles (really 70 given that I got lost at the beginning), I was in the middle of a huge climb in the middle of nowhere. Seems there were some more directions on the back of the cue sheet they gave us that I failed to see before the ride. My bad. Thankfully most of the remaining 18 miles was downhill (for the most part).
Again the views more than make up for the road conditions. This is really a fantastic ride - but what would a ride be without a couple of grips. The staff is great, the riders are really nice and so far the food and hotels are top notch.
Our ride today might be a wash out. Last night the weather forecast called for an inch of rain and 20 mph headwinds. Mike will make a go, no go call after breakfast. I for one will probably jump in the van even if he says it is safe to ride. When I rode cross country I was intent on riding every foot of the 3800 miles (didn't want to explain to people "yea I rode cross country except for the 10 miles that I jumped in the van".
But this is a fun ride with no macho goals. So safety first is my motto. Not to mention riding 74 miles in the rain really sucks. Next stop Brandon, Oregon - bike or no bike.
I've enclosed some additional photos. There were so many great shots that I forget where each of these were taken. So I will just include them at the end of this blog entry.
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