Archive for September 1st, 2009

Oregon Pacific Coast – Capes, Dunes, State Parks

The last 5 days I have been riding down the Oregon Coast following Hwy 101. There is a rugged beauty to this land, especially when the sun comes out. A sunset on a clear, cloudfree evening overlooking the cliffs and seastacks just off shore is truly a sight to behold.

Sunset near Netarts, Oceanside

Near Cannon Beach

Overlook at Nehalem Bay

At times some bridges have to be crossed, often without shoulder or sidewalk. Once I tried the narrow sidewalk, but the wind gusts threatened to throw me off! I walked up to the crest, then waited for a low in traffic, got back on the road and pedaled downhill with tailwind 🙂

Bike on windy bridge near Coos Bay, North Bend

The State Parks offer good facilities (incl. hot showers) at an unbeatable prize ($4 per day for hiker/biker camping), beach access, fire wood, and often put you in company of other riders to share stories of the road.

Sea Stacks near Bay City

Beach near Heceta Head Lighthouse

The campgrounds tend to be damp at night and I often packed a wet tent. Usually I would stop the next day around noon and unpack the tent to let the sun dry it out while I have lunch.

Above the Dunes near Florence

Sadly, the sun hides a lot behind fog and low clouds created by the cool waters of the Pacific, even on summer days in August! Then it gets breezy and cold on the bike. It was actually much cooler here in Oregon than in Alaska or Canada. I definitely would not want to ride here in the other 10 months of the year when it rains a lot! So as this was the last day of August, it’s time to get down to California – I should cross the border tomorrow…

Add comment September 1st, 2009


Calendar

September 2009
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  

Posts by Month

Posts by Category