Rain predicted today but we managed to stay dry until we were back in the Redwood Forests again. We left Klamath, crossing the Klamath River and cycling on the 101 for a few miles and a few hills.

We headed into the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park on the Newton B. Drury Parkway – very little traffic and beautiful redwoods abounded.

We were also protected from the rain by the heavy forest canopy.

Yes, we got wet but we dried quickly once we reached the Elk Meadows where the sun came out. In this section of the Redwood National Park one can find the largest herd of Roosevelt Elk – we were lucky to catch them grazing with no thought to the humans photographing them.

Leaving the Prairie Creek Park, we headed into the small, quaint town of Orick where we stopped at the Palm Cafe for a late breakfast. It appeared to be THE spot as there were 5 touring bikes parked outside. We met the cyclists; and older couple from Utica, New York traveling to Canada – (they had already done 2 cross country trips) and 3 young fellows from Canada traveling to San Francisco. After our late breakfast, we were on the road again for a few miles before we turned off on a coastal road through Patricks Point State Park. We were able to stay on this to Trinidad and heard and saw more barking sea lions.

From Trinidad, the road really got rugged, one lane in some parts, gravel in some parts, and falling off the cliff in some parts –

but we made it for another short jaunt on the 101 and then we were off road for the rest of the day on a Pacific Coastal bike/hike trail that was paved and well-marked. We met another interesting cyclist from Ushuaia, Argentina – the southernmost city in Argentina. He has been on the road for three years and will end his trip in Alaska.

After riding a few short miles we came to the end of the Pacific Coast Trail and ended up on narrow roads out in the country that reminded us of Ireland.

We crossed the Mud River on the trail bridge and ended the day in Arcata. We thought it would be easy to check into one of the cheaper motels, Motel 6 for example, but all the local hotels are booked due to graduation at Humboldt State University. We did find a room at the Best Western, thank goodness someone had cancelled. I’ll not relate the cost of said room. We’re going to a soup kitchen for dinner (Nuff said).

It was a lovely day of riding, meeting interesting cyclists, traveling on all types of roadways, and covering 55 miles. I am getting to the point where I look forward to the hills! Call me crazy.

So we finished all those Oregon hills – see yesterday’s cardiac readout, I mean profile map of Oregon coast. I looked at our next map and thought easy-peasy, then I looked more carefully. They changed the darn scale! Our first hill today in California is 1200 ft. and on the profile map it looks the same as one that was only 600 ft. in Oregon. It is what it is-onward and upward.

Since we couldn’t check into our motel in Klamath until 3:00 and there is nothing in Klamath (well there is a casino), we spent a few hours this morning in Crescent City. We had breakfast across the street from our Redwood Motel.

Then we retrieved our bikes, not loaded, and headed over to the marina area on the Pacific Coast Trail.

I heard barking sea lions and tried to figure out where they were located. A fisherman at the marina gave us the directions to cycle to where we could get a close-up.

After the video shoot with the barking sea lions, we headed back into town on the trail all the way to the lighthouse.

Across from the approach to the lighthouse was a Marine Mammal Rescue Center and we stopped by to observe some of the pinnepeds. Had to be quiet because it is a “Hospital”.

Then we worked our way to a unique book store with a knowledgeable owner who spent several minutes sharing different routes we should take as we travel south on the 101.  We headed to the Redwoods National and State Park visitor center where a ranger explained what our obstacles and challenges would be as we traveled through the Redwoods.

Back to the hotel, picked up our bags and then we headed up the first 1200 ft. “hill” with just a few stops to catch my breath. At this point I find it easier to climb the hill then to make the descent.

I’m more concerned about the trucks when I’m traveling downhill at 25 to 30 mph, then when I’m going uphill at 4 mph.

We made it down and have now stopped for the evening in Klamath. If we were gamblers we could venture next door to the Casino, but I need to save my quarters for laundry. Tomorrow we are headed to Trinidad –

We aren’t dreaming anymore as we made it to California after cycling a few miles out of Brookings, OR this morning.

We stopped in Brookings at Maddie’s Pancake house (you guessed it, our motel didn’t have breakfast fixins). We conversed with three delightful sisters (and the husband of one) who were doing a road trip through Oregon to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of the sisters. They were very impressed with our cycle travels and wished us safe travels on our way south.

Our route today was just delightful, even though we had a little Irish mist, fog and overcast conditions.

We were OFF the 101 for the entire trip! Our maps indicated that we would be riding through residential areas – see photos below for what Northern California considers residential areas :).

We really enjoyed being able to ride side by side with no traffic and even when we were on a more-traveled road, the shoulder was wide enough for us to ride side by side.

We cycled inland today for most of the miles, traveling back to the coast when we reached Crescent City, CA, where we cycled along Pebble Beach Road and some beautiful coastal scenery.

We stopped at the Post Office as my daughter had sent a Mother’s Day card to General Delivery – she know that system well.

We are staying this evening at a 1950’s motel, built in 1957 with the wood from one curly redwood tree(57,000 board feet) – all the doors, wood trim and paneling are the original curly redwood. Furniture is retro and so is the decor. It’s really vintage – The Curly Redwood Lodge.

Tomorrow we tackle our first California hill, looks close to 1000 feet – will be the highest climb this trip so far. Wish me luck.

Statistics so far – miles traveled from Vancouver, BC to Crescent City, Ca – 805 in 24 days! Not bad for two old “f..ts”

After a delightful breakfast at the Inn of the Beachcomber where we conversed with two Canadian ladies, we headed out of Gold Beach to get on with those hills.

Our first hill was the longest and with the most elevation, 700+ and a 2 mile long climb – made it slow and steady to the top. At the base of the hill  we breezed along at ocean level stopping for a photo looking out over the rocks.

As we cycled next to a channel created by the Pistol River (when the tide is high)

we noticed a long distance cyclist coming from the opposite direction. He crossed over to talk with us and shared his very interesting story. He has been cycling for 3 years. He is from England and started his cycling journey in Norway with his wife, they cycled all the way to South Africa, then flew to South America, where they began their trip north – to Alaska. After talking with him for about 10 minutes, he then stated that he had lost his wife in Bolivia, she had been hit by a 4×4 in a remote, isolated location and killed instantly

. It took him 10 months to make the decision to finish the journey, but he has found it a way to deal with his grief. He shared the story with us to warn us to travel safely. Amazing person.His blog can be found at north2northcycletouring.wordpress.com

After hearing his story, I was even more cautious and on we traveled climbing four more smaller hills. We stopped at one wayside called Arch Rock, and took a snack break, walking down to the viewpoint – well worth the walk and we discovered why it was called Arch Rock.

Oh to be able to kayak or swim through that arch, except I forget the water is super cold! We cycled on to Brookings where we have stopped for the day. We purchased brake pads for both bikes, had a Mexican lunch and now Bill is busy doing brake pad replacement. It is only four miles to California, which we will tackle tomorrow. Still California Dreamin’.

Castaway by the Sea in Port Orford did not serve a continental breakfast so we stopped at the Hook’d Cafe before leaving town. That was a good thing as there were no more convenience stores or places to eat for 27 more miles. We cycled for 15 miles on the 101 with the “same ole” ocean views that were amazing.

Thank goodness for pull offs every now and then, because I don’t want to look while I’m cycling with a logging truck passing me and a cliff down to the ocean on my right and no guardrail and bumpy road – you get the picture. There were more touring cyclists out today; two recent college grads (last week) from British Columbia, a young lady on her own (not sure where she was from) and a couple that we have befriended because we have seen them frequently over the last three days. The couple are from Montreal – he is a PH.d student at the university and is taking a vacation before he starts his dissertation- his field is political science and in his research is in the politics in the United States – wow – what a time to be doing research on that! They are camping out and hope to be in San Francisco in a few weeks. Their pace seems to be the same as ours.

We stopped on one of the final descents on the 101 today because I heard funny noises when I braked. Bill checked and figured out that I had worn out the pads. He flipped the bike upside-down, took the front tire off, and the back tire, switched out the brake pads, put the tires back on and I was good to go! I love my personal bike mechanic.

As we neared our turnoff, we passed a sad situation – an elk had been hit and was dead on the shoulder of the road. Sure looked like a horse to me.

We also passed an interesting tourist attraction – the Prehistoric Gardens, with dinosaurs beckoning one to stop and and spend $12 to see 23 life sized dinosaur models displayed in an Oregon rainforest – Oregon’s version of Jurassic Park.

After our 15 miles on the 101, we were able to take a side road for the next 15 miles through a beautiful valley following Cedar Creek,

which eventually brought us to the Rogue River – quite different from the rivers we’ve been crossing; reminded us of Idaho.

Since Gold Beach, our destination for today was on the other side of the Rogue River, you guessed it, we had to cross another bridge. This one was easy-peasy… and no log trucks were crossing at the same time.

We are staying at the Inn of the Beachcomber in Gold Beach, with the waves as “white noise” as we are a “stone’s throw” from the beach.

Have to rest up as there is one more big hill to climb tomorrow (the last one in Oregon) and then we will be ready for California Dreamin.

With a late start this morning after a breakfast at The Station in Bandon, Oregon, we only cycled about 28 miles today to Port Orford, Oregon. On our way out of Bandon, we stopped at the former workshops for the “Washed Ashore – Art from the Sea” organization.

The grounds around the workshop were filled with piles of marine debris and sorting troughs by type and color.

It would have been interesting to have seen the students and artists at work on the projects. The photos don’t do justice to the completed projects. They were similar to the fish we saw yesterday in Bandon’s Old Town. If you are interested a traveling exhibit opens at the Smithsonian in DC on May 27, 2016  https://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/washed-ashore.cfm

And the website for the organization is washedashore.org- could make a great problem-based learning project!

A few miles outside of Bandon, the route became more rural as we were more inland today.

Sheep, cows, horses and cranberry bogs were part of the landscape. Even though we were back on the 101 Highway with several passing trucks, it wasn’t as busy as on the weekend.

We reached Port Orford, the westernmost settlement in the state of Oregon. It is also a small artistic fishing village where the forest and the mountains meet the ocean. Our lodging this evening has a beautiful view looking out over the Pacific Ocean and the local beach studded with rock formations.

An early morning start on a Sunday helped to avoid the traffic as we departed Coos Bay, with a steep hill to get over the ridge that overlooks the Bay.

Once we were out of the urban part of Coos Bay, it was “easy riding” as we cycled next to the South Slough, a canal-like waterway that connects Coos Bay to the Pacific Ocean.

We stopped in Charleston at the Crabby Cakes Bakery,  where scones had just come out of the oven. Umm -good!I also made a new friend.

Charleston is a little fish processing, sport-fishing village at the entrance of the South Slough into the Pacific Ocean. It was low tide and we saw lots of folks out clamming.

After our scrumptious “second breakfast” at the Bakery, we headed out of town  and turned onto Seven Devils Road. As we cycled up the first “hill”, I said to Bill I bet the seven devils refers to seven hills! I was right and some humorous cyclist had fun with comments painted on the road after each hill. See below.

As we climbed the first hill, we noticed a fellow walking his bike up the hill, talking on the phone. I figured – hey, it’s Mother’s Day, he’s calling his mom. We stopped for a break at the top of the hill and the fellow made it to the top while we were resting. He shared his cycling stories, telling us he had been across the country, up to Montana, to Wyoming but it was snowing then over to Portland, OR and then on to the coast. We continued on our way and he kept standing there where we left him. A few miles down the road, a truck beeps its horn, our cyclist friend is riding in the truck and his bike is in the back.  We passed him standing on the side of Highway 101 about an hour later. We now figure that’s how he gets across country, using the bicycle as a prop so folks will pick him up.

Our ride was short today and we arrived in Bandon by noon. We were able to take advantage of the sunshine and walk around the “Old Town” section of Bandon- referred to as “The Southern Oregon Coast vacation destination”.  It is small and quaint and has a lighthouse. It has a unique community-based art project, Washed Ashore – art from the sea- folks help to pick up trash from the beaches and create “street art” from the trash. Very cool project!

Off to dinner – had planned to go to an Irish pub tonight but it is closed for Mother’s Day – typical Irish. So maybe Italian or seafood tonight.

I spoke too soon yesterday as today was a bit foggy and gray, but no rain. Our route today kept us on the main Highway 101 with a decent shoulder leaving Reedsport. After reaching the summit of the first hill, we could look out over Winchester Bay, and see the oyster and clam cultivation in the v-shaped levee.

Traveling through the last part of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, we finally saw the dunes! They do look a little unusual with fir trees growing out of them.

Since it is Saturday, many dune buggies are out on the dunes. We stopped for a quick warm-up coffee and snack at a little market called The Wagon Wheel, in Hauser, Oregon – where Bill was pulled away by the old car and truck.

As i finished my coffee, an older, local gentleman came up to me and said he really liked our LED lights and wished all cyclists used them. He said once the cyclists are in the shadow on the side of the road, you can’t see them. Then he proceeded to scare me out of my wits with a story about a recent cycling accident on the 101. He was behind a vehicle and saw a bicycle come over the vehicle – and then a piece a luggage. He thought stuff was falling off someone’s truck or trailer. Turns out the piece of luggage was a woman cyclist that had been hit. She didn’t survive the accident.
Again, we are doing our best to be safety conscious with our bright lights, bright colors, staying over on the shoulder as much as possible, and watching out for what’s behind us (Bill’s mirror) and what’s ahead. But the story sure unnerved me and I was very cautious and tense for the rest of the ride on the 101. As we approached Coos Bay there is a mile-long bridge that we didn’t take – high winds, not much space for bicycles, and my fear!

The route we are following maps out an alternate way that was about 10 miles longer, but it was nice to get off the Highway 101 for a bit.

We have stopped for the evening in Coos Bay and we’re just in time for their Tall Ships Festival… photos tomorrow!

Sunshine today, who said it always rains in the Pacific Northwest? We have been fortunate so far. We actually had a heat wave today, it was in the 70’s with a wind out of the north – nice to have a little tailwind to help climb the hills. And climb we did, right after leaving Yachats this morning  (after passing the folks exercising on the side of the river).

We cycled up through the Cape Perpetua headlands, managed by the Forest Service, beautiful views of the inlets, chasms and creeks. WE missed the impressive tide action that occurs during high tide, blowing the water up through the holes in the rocks for many feet. The views were still amazing.

As we reached the upper part of the climb, I would have to stop to look over the cliffs and I was particularly looking for sea lions. I lucked out and saw a few swimming in the surf.

A few miles up the road, one could pay $17 dollars to view the famous Sea Lion Caves, where we were told by our hotel clerk tonight that they are not always visible in the caves.

So, I felt pretty good, I got to see them free of charge.  After leaving the beautiful cliff-side, forested headlands, we stopped for lunch in Florence,

and then into the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. One would expect to see sand dunes, but from the road we saw lakes and forest – not what I expected for Dunes!

The dunes exist closer to the ocean – 40 miles worth of dunes!  We have stopped for the day in Reedsport and hope to be in Coos Bay by tomorrow.

While checking out at the Best Western in Lincoln City, the hotel clerk and I conversed about her roots in Germany (she grew up in Wiesbaden and married an American soldier stationed there). We talked about our shared perceptions of the world as seen through the eyes of children growing up in Europe. We both acknowledged that living in different countries as children grow up seems to make one more tolerant of others who are different. As we cycled out from the hotel, the mural across the way echoed the theme of our conversation.

Colors were brighter in the landscapes and seascapes today as the sun was shining. The winds were also blowing from the north, creating tailwinds for us cycling south, increasing our mph especially going uphill. The bridges were a little scary, but I managed.

As we cycled towards Yachats, we were routed on the 101 for most of the trip. One scenic bypass, The Otter Creek Loop was a one way road, a little lower on the cliffs than the 101. It was striped for two lanes, one for cyclists and pedestrians and the other for cars going one way.

It made for a nice, gentle climb towards Cape Foulweather. This Cape was discovered by James Cook in the 1770’s and so named because of the harsh weather. Winds could reach up to 100 mph.

We passed through the towns of Newport, Depoe Bay and Waldport, all unique little oceanside communities. Traveling during this time of year, we are not experiencing the traffic, the crowds, or the no vacancy signs on hotels.

We met two cyclists today, one gentleman was traveling from Moab to Seattle, the other was a young lady from England traveling the Oregon coast. We also met a young lady who had a few weeks off as a mentor teacher in Portland schools and was auto-touring  the coast of Oregon. Arlene, if you read this, I did ask if she knew Spencer – she didn’t.

Bill kept stopping today to take photos of the gorgeous outcroppings of rocks along the coast line – and with low tide some were more photogenic than others. Hope you enjoy the photos – and the title the Oregon Coast Rocks!