Once again, the day started out cold
and foggy. I was delayed a couple of minutes getting started and I
guess that amount of time was past the threshold of waiting time that
my riding buddies could tolerate. So, I ended being last to leave,
alone and on my own from the hotel. It's nice to know the limits of
friendship when serious cycling is underway. It wasn't long before I
managed to catch them.
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| Near Winchester Oregon |
The first SAG was along the dunes near
the ocean, across from the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It was still
foggy and cool, making the views difficult to see.
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| The Umpqua River Lighthouse |
Today was a day for some serious speed
and mileage. We were only doing 77 miles, but there were a few
significant climbs to be had. The foggy, cool weather prevented any
reasonable pictures to be taken, which was all the incentive I needed
to make this a fast day. The first climb was a long moderate uphill
that went on for 3 continuous miles. The second climb was similar to
the first, another grinder. A few of the riders were a bit nervous
about doing the last climb of the day, the “7 Devils” climb,
which was a series of 7 steep, Connecticut style hills. Their grades
were from 8% to 14% at various points and extended for about 10 miles
of riding.
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| Memorial before the Coos Bay bridge |
On the way to the next bridge, Joe,
Baltimore Mark, Mose and I set up a pace line and flew down the road
at over 24 miles per hour for several miles. It brought back memories
of the many times we rode like this across the country.
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| We need to walk over the Coos Bay bridge |
We had several bridges to be crossed
today, with one being quite memorable. The Coos Bay bridge,
connecting North Bend and Coos Bay, is about 1.1 mile long and
structurally interesting. The view from the top was fine, and we had
plenty of time to look around on it, as we had to walk the entire
length.
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| Crossing the Coos Bay bridge on foot |
At the second SAG stop, Don Yost (one
of the riders who also rode with us across the country) arranged to
have smoked tuna and smoked salmon for part of the snack. It was
really good. During the SAG stop, the neighboring drawbridge sprung
into action, giving us a bit of a show as a boat made its way
downriver towards the ocean. Many sea-lions were frolicking near the
bridge. I have still not yet seen a whale, but am hopeful once the
foggy days stop.
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| The drawbridge in Charlestown Oregon opens for a boat |
After the entertainment at the
drawbridge, the “7 Devils” called out to Joe and me. The other
riders had already taken off and started the ascent, so Joe and I
chased them down and powered up for the 10 miles of steeper hills. We
wanted to enter our results in an on-line challenge web site, known
as Strava, which compares our results to others who have ridden this
section of road before. Joe was in fine form today and beat me by
over 2 minutes, out of about 42 minutes total for the climb. He is
now in 3rd place out 59 riders for the challenge, and I am
in 6th. I'm happy with the results for both of us.
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| Town of Bandon Oregon, a pretty place |
Joe and I completed the ride together,
stopping for some hot clam chowder while waiting for the hotel to be
ready. It was very much needed to help keep us warm.
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| Some much needed chowder |
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
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