Greetings from Bandon, Oregon

The Big Ride Pacific Coast is well under way. We've just finished our seventh day - six days of riding and a well-timed day off in Lincoln City, Oregon, and are about halfway between Seattle and San Francisco. Thus far the ride has been outstanding, with fantastic scenery and very good weather overall. The days are cool, but there's been virtually no rain: four days have featured bright skies and lots of sunshine, the temperatures rising from the fifties into the high sixties or low seventies; two others were overcast, and we missed the worst weather on our day off, when there were a few sprinkles amid cold, gloomy skies and a stiff southerly wind that we would have had to fight against. Meanwhile, after 30 days of riding solo while carrying my equipment, I'm having an easy time of it; the ride is well-supported, and I'm enjoying the camaraderie as well as the scenery.

Including me there are 26 Big Riders. The majority are from Washington State and Northern California, but there are also a bunch of East Coasters (three others are from New York and two are from Massachusetts), there are two Canadians, and there are two cosmopolitan Seattlites, a woman from England and a man from Chile. Other states represented include Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Texas. Everyone's is getting along and riding well, and our days are full as we're averaging 80 miles a day - a tough task with the shorter days of late summer: it's not light until nearly 7:00 a.m., and most riders are still on the road until nearly 5:00 p.m. each day, leaving only a few hours of daylight to set up camp, shower, and eat dinner. We've also rotating breakfast and dinner duties - helping to prepare and clean up after meals; so on those days when it's your turn, you're especially busy. We're supported by four staff people who have all been terrific: friendly and easy-going, making the trip all the more pleasurable. I've been particularly impressed with the ride director, David VanDoorne; I know the mechanic, Alan Fitton, from the 2006 Big Ride Across America; and we have a cook along with us, Linda McKoryk, who buys local produce each day and is making very healthy dinners.

Here's a quick summary of our route and each day's highlights:

Day 1 - Saturday, 9/13 - 81 miles from Seattle to Montesano, WA. After a ferry across the Puget Cound amid thick morning fog and some very steep roads grades for the first four miles, escaping Bremerton, the day improved significantly, becoming sunny and warm. I struggled with dehydration due to the layoff in Seattle (drinking too much caffeine and not enough water), but by the end of the day I felt like myself again. The route took us south over rolling terrain along the eastern edge of the Olympic Peninsula; we passed through the town of Shelton and then angled west to Montesano, staying in Lake Sylvia State Park. The park was the day's highlight. I took a swim, and the lake was scenic, surrounded by thick forest that reflected off the still water, creating a lovely, tranquil atmosphere.


Lake Sylvia, where we camped and I swam, at the end of day 1


Tent city in Lake Sylvia State Park

Day 2 - Sunday, 9/14 - 80 miles to Cape Disappointment State Park, near Ilwaco, WA. A similar day - morning fog quickly burning off, then sunny and warm; rolling terrain riding south to Raymond, WA, where we crossed the Willapa River and then cut west to the coast, riding along Willapa Bay to Ilwaco. The temperature was at least 10 degrees colder at the campground, but once again the day's end was the highlight, as the campground was located right on the ocean. A fierce northerly wind was blowing, but I managed to get in a 35-minute run on the beach and then wade into the water for a quick plunge, body surfing one wave before scampering out. Later that evening, the sunset was one of the most dramatic I've ever seen, followed shortly thereafter by the full moonrise.


Riding in the morning mist early on day 2


The northerly wind blowing the sand down the beach at Cape Disappointment (day 2)


The ocean at Cape Disappointment


The lighthouse at Cape Disappointment.


Sunset at Cape Disappointment.

Day 3 - Monday, 9/15 - A shorter day: 64 miles to Manzanita, Oregon, where we stayed in Nehalem State Park. The biggest challenge was crossing the four-mile-long bridge across the Columbia River to Astoria. Later there were some tough climbs along the coast, but the scenery was fantastic, beginning with Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, and then continuing down the coast to Manzanita. We stayed at Nehalem State Park, another campground right on the beach. Again I managed a 35-minute run and a dip in the ocean: the wind was much lighter and the water slightly warmer. And again there was a lovely sunset, although I only arrived back at the beach just as the sun was disappearing.


Mouth of the Columbia River, Ilwaco, WA, morning of day 3


Riding over the Astoria Bridge, across the Columbia River into Oregon (day 3)


Still riding over the Astoria Bridge ... (day 3)


Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon (day 3)


View of Nehalem Bay beach, our destination at the end of day 3


The ocean at Nehalem Bay


Sunset at Nehalem Bay (day 3)

Day 4 - Tuesday, 9/16 - 81 miles from Manzanita to Lincoln City. The day began with thick coastal fog which lightened twice during the day: after we crossed the Nehalem River, the sun came out briefly between Mohler and Tillamook and again while I was climbing over Cape Lookout, but otherwise it was a gray day, the temperature stuck in the fifties. At Tillamook we stopped in on the Tillamook Creamery, where I took the self-guided tour and sampled the cheese: three kinds of cheddar and pepper jack (my favorite). To me the Cape Lookout climb was the highlight of the day, as I rode through the dense, ferny, old-growth forest, streaks of yellow sunlight streaming through the trees. Then after I crossed the summit and the fog reappeared, I rode past the dunes at Sandlake, eerily shrouded in mist, the sand having been blown up onto the cape over eons by the strong coastal winds. In Pacific City I rendezvoused with my friend Carrie Stilwell, who, lured by the great coastal weather, took the bus down from Portland, and we rode together for the final 25 miles to Lincoln City. She planned to ride with me for a couple of days, but since the weather turned, plans subsequently changed. The campground in Lincoln City was conveniently located - walking distance from the downtown area, with lots of shops and restaurants. But given the bad weather and the fact that, due to a plumbing problem, the campground had no running water, most Big Riders opted to stay in motels.


The bridge over the Nehalem River (morning of day 4)


The Nehalem River


Climbing through the temperate rainforest at Cape Lookout (day 4)


The dunes at Sandlake, OR (day 4)

Day 5 - Wednesday, 9/17 - Off-day in Lincoln City, resting up and hiding from the cold. Carrie and I had planned to do a loop ride, but settled for exploring the town, and walking on the beach, and dinner at an excellent Thai restaurant. She headed back to Portland the next morning.

Day 6 - Thursday, 9/18 - 83 miles from Lincoln City to Honeyman State Park, a few miles beyond Florence, Oregon. The sky was gray most of the day, with a few peeks of sun, but the wind was light, the temperature moderate, and the day was the most scenic thus far. Much of our ride through Oregon has been on U.S. 101, where there's a fair amount of traffic, although significantly lighter than when I biked this section in August of 2004. But the route also takes us on some quiet side roads, and getting away from the cars and RVs adds to the scenery. Highlights for me were Seal Rock, with its long line of sea stacks and the chasms south of Yachats, including Devil's Churn, where the ocean waves crash through the rocks, creating at times a thunderous roar. Near Heceta Head we saw and heard dozens of sea lions barking at each other while basking on the rocks below us. And there were some challenging climbs, especially up Cape Perpetua, which then offered lovely views of the miles of jagged coastline.


The beach at Newport, OR (early day 6)


South of Newport (day 6)


Seal Rock, south of Newport, OR (day 6)


Riding on a quiet side road south of Newport (day 6)


The rugged coast just south of Yachats, OR (day 6)


Sea lions on the rocks near Heceta Head (day 6)

Day 7 - Friday, 9/19 - 80 miles from Honeyman State Park to Bandon, Oregon. The weather again turned favorable and we enjoyed a nice, sunny day. The most scenic section was the latter part of the day. In Charleston I watched seals patroling the harbor for fish in the south end of Coos Bay (hte bridge over South Slough), and then there was a challengingly hilly inland stretch on Seven Devils Road leading to Bandon. Most disappointing was the amount of clear-cut forest we saw - the most since Washington - especially between Florence and Gardiner. A facade of trees lined the road - U.S. 101, but through the veil you could see vast, empty patches.


Clear-cut forest along U.S. 101, south of Florence, OR (day 7)


South Slough, near Coos Bay - Charleston, OR (day 7)

So that's it for now. We have four more days of riding until our next off day in Ft. Bragg, California, on September 24th.