Our guidebook we have been loosely following described today’s ride; “With so much to see in the next 60.3 miles, expect travel time to be long and distances between stops very short.”
Understatement.
Our ride started with a trip to the Yaquina Lighthouse. Yes another lighthouse but with this one open and manned by two lighthouse historians – specialized work to be sure – it was both a stunning and informative way to start the day.
We passed through numerous state parks and waysides stopping at each to survey the coast in all its glory on a warm, windy October Sunday. It seems the colors of the ocean at each cove, beach, and bay was a little different but no less stunning.
We happened across a Sunday Farmer’s Market in the sleepy town of Yachats. We sampled all we could get our hands on, including the most delicious fruitcake from Jean – an insurance adjuster from Portland who moved to the town to pick berries, make jam, can fruits, and produce up to 200 fruit cakes a year (yes she was taking orders!). Her ‘sample’ consisted of trying to serve us pieces of all her cakes, which we happily gobbled up.
Freshly stocked with Rhubarb-Nut loaf, Apricot-Jalapeno jelly, and numerous fruits (including Gravenstein apples) and veggies we waddled out of Yachats and into some of the most stunning riding we have ever done. The next 20 miles must have taken us four hours to complete with each of us shouting to stop for one more pose. Cape Perpetua was amazing and we longed to pitch tent at one of the numerous waysides. The traffic was light, road smooth albeit more than a little hilly, and scenery postcard perfect.
Today’s stress was negotiating a tunnel near the end of the ride. This engineering marvel of a highway definitely has a weak link for the cyclists; these short dark tunnels, all on a seemingly steep uphill grade challenge the nerves although we have been lucky to encounter them during a lull in the traffic, which is steady.
The last ten miles to the non-descript town of Florence was both downhill and downwind making the last minutes of our nine hours on the road quick. With rain expected we treated ourselves to a hotel bed and surprising excellent Thai curry at a nearby restaurant.
1 comment:
Love reading about your voyage. Safe travels!
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