Ride the West Sep 09--Day 3 Lincoln City to Florence

Hello Friends and Family!

Today, Tuesday, 8 Sep 09, was absolutely delightful from beginning to end. The sky was vivid blue and the wind that kicked us soundly the previous two days was now at our backs for most of the way. We started off this 75 mile plus trek with a handful of turns and twists to avoid the "rush hour" traffic of the metropolis of Lincoln City. About 4 of us decided to just head to Highway 101 south and head on down the road. Other than school buses stopping to pick up youngsters headed for their first day of school, the traffic really wasn't too bad.

With some smooth pavement, a tailwind and a full stomach, I really enjoyed pushing for about the first 10 miles, looking around at the innate beauty of this land and appreciating the chance to enjoy each turn of the crank. As I looked around, I kept thinking of how much I hope my family, Arlene, DA, Sara and Adam have a chance to see this bountiful land and sea. Corny yes, but I was definitely "feeling it."

The temps were in the mid 50's to start so I had both my wind pants and windbreaker on and felt comfortable. I hate to ride cold and consequently, I'm not bashful about bundling up a bit. By the time I'd made it to the first rest stop at 20 miles, I'd climbed a number of hills and consequently, I appreciated the SAG at Devil's Punchbowl, perched atop a precipice overlooking the Pacific. As I walked my bike to the America By Bicycle van, Barbara Munk greeted me and said, ". . . those people over there are looking at some 'quail'." At least that's what my tired aviator ears heard. I thought to myself, that's a little odd, but the 3 people I could see were looking down an embankment and who would have thought that "quail" are native to Oregon? Okay, it took me about another 30 seconds to realize that Barbara must have said "whale" vs "quail." And guess what sports fans, I actually saw 3 whale spouts, having full confidence that right below each was a full fledged, dyed in the wool, whale. As more and more folks arrived, all were excited to see these native giants in their own backyard.

Pushing from there, I ambled along for another 30 miles appreciating the grandeur and simplicity of this place. And for those of you interested, there are many residences and lots available--buy now! I smiled vigorously as I crossed the Alsea Bay Bridge. In fact, I stopped midway on the bridge, picked up my bike and swung it into the pedestrian lane and climbed into the lane myself. I was carefully listening for someone to yell, ". . . don't jump", but the cry never came. Instead, I leaned against the railing and admired the 100 sea lions who were suntanning on a nearby sandbar below. And against the Surgeon General's advice, it looked to me like none had adequate sunscreen.

After riding about 55 miles, I arrived at the second rest stop at Yachats State Park and became slightly concerned. We are required to sign in at each rest stop to maintain accountability for all the 25 riders and I could not find the van and trailer. I called Barb and she told me she was about 5 miles out. I continued to relax, hydrate with my water bottles and Gatorade, and made a quick call to Arlene. I also had a front row seat to the world's most magnificent view while listening to a lady play here melodic harp. Does life get better than this? I much enjoyed the warm, comforting sun and setting and stayed a while talking with some of the other riders about their experiences.

I left the SAG and headed back down 101 south until I made the optional turn to climb Cape Perpetua. Perpetua is a scenic overlook that is about a 2 mile climb and an extra 1000 feet up. I love the challenge of hauling my 207 pounds up a hill that I renamed "St. Perpetua, the patron saint of Uphill and Into the Wind." When I arrived up the hill, I was quite warm and ready to see this view that Mike Munk, our ride leader, recommended. On this perfectly clear day, it was worth every extra heartbeat it took to get here! After some photos and a good drink of Gatorade, I screamed on down the hill, smiling and waving at a young couple pushing toward the summit. They too looked pained.

As I exited the hill and headed toward Highway 101 South, who should roll by but Bill Bergen. I pedaled quickly to catch him and rode with him about the next 20 miles. About 3 miles after I rendezvoused with him, we both heard what we thought was a large group of people playing their music way, way too loud. To our chagrin, the source of the loud "music" was 500 seals barking loudly while recreating at what looking like a seal water park. This large rock outcropping had places to lay down and relax and bark, as many did, but it also had a place to swim, wrestle, and goof around. Of course there were also those long distance swimming seals who were just swimming slowly on the periphery by themselves. I was so excited that I called Arlene and left a message that included the background noise of seals going, "arg, arg, arg, etc."

Bill and I each too some great photos and went up and down some good hills over that last hour. We split off for about the last 10 miles when he stopped for yet another moving photo of the Oregon coastline. I rolled into the Comfort Inn in Florence, OR just as Barb was getting instructions from the front desk regarding our stay. She and I, along with Dave, the pet products business owner, helped unload the bags. Over a great meal at the legendary "Mo's", we all shared stories of whale watching, seal and sea lion viewing and we also solved world hunger while sitting at an ordinary picnic table. Sure had a lot of fun riding a bicycle today.

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.