Woke up at 2:30 in the morning needing to use the bathroom. It’s always such a chore when camping. Have to get completely dressed into cold clothes. Walk over and use the bathroom. Walk back. Get undressed and crawl into a now cold bed. Fun times.
I was able to fall asleep after about a half hour. Woke up for good at 5:30. I knew I had a bigger day planned today so I just got up and started moving. Made pretty good time breaking camp and was on the road a couple hours later.
Today’s ride stuck to US-101 for a majority of the ride. There were a couple segments that left the highway to loop onto less traveled side roads. The loop that tooke to the Umpqua River Lighthouse was pretty scenic.
As I got closer to Coos Bay I had to finally decide if I’d call an audible and cross the McCullough Memorial Bridge or stick with the ACA Bypass option. When I finally laid eyes on the bridge itself it was an easy decision. I’ve been getting nervous enough on some of the bridge crossings as it is. There was no way I was going to climb that monster while worrying about traffic. Maybe on a slow weekday early morning, but certainly not Friday afternoon.
The bypass route was a little longer, but the roads were much quieter. Even took the opportunity to snap a couple pictures with the McCullough Memorial Bridge in the background.
Once I returned to US-101 I opted to return into town to check out a bike shop for some supplies and to find some lunch. I got lucky and the first bike shop I came to, Blue Sky Bike Shop, happened to have what I needed. While I was there I asked for a lunch recommendation and was told to try Kaffe 101.
I rolled the block over to Kaffe 101 and was disappointed to see that they had to close early today and I’d just missed them. Bummed and not wanting to double back for another recommendation I slow rolled down the street looking for another place to eat. I finally settled on Coney Station. Went with a burger with tater tots, and they turned out pretty good!
Back on the road I left Coos Bay along US-101. I will say it was pretty busy until the interchange with OR-42. Once I cleared that junction the traffic lightened up significantly.
Before I knew it I was rolling into Bullards Beach State Park. While I was getting checked in I asked about a good local joint for dinner and was told Tony’s Crab Shack was where it’s at. I finished getting checked in and picked a spot at the hike/bike site. I quickly set up my tent, threw my sleeping quilt and pad into it, redistributed some weight in the rear panniers, and rode out for town.
I wanted to stop at a local bike shop named South Coast Bicycles to see if they had anything for me. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for my wallet, the shop was a bust. In the shops I’ve been in most cater to MTB more than anything else. Little to no road gear or equipment.
After the shop I rode over to Tony’s Crab Shack. At this point the winds were blowing pretty good. Had to struggle a couple times to keep upright they were so stiff and that’s even carrying all my extra weight.
I arrived at Tony’s safe and sound and a couple siting out front started asking all the typical questions. I gave all the typical answers and we had a good 10-15 minute long conversation before I finally went inside.
After staring at the menu for ten minutes I stepped to the counter to order. I asked the girl to help me make the decision between the Lobster Roll and Dungeness Crab Cakes. She said she really loves the crab cakes so naturally that’s what I went with. I did also add a Key Lime Tart after watching one come out for another customer. It was all so wonderful. Something about seafood on the coast.
As I started back for camp the winds had lightened some, but not as much as I had hoped. I still faced a pretty stiff head wind for most of the ride back to camp.
When I got back I set about getting chores taken care of. Before I left, a solo female rider rolled up and made straight for the corner, and most isolated, site. I grabbed my camp clothes and toiletries and started for the showers. Along the way one of the camp hosts stopped me and said there was a presentation at the large urt at 7:00 from one of the local museums discussing transportation in Coos County up to the 1900s. I made a mental note and continued on.
With all the chores taken care of I arrived back at camp to see two more groups had showed up. They were both camped on either side of me. The first is a group of three hikers. They sound German and my guess is they were doing the PCT and diverted to the Oregon Coast Trail. The other group is three male cyclists who are doing the same route as I am except they will finish at home in Santa Barbara(?).
7:00 came and I decided to check out this presentation. It was titled “In and Out of Coos: Transportation in the Early 1900s” and was presented by Steve Grief of the Coos History Museum. I must say that it was pretty interesting to see how things developed in this area over the past 100 years. The entire presentation was about 45 minutes long and once it was done I took the short walk back to camp.
Really that’s about it. Sitting here in my tent hiding from the mosquitoes. They’ve been trying to eat me alive. Each time I stop somewhere I forget to get some repellent. Need time I’m sure.
I did hear from Robyn, the girl traveling north I met at Nehalem Bay State Park, tonight that she got right hooked by a truck in Seaside. Guess the driver didn’t stop and the police had to chase them down. Thankfully she’s ok, a little sore, but ok. Will need a new helmet and the bike survived. She’s hunkered down at her favorite campsite for the night and will take a shuttle to Portland tomorrow before starting her new job on Monday.
And that’s a wrap on this fine day. Have another big one planned for tomorrow with more climbing. Kinda sad that tomorrow will be my last stay at an Oregon State Park. No more free showers. :-(
New bike fund: $5.30 (+$0.10)
80.31 new miles
🏘 Completed 25% of Winchester Bay
🏘 Completed 25% of Umpqua Lighthouse State Park
— From Wandrer.earth
Sunny-Mostly sunny, 54°F-60°F, Feels like 55°F-64°F, Humidity 93%-70%, Wind WNW 7mph-NNW 9mph – by Klimat.app
— myWindsock Report —
Weather Impact: -8.9%
Headwind: 16% @ 0.2-5.8mph
Longest Headwind: 45m 15s
Air Speed: 12.4mph
Temp: 53-61°F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END —
Max elevation: 654 ft
Min elevation: 115 ft
Total climbing: 4135 ft
Total descent: -4113 ft
Total time: 09:04:49
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