It was a foggy day on the west coast,
as mist from the ocean seeped in and covered the ground. It was
chilly of course, but the air was moist causing us to be cold as
well. My cue sheet for managing the directions from Lincoln City to
Florence was in danger of becoming wet paper as I rode along. The fog
played with us during the day as it would come and go, marching to
the beat of its own drummer. It was a ride where I would take my
jacket off at one point, only to need it later on. It was fortunate
that the SAG stops matched the times when I needed to remove and then
use my jacket, otherwise it would have been a cold day, at least
until the last 25 miles when the sun was fully in control.
 |
| The fog awaits us |
The seacoast views were as spectacular
as ever, although they were hidden behind an eerie fog coating. One
had to look carefully to see the rocky formations that adorned the
coast. Whales are around, but are well shielded from the spectators
eye. I have yet to see any on the ride so far, although I was lucky
to spot some when Aila and I drove down. Perhaps tomorrow will be day
when I spot a few.
 |
| Eerie sights along the foggy coast |
Today I rode off and on with my
buddies, Joe and Mark, and at other times with riders that are new to
me. It was a day of thought and retrospection and because of that, I
rode about half the day on my own. The wind was from the north and
west and pushed us along for a fairly easy 80 mile day. It was hard
to talk with others when the wind is blowing all around you, so it
seemed quite natural to make this a solo journey.
At one point in the ride, when I
approached Rock Gap, the wind completely changed direction and
instead of being so helpful from behind, slammed directly into me
from the front. I had to slam on the brakes to avoid being blown
around the roadway. The roads signs that say “Gusty Winds” take
on a whole new meaning when you are on your bike at 40 MPH. I was
never in any danger, but it sure wakes you up.
 |
| After the fog gave way, the views improved |
We crossed several bridges today, some
being very long. Most of us, including myself, walked on the sidewalk
for the entire crossing of the bridge at Yaquina Bay State
Recreational Site in Newport, pictured below. There wasn't much room
for bikes and cars to mingle together on this one, especially with
the strong winds.
 |
| The bridge at Yaquina Bay State Recreational Site in Newport |
Newport Oregon is a very pretty coastal
town, which seemed to have many good hotels, cottages and other
places to stay. There seemed to be many beaches, bridges, and other
interesting sights to fill up any vacation, at least for a few days.
I would recommend this place if you are looking for a good weekend
get-away.
We passed by the supposed smallest
harbor, however I don't know if that is the smallest in Oregon,
America, or the world. Its smallness pretty much matched its value as
an interesting sight.
 |
| The supposed smallest harbor |
Along the route we picked up a road
that paralleled Route 101, that cascaded through a path cut among the
trees and over a bridge. The road had 1 lane for cars and 1 for
bikes, even though cars were completely absent from the experience.
It was a one way road, and if it wasn't so foggy, would have provided
some beautiful views of the rugged Oregon coastline.
 |
| The bridge along the paralleled road |
All in all, today was another great
day.
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
No comments:
Post a Comment