A Pleasure to Climb

Monday, October 6, 2014

We had a quiet night in the park last night 'rocked' to sleep by the sound of the ocean...okay it might have been the climbing!

We were on the road by 8:00...before the other tour cyclists I might add. We met a guy from Ottawa who left Vancouver about the same time as us. He had already been to Victoria, Seattle and Portland (do not understand why he likes cities) while we had come straight from Maple Ridge. I think he is faster! We also saw two other cyclists come in just before dark so we were not talking to them.

Our ride today was a nice easy (short) ride along the coast. And as today's blog title suggests, we actually enjoyed the major climb of the day...there is a first for everything. Both the ACA and Oregon Bike Route took us off 101 and since yesterday's experience of ignoring them was a bad decision, we decided to follow their advice and are we glad we did. The climb was great...yes you probably have never heard these words from us before or will you again...the climb was great! It was called the Otter Crest Loop. It was a 4 kilometer climb which started by crossing a really neat old bridge. Most of it was 'one way' with a bike lane and a vehicle lane. The views on the whole climb were spectacular. And then there was the descent. I am not sure I have had more fun on a bicycle than letting it ride going downhill around the curves at 40 to 45 kilometers per hour for 4 1/2 kilometers.

We arrived at our destination by 11:30. We had heard about the bike shop here called Bike Newport. They have a biker lounge with showers, laundry, and Wi fi. And oh yes as per usual I needed their services for my bike as I had developed a vibration when I was climbing in low gears. Sue's bike was also not shifting well. While they were doing the bike maintenance and replacing our chains, we took advantage of heir laundry facilities.

We are staying in the Shilo Inn in Newport. Our room has a 'million dollar' view of the ocean. I have taken Sue out for her 'birthday dinner'...finally...at a restaurant that also has the 'million dollar' view.

F.Y.I. Oregon continues to 'stun' us with its sand beaches. Newport's is 8 kilometers long. We will be put to sleep again with the sound of the crashing waves,

Life is good! Sorry Pat but I just had to plagiarize again. We are sitting here 'sipping wine' as the sun goes down over the ocean.

Trip Distance = 46.66 km. Time on the Bikes = 3 hours 9 minutes. Average Speed = 14.81 km. Maximum Speed = 45.05 km. Wildlife Sightings = Numerous whale sightings, Raccoons in the campground last night, Greater White Fronted Goose (finally confirmed as we got binoculars on them), Stellar Jays, Great Egret, Great Blue Herons.

McCullough Bridge on Old Highway 101

View From Motel in Newport

As We Sipped Wine Sitting in our Motel Room

Beautiful Weather...Great Scenery

Sunday, October 5, 2014

It could easily be argued that our stay in Cape Lookout State Park was the best of our trip so far. We had a site at the far end of the park more or less by our selves. There was no road near by, no train tracks running past, just the sound of the crashing waves. And to top the evening off we sat out on a log on the beach and watched a spectacular sunset over the ocean.

We were on the road by 8:00. We knew we were in for two climbs today. Our legs were not even warmed up when the first climb of the day began. It was 3 1/2 kilometers long and according to ACA a climb of over 750 feet. We were warmed up by the time we made it to the top. An hour into our ride and we were only 7 kilometers into the day. It was a good thing the next 40 kilometers were reasonably flat because we knew an even tougher climb was ahead. We enjoyed great views of the ocean for most of the ride with the exception of the final climb of the day. It was up and over a headland from Neskowin to Lincoln City. Both the ACA and the Oregon State Bike Route took you off Highway 101 for this section but we decided we knew better and chose the shortest route by staying on the highway. Maybe we should have followed their suggestion. Later we noticed the contour lines on our map showed a 1000 foot line right where we went. It was also in only 2 1/2 kilometers. But boy was the 'blast' down the other side exhilarating.

We are set up in the town of Lincoln City in the Devils Lake State Park. It is a State Park right in the middle of town. Lincoln City is a resort town based on the beaches and is spread out for kilometers along the ocean.

We are a little bit tired but again we can here the crashing waves from our site.

Trip Distance = 61.14 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 40 minutes. Average Speed = 13.10 km. (that is a result of the 2 climbs) Maximum Speed = 48.26 km. Wildlife Sightings = Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Western Gull, Red Shafted Flicker, Canada Geese, Stellar Jays.

Sunset at Cape Lookout State Park

Looking Down at Cape Lookout Beach Part Way Up Climb

Sand Dunes Recreation Area Near Sandlake

A Series of Bumps

Saturday, October 4, 2014

We had a nice quiet evening in Nehalem State Park...at least until dark when a group arrived a couple of sites away and decided to party...it was after all a Friday night and not everyone wants to be in bed by 8:30.

We were on the road by 8:15. It again was cool as the temperature had dropped to 8 degrees. The sun was shining and it was not long before we shed our jackets and riding pants. The temperature reached 22 degrees today...not hard to take!

Todays ride was over a series of 'bumps' that gave our bike gears a workout. Oregon also showed us some of its 'bumpy' roads today as US 101 was less than impressive with narrow to no shoulders and when they did exist they were as broken up as the road was. When we left 101 there were no shoulders and way too much traffic.

We rode through a series of small towns today whose economies depend upon the sport fishing industry. There were lots of marinas and hundreds of fishermen out in boats. An awful lot of vehicles were pulling small fishing boats as well.

We also road through the town of Tillamook. Tillamook is famous for its cheese plants. The Tillamook Cheese Factory was large but we 'steered clear' of it as it had acres of parking lots full of tourists. Not our idea of fun! Leaving Tillamook we rode through the reason for the cheese plants...every farm was a dairy operation. This is the only flat land we have seen in Oregon.

We are camping in Cape Lookout State Park. It is located between Netarts and Sandlake. It has the most beautiful beach I think we have ever seen. It is kilometers in length and since we appear to be here at low tide, it also goes out for hundreds of meters. We were not expecting Oregon's Coast to provide us with so many sand beaches.

Today was a good ride and this park makes it even more special!

Trip Distance = 68.01 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 25 minutes. Average Speed = 15.33 km. Maximum Speed = 40.65 km. Wildlife Sightings = Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, 2 friendly deer in Campground last night, Stellar Jays, Chipmunks, Kingfisher.

Beach at Cape Lookout

The Spectacular Coast

Just in case anyone missed it, there were 2 blogs posted on Thursday. Don't want anyone to miss Astoria.

Friday, October 3, 2014.

We were on our way out of Astoria by 7:50. We did not ride the big bridge, but we rode the 'other' bridge which is over 2 km. long. Our ride to Seaside on Highway 101 can only be described as 'easy'. A strong wind combined with flat terrain made for a fast 25 kilometers.

And we were finally at the ocean for real this time. Astoria is still at the mouth of the Columbia River. But the real views did not happen until our climb up and then down into the 'trendy' town of Cannon Beach. To stay in Cannon Beach would require a 'fair amount' of money. To own some of the property we saw you would require a 'ton' of money. It appears to be a 'high end' community.

It is at Cannon Beach that the views began. We rode up, up, and further up to get a view of Haystack Rock, a large rock formation out in the ocean. It really is something to see.

We had a third climb to get to Nehalem Bay State Park where we are camping for the night. It is located just outside Manzanita. We can hear the waves crashing on the ocean....Sue loves it!!!

Trip Distance = 67.29 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 33 minutes. Average Speed = 14.79 km. Maximum Speed = 47.01 km/hr.

Wildlife Sightings = Canada Geese, Chipmunk, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Stellar Jay, Whales (no idea what kind).

P.S. It is impossible to put into words the incredible views that we had today. Pictures are always described as being worth a thousand words. Here they are. We understand this is just the beginning. For those of you who question why we do this...you judge if we are crazy!!!

View of Cannon Beach

Haystack Rock

View of Manzanita

The State Of Washington

Thursday, October 2, 2014

One of the things I found interesting to write about when we crossed Canada was a reflection on our experiences of each province that we went through. So here is one for The State of Washington.

Riding a bicycle through Washington is challenging. It is hilly...no the way we went we never faced mountain climbs...but short hills of 3 or 4 kilometers followed by more hills of 3 to 4 kilometers can become difficult and frustrating. We saw some small pockets of agriculture, rode through lots of forest, stayed in some nice places, and some rather 'iffy' RV Parks. The roads usually had some shoulders, the expressways had shoulders a full lane wide, while other roads were like Ontario with little to no shoulders to speak of. The drivers were courteous most of the time with the exception of some gravel truck drivers.

Washington's economy is still highly reliant upon the forestry industry with numerous mills and pulp and paper plants still operating.

We travelled just over 600 kilometers over 10 days. We know that this was just a warm up for what is to come. We are looking forward to the challenge. At least I am!!!!

As We Left Washington The Second Time.

Astoria...A Town Full of History...A Great Place For a Day Off

Thursday, October 2, 2014

It was nice to enjoy 2 coffees this morning in the room without the usual scramble to load the bikes and hit the road. After walking through the old town center to a Laundromat (nicest laundry facilities we have ever seen) and on to a grocery store, we had a leisurely stroll along the 'trolley path' (more to come about that later). We found another Brew Pub, The Wet Dog Café, to have lunch. Our walk was about 6 kilometers long...good for the legs.

We then decided to take a trolley ride along the waterfront. It is a restored 1913 streetcar that travels 4 miles of the waterfront. It costs a whopping $1.00 a person. It is a guided tour through Astoria's past.

Speaking of Astoria's past...it was founded on the mouth of the Columbia River and its economy was based on lumber but more importantly on the salmon industry. It became the biggest cannery town in the world with over 50 canneries at it's peak...not one exists today! Over fishing (imagine that) saw the decline of the industry at the same time as a series of fires burned a lot of them down. Astoria is also a Port for cruise ships and also a lumber loading town. We saw a ship being loaded. As our guide said, "the lumber will go overseas, be manufactured into furniture and sold back to us". Sound familiar?

Astoria has re-invented itself as a tourist town and seems to be doing okay. There are 5 breweries/brew pubs/restaurants with many other waterfront eateries. Most of them are in old warehouses that are built on stilts out over the water. The views are spectacular as you sit and eat. You can watch the 'huge' container ships line up and glide past on their way up the river to the ports of Longview, Vancouver (Washington) and to Portland.

A View of the Columbia River From Astoria.

Into Oregon...For Sure This Time

Wednesday , October 1, 2014

Holy Shit! We have made it to the ocean! If Sue could have saw my face as we approached Astoria she would have saw the 'ear to ear' smile much like the cross Canada ride when we arrived at the St.Lawrence River.

After a wonderful stay at the Hotel Cathlamet we were on the road by 8:15 and heading for the ferry...again. We certainly knew our way across Puget Island and our procedures at the ferry. A crossing that only cost $2 per bike ended up costing us $6 dollars a bike. Not bad for 3 ferry rides. While on the ferry a guy rolled down his truck window and asked "didn't I see you guys on the ferry yesterday?" I 'sheepishly said yes and explained why. He said that the Westport Motel was a dive 20 years ago and should have been condemned then. It made our decision yesterday to return to Cathlamet even better.

So welcome to Oregon...again! Our ride today can only be described as 25 kilometers up and 25 kilometers down. The longest climb was just under 5 kilometers but the ride consisted of climbing at 7 kilometers per hour and blasting down the other side at speeds averaging 40 kilometers per hour. We arrived in Astoria by 1:00 pm. and promptly found a small motel for 2 nights...yes 2 nights...our legs, bodies and minds need a day off. We have heard that Astoria has some interesting things to see and things to do. We have already had dinner (in the middle of the afternoon) in a 'brew pub' while sitting over the water watching seals and sea lions swim in front of us.

We are staying in the Lamplighter Motel. It is tucked under the famous Astoria Bridge (a 4 mile bridge infamous for cycling difficulty...we do not have to cross it as we are already in Oregon.). The motel is a little bit 'worn out' but we have stayed in worse! Tomorrow will be a rest day to do some sightseeing and some chores and hopefully re-energize ourselves for our push into Oregon.

Trip Distance = 50.44 km. Time on the Bikes = 3 hours 35 minutes. Average Speed = 14.05 km. Maximum Speed = 45.52 km. Wildlife Sightings = 2 Deer (with racks), Muskrat, Great Blue Herons, Cormorants, Seals, Sea Lions.

View of Columbia River Way Above Astoria.

The Famous Astoria-Megler Bridge.