Today’s Highlights:
We have now successfully cycled the entire Oregon coast! We covered 400 miles in six days, and although we started and ended at sea level, we climbed almost 20,000 feet along the way. Today started immediately with a steep, exhilarating four mile climb in cold overcast weather. It warmed us up very fast. Once over the top, we were in a thick mist on a damp road, and I feathered the breaks most of the way down to keep them dry. It was still a fast descent and very cold – another “polar bear plunge”. The rest of the day remained a chilly ride.
Although it was overcast, the fog had lifted and we were able to see several of Oregon’s site along the way. We made stops at Arch Rock, Natural Bridges, Whaleshead and Rock House, and we rode over Oregon’s highest bridge, Thomas Creek Bridge.
Thirty three miles from Gold Beach, we reached the California border and stopped for a photo. Then we turned off RT 101 and headed inland. The scenery was surprisingly different than the ocean and forest ecosystems we had been in all week, because we entered farmlands. There were several different crops growing, including fields of Easter Lilly, and occasionally we passed dairy farms. The flat country roads were very enjoyable, and Chris and I traveled with several other cyclists all the way to Crescent City. For about six miles we road in a paceline to help each other with a headwind.
We reached the shore again near Crescent City and stopped to watch for seals. We could hear their load calls out on a distant rock and saw one surfacing closer to shore. Battery Point Lighthouse was also visible from this shoreline. We arrived at our hotel around 3pm. With all the scenic stops we made, it was a long day out in the cold to cover sixty miles.
We have a day off tomorrow and will be busy cleaning the bikes and doing laundry, and we hope to walk down to the beach or walk into town to see what is there.
Hello California
In answer to my own question, “Where’s the challenge?”, with no warmup or preamble we started with a 700ft climb. That will teach me to open my big mouth. For the first half of the ride it was either straight up or straight down. The wind chill was crazy cold, so it was good that there were lots of sites to stop and take pictures… so we could warm up. Once we hit Cali it was nice rollers and then flat and straight. It was amazing to see how quickly the landscape changed: the trees changed and the hills turned to flat farm land. Fascinating. I was also told that it would be sunny as soon as we hit Cali. That was a lie. The one thing that didn’t change was the weather.
Chris
Pictures Of The Day:
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Statistics:
Zoom and pan the map to explore the route. Click the name or ‘View Detail’ to view more information at Garmin Connect.
I accidentally turned off my bike computer at the top of the first hill (4 miles) and did not realize it until 5 miles later. That’s why my elevation chart looks like I fell of a cliff. Chris’s distance data is more accurate for this ride.
Chris: