Day 3 - Lincoln City to Florence

Daily Statistics: Rode 79.62 miles and burned 4927 calories

Left the hotel at 7:42 and arrived at 1:38 (no breakfast or lunch stop)

I think I mentioned that the tour leaders said that every day would have more to see than the last. This was certainly true for today. Both Ron and I agreed today had the most sights to see so far. I had a tough time deciding what photos to show, but decided I would lead off with one of me, simply to show I am really out here riding (plus I love my SOB jersey that is thanks to Herb Schon from last year). The other thing to take from this shot is that today was probably much more typical Oregon coast weather than we have been seeing. We were overcast/foggy all morning, with the sun finally starting to break out around 12:30.

We spent virtually the entire day on Hwy 101, but it is a great stretch. My first stop was at this photo in Boiler Bay. We crossed through Depoe Bay, advertising the world's smallest harbor. We then made our way via the Otter Crest Loop to Devil's Punchbowl. This is a neat formation, as you can see in the picture below. From the Devil's Punchbowl, we continued on to our first SAG at Yaquina Bay State Park. I wanted to include a photo of the great bridge we crossed upon leaving, but can't use too much of my space.

We proceeded on through Newport, Seal Rock, Alsea Bay, and Waldport to our second SAG at Yachats State Park. This is another great town and park. Ron and I got there ahead of the SAG, and were just leaving when Mike pulled in. He said they were having a tough time keeping ahead of us, and why didn't we leave an hour after the luggage truck leaves the hotel. This is not my style.

Leaving Yachats, we continued on to Devil's Churn and Cape Perpetua, eventually coming to a view point for the Heceta Head Lighthouse. I can't have an Oregon coast story without a lighthouse picture, so here it is. Shortly after this we went through a tunnel, past the Sea Lion's Cave, and on to cover the last 10 miles to the hotel.

All in all, today was another great day to be on a bike. Again, check Mike's blog at bamacyclist.com for photos of all the riders and many other great pictures. See you tomorrow.

Day 2 - Tillamook to Lincoln City

Daily statistics: 64 miles covered and 5106 calories burned.
Left hotel at 7:13 and arrived at 1:53.

We started our ride today on the Three Capes Scenic Route. We continue to be extremely blessed. At route rap last night, they said that both of the last two years, when they got to the Cape Meares lookout, it was so socked in they couldn't see anything. As the photo below can attest, this was not the case today. I am pictured with Boaz Pomeranz and Ron Doornink (my riding partner again today) at the overlook. I could show a number of great beach views, but expect to have the opportunity to do this over the next few days.


The other picture I am featuring today is of what is called the "Octopus Tree." I didn't capture it perfectly, but I think you can get the idea. It is quite a sight. The second Cape was Cape Lookout, where we had a SAG stop. I never did figure out what the third one was.

After leaving the Three Capes route, we got back on Hwy 101 a few miles. My old roomie Andrew Perry would be pleased, as had we just gotten on 101 in the first place, we would have taken 20 miles off the trip. Of course, we would have missed a lot of great scenery. We could have also gone directly to Lincoln City on 101, but of course left it so we could take Slab Creek Road and climb for 6 or 7 miles and add a little distance.

We stopped about 4 miles from the motel at a little place called the Otis Cafe. It was a tiny little place, but every table was full. The ride leaders had recommended it for the pie, and I must say it was very good, as was my sandwich. We got to the motel, and had the usual hour and a half wait for the luggage truck. All in all, it was a terrific day to be on the road. The weather and the route were both fabulous.

I wanted to provide a few rider facts. Our oldest riders are 74 and 70. We have 12 men and 3 women. There is an Israeli again this year, and one of the women is English. We seem to get along well so far.

Day 1 - Astoria to Tillamook

Todays statistics:
68 miles ridden with about 3400 feet of climbing.
Left about 8:04, arrived at the hotel at 1:25.

We loaded the truck at 8:00 and were on the road by about 5 after. The weather started a little foggy, which got the part of my glasses I see through so fogged up I wasn't seeing much. I rode most of the day with a guy from Manhattan Beach named Ron Doornink, a very nice 54 year old. The route started a little inland, on a back road named Logan Road. Not a lot to see, but not very busy.

When we got to Seaside, they routed us through an old car show. There were more than I have seen in most of these shows, and there were some real beauties. I especially appreciated a 57 Impala. We then went down to a Lewis and Clark monument, and the sign below marking the end of their trail.




After we left Seaside, we went through Cannon Beach, and were then treated to some wonderful beach scenery. I am told it will just get better over the next few days, but this was great. I am including a shot to give you a small idea.

We met a couple of other groups doing an Oregon Coast ride. A group of 5 or 6 folks from Iowa, who are going as far as Crescent City (our first day off), so we may see them again, and a fairly large (maybe 10 or 12) people from Colorado. Ron and I hooked on with a nice tandem from the Colorado group and rode on to Garibaldi, where we stopped in a little expresso shop for lunch. Nice chowder and an excellent sandwich got us refueled. We then headed into the last 10 miles to Tillamook. You will see the cheese factory in the shot below.

All in all, a great first day, and many more to come. A couple of other administrative facts. I am again posting all rides on motionbased.com, and if you search, my user name is rickolafson (original, huh?). Our ride leader is also doing a blog, which can be reached either through the rider journals at abbike.com or directly through his site at bamacyclist.com. He does a great job (much better than this amateur).

Ride the West

I am in Astoria, Oregon, on the day before setting out on a 23 day ride down the west coast to Costa Mesa, CA. The good news is my bicycle arrived successfully by UPS yesterday, and went together smoothly this morning. I am checked in with Mike Munk (tour leader) and his wife Barbara, as well as Karen Bauer, the other ride lead. I understand we are starting out with 15 riders, so it should be relatively easy to get to know everyone. Mike says this is a pretty challenging ride, but very beautiful.
We have a terrific forecast for the early going, with highs generally low 70s and lows in the low 50s. My idea of ideal riding weather. I will try to post every day, with at least a photo of the day.