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
Pictures Of The Day:
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