Pacific Coast Bike Route – Day 14 : Bullards Beach State Park > Harris Beach State Park

Day got off to an early start at around 5:00. I messed up and left my laundry hanging to dry over night. Open the tent this morning to grey overcast skies and light mist compared to clear blue when I went to bed. Oh well just means a bunch of stuff gets put away damp and had to dry at camp later.

Got started breaking camp straight away. I knew today was going to be a big one. I can either start early and enjoy the ride or start late and feel rushed the entire time. I choose the former. I actually like stopping and taking pictures and videos along the way. Better than stopping at red lights.

About a half hour after I got up the group of three guys who had also rode in started moving. Gotta admit they were pretty quick and rolled out maybe 15 minutes before I did. I was hoping that I’d catch them but I never saw them today. I overheard them talking about booking a stay 60 miles out so I think they stopped in Gold Beach for the night.

I went over to the showers to get changed. It is always easier to get changed in a shower than in a tent. Just can’t get those bibs quite right. Anyway, when I looked down at the bench I couldn’t help but see a face in the books and burn mark in the word. It made me laugh out loud and I had to get a picture of it.

The ride got pretty right out of the gate. Just after crossing the Coquille River Bridge I hung a right onto Riverside Drive. This was a nice quiet back road that took you straight into the heart of Brandon. Along the way I passed a house with this cool piece of art that looked like a cyclist. Definitely a guy serious about cycling so I figured I’d better look serious too.

I wish I had known about this road last night for my dinner run. Would have made the trip more enjoyable.

I continued to work my way through town hugging the coast the entire time. Snapped more pictures of random town artwork, and some good ones of Shadow before eventually rejoining US-101.

As I started to get some miles into my legs I was on the hunt for some coffee. It’s been pretty typical that I ride for maybe 15-20 miles before stopping for coffee or second breakfast. Today was certainly the latter.

I rolled up on this little hole in the wall named Langlois Market. When I stopped I’d planned on just getting a coffee, downing it, and rolling on. I wasn’t in a hurry but didn’t want to dilly dally either. As I was walking the place I hear this couple ordering breakfast burritos. This gets my attention. I’m listening to them order and suddenly I’m thinking a breakfast burrito sounds amazing!

I check out with my canned Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew and this monster burrito. Out front a gentleman with MTB riding shoes on is sitting on the only bench so I ask, “Is that a one person bench?”

“Oh no man come on there is plenty of room.”. He replied.

I sit down and Theo and I start talking. He’s a local kite surfer who was heading out to one of the local lakes for practice. The plan had been breakfast at a local joint just down the highway but they were closed. Theo is also planning a bikepacking trip down to San Juan later this year. He was very interested in my setup and the bags that I was using. He was also impressed with the lights. I guess he’d driven past me earlier and said I was very visible. Always nice to hear that from a driver. Soon enough both our burritos were done and we went our separate ways.

After that is was all US-101. I managed to grab s couple pictures and videos along the way. Still get some of that pretty countryside here and there.

Next turn was onto Old Coast Hwy. This little side road was very pretty and quiet. Similar too the loop road around Bandon. Didn’t take long before it dumped into a coastal neighborhood which will easy to ride, because it’s quiet, it’s not always the prettiest.

As I cleared the Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge to enter Gold Beach, I knew I wanted to stop for a nice shit down lunch. The legs were getting a little sleepy and I was just ready for a break. I was getting towards the south side of town and I started to worry I was going to have to back track to find a place. That’s when I spotted a sign for Double D’s Cafe.

I made the left into Double D’s and got Shadow all squared away while I went inside. I went with the Ortega Burger with green chilies and swiss cheese. I opted for the tater tots upgrade and the entire thing was great. Certainly hit the spot at the perfect time.

As I started getting further south I started seeing SAG wagons with signs reading “Caution: Runners on Road”. Interesting I thought to myself. It took a while but eventually found that it was the The Wild Rogue Relay a 221 mile relay race from Applegate Lake to Brookings, Oregon.

As I passed a couple runners I also passed up some SAG wagons. One of the more interesting ones was for the “Keep Highland Running” Facebook group. I guess their group had a team and their members went with a pirate theme. I happened to pass one of their group right before they showed with to their wagon. They cheered me on with cheers and cowbell and again when their friend ran you in a tutu and carrying a pirates sword. On top of that the support group was all dressed up and had done up their van as well. It was hilarious, and I had to stop and snap a quick pic.

From there on into Brookings was just more US-101. Was definitely starting to feel it as I rolled into camp. I pulled up to the booth and asked for a dinner recommendation and was told Khun Thai. I quickly set up my tent so it could dry back out and set up a clothesline and put my half dry kit out to continue drying before leaving for dinner.

Khun Thai was a quick two mile ride into town. With a huge selection I asked the waiter for a suggestion. I went with his second suggestion of Crispy Chicken Basil (battered fried thigh meat, wok tossed in a sweet basil sauce. With carrots, bell peppers, and crispy fried basil). I went with a spice level three on a 1-5 scale. The food was amazing. Had just enough kick so you felt it, but didn’t leave you crying. I also opted for the Fried Bananas and Ice Cream (home made banana & coconut fritters with Umpqua ice cream) for dessert. All in all it was a wonderful meal.

I got back to camp after fighting an awful head wind and set about normal camp stuff. First order was a shower and cleaning the kit I was wearing. Once that was done I brought in the now dry kit and set out the freshly cleaned stuff to dry. Even as I’m sitting here in the dark I’m going to leave it out overnight despite it potentially getting rained on. I really don’t care as this point.

With the chores done I did something a little different than previous nights. I finally got out the travel chess set I brought with me. I set it up on the picnic table in my campsite and sat down and started writing tonight’s journal entry. Soon enough Clement (very French) came over and asked if I was waiting for a partner. I told him to pull up a chair!

We sat and played a single game. He started as white and did go on to beat me. I think I was ahead at one point but blew it getting greedy. Anyway, I learned that him and his buddy have been riding all over the western seaboard since April. The two of them had jobs in Canada at a ski resort and while there plotted this cycling trip. The did a bunch of riding on Vancouver island and Washington state as well. Guess they’re just using the ole Google Maps as their guide in determining which roads to take. Gotta say I’m impressed with their tenacity. After beating me we wished each other luck on tomorrow’s ride if we didn’t see each other beforehand. He went to take in a hot shower and I packed up the board and retired to my tent in an attempt to get warm.

I think that is about it for tonight. I’ll be saying goodbye to Oregon tomorrow. It’s a damn shame really. The quality of the state parks here are next level. I could spend a month riding this state alone just to continue to enjoy the state parks. Who knows maybe I could come to with something cool like that in the future. Or maybe come back and car camp. The sky is the limit.

New bike fund: $5.41 (+$0.11)
Mostly cloudy-Partly sunny, 54°F-61°F, Feels like 55°F-58°F, Humidity 98%-66%, Wind N 4mph-NW 14mph – by Klimat.app
87.62 new miles — From Wandrer.earth
— myWindsock Report —
Weather Impact: -17.8%
Headwind: 6% @ 8.1-8.1mph
Longest Headwind: 38m 48s
Air Speed: 11.3mph
Temp: 53.5-64.9°F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END —