Ride the West Sep 09--Day 2 Tillamook to Lincoln City

Hello Friends and Family!

I promise to try and stay on track with this post. Here goes. As we loaded at 0715, the skies were pouring liquid sunshine once again. We completed the load and the wind and rain gave us all reason to pause. Yesterday was absolutely daunting and I'm not sure this hearty crowd could take another 5 hours of headwind and rain. Fortunately, at about 0745, the "sucker hole" appeared and we all trekked down to the Pancake House for a hot, filling breakfast. We then departed with mostly dry clothes on and headed down the road for our 60+ mile jaunt.

The first miles were flat with silk like pavement that made the ride soft and carefree. We wandered by the most contented cows in the universe who had a world of green grass and fresh water and absolutely zero stress. These laid back cows are likely the secret to the Tillamook butter and cheese empire! And as we ambled down the coast you could see the local fisherman pulling up their crab pots and fishing from the calm waters that pushed up against the road. This part of the ride was a portrait in serenity.

After only about 10 miles, we had a serious 10-15 minute climb as we took the Three Capes Scenic Route that led us to Cape Meares Lookout. The climb definitely woke us up. As I edged up the hill, my thoughts were with the couple from main, JB and Loren, who are riding a CoMotion tandem. Up hill on a tandem is hard, and long, steep up hills on a tandem are really hard! As I passed them about a mile from the top they said little. Later they explained that just as I went by, they had hit a big bump and their handlebars had rotated almost completely down (WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME). Of course they recovered nicely and we all enjoyed the Cape Meares Lookout and Lighthouse.

As the fog lifted and the mist subsided, the view was again spectacular. Miles of surf, sand, waves and huge rock outcropping jutting from the Pacific. Lots of birds and bird noises in the fresh Pacific air. I even had a short conversation with the local park ranger, discovering that he too was a veteran (Army) and that he had two sons serving our nation in the active duty Army. I let him know we are all grateful for his service and that of his sons. I walked back up the hill from the lighthouse and visited the next tourist attraction, the "Octopus Tree," a tree with one core and about 7 trunks. Go ahead and Google it if you don't believe me. Mother nature's beauty is continually on display here, in groves of pine trees that tower over 100 feet, packed so densely that you couldn't run 6 feet without hitting another one. Glorious! After the obligatory photos, I headed onward, hoping to catch up with my buddy, Bill Bergen.

Bill didn't take the excursion I did to the lighthouse, so I knew I'd have to put my head down to catch him. About 30 minutes later, I saw him coming out of the first rest stop so I decided I'd just catch him later. At the rest stop, Jim Antisdale, a USAFA 1977 graduate and Alaska Air pilot, told us his wife had called from about 20 miles down the road and reported "trees on the road" in Pacific City. Knowing that, I decided to keep my rain gear with me and I picked up Bill's jacket that he'd left in the snack truck. After a good snack at the SAG wagon, I was enjoying the sunshine and felt like a good mid morning nap. Unfortunately, I had a lot of Oregon to see and 4o more miles to pedal. I worked hard for the next 30 minutes, saw the sand dunes Mike had told us about, and caught up with Bill and rode with him all the way to the hotel.

The highlight of the last part of the ride was a 10 mile trek up the side of a mountain on Slab Creek Road. For about 45 minutes, we all had the road to ourselves while surrounded by fauna and flora that only the Amazon might rival. We saw moss growing on the entire length of those same 100 foot trees I mentioned earlier and ferns that covered the countryside. The quiet, peaceful ride into this living terrarium fashioned by God was uplifting and we glided up this hill with little or no wind holding us back. Our senses were overflowing with wonder. Another 10 miles later, we pulled off the road into the Ashley Inn in Lincoln City, OR. The whole team faired well today despite a rocky, rainy start. After a filling meal of pasta at nearby "Lil Sambos," I walked an hour down the main drag and then headed for an hour walk back up the beach. As I walked the beach, I marveled at the vast beauty of this place that is afforded to all Americans.

I also laughed loudly as I watched some teenager spin his pick-up truck wheels and splash wet sand all over an out-of-towner's truck. Local mischievous teenager at work. Now I'm organizing for our 76 mile day tomorrow on the way to Florence. PS If you'd like to see our ride leader's daily blog that includes even more photos, go to this link http://bamacyclist.com/Journal2009/West09/09westtitle.htm. Just click the cities under "Itinerary" and you'll be able to follow us along.