Cycling The Pacific Coast

It is hard to believe that our last blog was from Astoria, Oregon. So much has happened since then. Actually we have cycled through the entire state of Oregon since our last blog. So much has happened that it has flown by quicker than we can process it all. I will give a brief outline of yesterday and today to catch everyone up to the current trip status and for those interested, I will also provide a few of the hand written blogs that I have journaled during the last nine days. As of today we have officially crossed the California border and turned our backs on Oregon. We are leaving the Oregon coast with much experienced gained, many beautiful vistas, and much learned about each other. Yesterday we ran into some troubles when I forgot the guidebook in the campsite bathroom. This gave us a quick ten mile warmup before we even got the day under way. After arriving at humbug mountain state park we had nearly cycled 70 miles for the day. Today was much smoother as we awoke to a bea...

We first met Keith and Diana on our ascent into Nehalem Bay State Park up in Northern Oregon. As seems to be the common trend with most cyclists doing this tour, they both quit their jobs in New York City to come and do this bicycle trip. Ever since Nehalem Bay we have been traveling to the same destinations each night and catching up with the days events around the campfire. Each time that we arrive at the campsite for the night we both have numerous stories about how the day went and what lies ahead. Having another couple to share the experience with has been great for our motivation each day. Keith and Diana have been a real pleasure to be riding with. Hopefully we will be able to continue our travels together on down to San Diego.

After the gorgeous weather that we were treated to we got blasted by rain with the finale of the storm as it was passing through our campsite near Coos Bay, Or. While we were attempting to pack everything up during a break in the weather, the clouds decided to dump the rest of their water on us. You can imagine what we were thinking with a sixty mile ride awaiting for us. We decided to head into town (Charlston) to dry everything at the laundry mat and grab some breakfast in an attempt to wait out the storm. As luck would have it, right before we were about to head out I realized that I had left the guidebook back at the campground! Being forced to double back and search for the guidebook gave us a nice ten mile warmup for the day, and we hadn't even started in on our main ride yet! After having no luck in finding the guidebook at the campground I had a hunch that Keith and Diana had grabbed it earlier on their way out. They are another touring couple that we met back at the sta...

Two days ago was one of the toughest days so far. During our bike ride from Cape Lookout State Park it started pouring down rain on us in the middle of a traffic congested hill. It was difficult to keep your focus on the bike and completing the climb when there is so much commotion being added into the equation. Thankfully we made into the campground safe. It rained throughout the rest of the night making everything very wet, including the tent. Our motivation was not very high either because the forecast was calling for rain for the following five days. Luckily, after we packed everything and got on our way we were greeted with a beautiful sunny day that allowed us to see some of the most beautiful coast line that Oregon has to offer. This, followed by another day of unexpected sunshine did wonders for our motivation and our spirits. It is amazing what a little sunshine can do for you. We have just passed the halfway point for our journey through Oregon and will begin on the remain...