• Start: Meyers Flat, California
• Finish: Standish-Hickey State Park, Leggett, California
• Distance: 72.5k
• Elevation: 974 meters

Today was a relatively short day. And the weather – it was absolutely wonderful. I actually took off my leg warmers for the first time. It looked like there might be a lot of elevation gain, but as it turns out, there wasn’t all that much.

After leaving Meyer’s Flat the next town was Miranda. It is also quite rustic as you can see from the picture below.

However it was much more prosperous than Myers Flat – it even has a working restaurant. We had our coffee break just outside of Redway. There was a pretty nice little climb on the approach to the truck and I was able to get some nice shots of John, Dawn and Necla.

After coffee there was only about 40k left for the day. Some of us took an early lunch at around 50k for the day. Dawn and David just hammered straight for camp. All of us got in quite early. Many of us took advantage of the opportunity to have a rare treat — swimming. The park where we are staying has a very nice little swimming hole. A little chilly, but very pleasant on a warm day like today.

Today was a rest day. So I rested. It was a very nice day. Everybody went their own way. Some went for a hike. Some went to the local winery. Many did a little bike maintenance. The high point of the day was watching David repair Dawn’s tire. When all was said and done there were five patches on the tube – but it did hold air. Then there was Jean who put two patches on her tube and missed the puncture both times. We won’t mention my blow-out.

All in all it was a very nice day. And on top of it all it was my birthday. Diane had a very nice chocolate cheesecake with a candle in it for desert. It was a good birthday. Tomorrow we ride again.

• Start: Eureka, California
• Finish: Meyers Flat, California
• Distance: 90.7k
• Elevation: 610 meters

Beautiful day today. Not only was it a dry day, it was even SUNNY! After yesterday’s rain it was very welcome. We all said goodbye to young David as he left us and headed off to Redding. He has a couple of fairly hard days ahead of him before catching his train back home.

It was sort of a tail of two rides today. Jean and Diane were in the truck as they had to do the shopping. Jenni organized the other 5 ladies on a tour of Eureka before heading out of town. The four men headed straight out of town.

Our ride was absolutely perfect except for John’s flat early in the morning along 101. We took our time and had a very nice coffee in Fortuna. The ride to Fortuna was mostly backroads and was very pleasant. After coffee it was 101 to the lunch stop, but it was a good shoulder and mostly flat. I got to the rendezvous spot about a half hour before the truck showed up. But it was all good, they eventually did show up and we refilled water and were off.

The last leg was on the “Avenue of the Giants” – a very scenic route among the redwoods. It is just so serene riding alone among the big guys. We all had such a good time. The towns were also very picturesque and rustic. I got a very nice picture of the old general store in Redcrest.

Unfortunately although it is very picturesque, it is pretty clear that the economy is not in very good shape. The rivers are looking pretty low too. Perhaps its seasonal, but much different than what we were seeing in Oregon.

So I got into camp, had a friendly conversation with the camp manager and had a nap before the other guys arrived. They pulled in around 3:00. But of course there wasn’t much that we could do without the truck. A few text messages back and fourth and we find that the truck is still at the lunch stop because the ladies hadn’t shown up yet.

It turns out that the ladies had a rather more adventurous ride than we had had. Bonita had a flat in the parking lot just after we had left. Then they did their tour of Eureka and headed south. Then Bonita had another flat. After the second flat they decided to buy a new tire, which required locating a bike store in Fortuna. They didn’t make it to the truck until almost 4:00 where Jean was patiently waiting. But everyone came through it in good order and have another story to tell their grandchildren.

• Start: Klamath River, California
• Finish: Eureka, California
• Distance: 102k
• Elevation: 1321 meters

The riding stats above are from the route sheet. I have not confirmed those figures since I didn’t ride today. It was our turn on the cook team so I drove. And I didn’t mind at all. It was a very rainy day!

It was quite nice until the coffee break at Orick. From Klamath River we took 101 briefly before jumping onto the “Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway”. It really was a very scenic route. Lots of old growth redwoods. Pictures don’t really don’t capture the feeling of being among these big guys, but I’ve included one anyway.

We stopped for coffee in Orick shortly after rejoining 101. After Orick it started to drizzle. I drove on to Trinidad at 64 k to setup lunch. By the time the riders got there it was raining pretty well and the riders were soaking wet. After much scrounging for warm clothes and the cutting of garbage bags for rain coats everyone was off to finish the final 38k. Too bad. Trinidad was actually a quite nice little town. Before the riders got there I had the chance to drive around. Apparently it was also a quite large and important native settlement before the europeans arrived. Below is a shot I took of the Trinidad harbour.

By the time Necla and I made it into Eureka and did our shopping the riders started to filter in. All made it in very good form but were glad to be out of the rain! Everyone was also very glad that tonight was a hotel night.

• Start: Harris Beach Park, Brookings Oregon
• Finish: Klamath River, California
• Distance: 84k
• Elevation: 990 meters

We made it to California! We hit California after only about 13k. Fortunately the agricultural inspection station was closed for the week-end so all of our worries about our fruit were for naught. We mostly rode quite rural roads until lunch. John and Ellie did a nice coffee break on the side of the road. We saw a lot of fields that we finally decided they were easter lilies. It was amazing how many lilies they were growing in that area. We also had some nice views coastal views of the California (yes, it is a bit different than the Oregon coast).

We had our lunch in Cresent City. Below we have Bruce and the Davids rolling into town.

After lunch we started the climb of he day. There was pretty much only one climb for the day, but it was definitely a good one. It started pretty much at see level and went to about 320 meters without any break in the grade at all. And it wasn’t an easy grade either. I would guess around 10%. That is a long time to stay a 10%. Everyone did very well with it. We finally topped out around 360 and then of course a wonderful descent.

After a bit more of flat riding we came into Klamath River, our home for the night. Klamath River isn’t much of a town, but the camp site was very nice. Right along the Klamath River. It is probably best just to show you a couple of pictures rather than try to describe it.

• Start: Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon
• Finish: Harris Beach Park, Brookings Oregon
• Distance: 109.3k
• Elevation: 1333 meters

It was a good ride today. A bit cold but a good ride. We stayed on 101 up to Ophir. Nice coast with lots of fog. You can see the fog rolling in in the picture below.

At Ophir we left 101 and turned inland. A very quite little road and we even broke out of the fog for a while. That was a beautiful section of riding. Lots of rolling hills and a very serene pastoral setting. It struck several of us that Southern Oregon is earlier in their season than Victoria is. I saw a cherry tree in full blossom today. Ours bloomed weeks ago. Same thing with the rhododendrons. Interesting.

At about 63 kilometers we rejoined 101 and continued to ride on the coast. The fog was still hanging in there. I didn’t really clear until we made it into camp — probably around 4:00. Quite a few hills today, including 1 that topped out at 220 meters. Not a steep climb, but it was quite sustained. It is truly an amazing coastline. We continue to have the interesting haystack rock structures just off the coast.

• Start: Sunset Bay State Park, Charleston
• Finish: Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon
• Distance: 85k
• Elevation: 878 meters

It was a very good day today. A wee bit chilly, but a very nice day. From our campsite at Sunset Bay we backtracked a few kilometers back the Seven Devils Road. Once we were on Seven Devils we discovered where the name came from – seven peaks. The seven peaks weren’t actually all that devilish. Quite nice actually as we went inland into the hills.

After Seven Devils we had a short stent on 101 and then into Bandon. Bandon is a very nice little town. We found a very good coffee shop and some of the ladies spent time in the local bike shop as well. I particularly liked the Bandon Harbour and the lighthouse out on the breakwater.

After Bandon there was only 20k to our lunch stop, but it was a very pleasant section. I got a very nice shot of David and Ellie climbing the hill out of Bandon.

We saw several nice carving shops along this section. David was very much taken with the one of Sasquatch.

After lunch we headed south for a bit longer than headed straight west (into a headwind) out Cape Blanco. According to Bruce, Cape Blanco is the westernmost point in the continental United States.

After a bit of confusion we finally found our campsite. And a very nice campsite it is. We have the entire group site to ourselve. Which is probably good since I think we tend to annoy the RV people. We’re getting the camp routine down to a fine art now. Young David and his assistant Diane cooked us a very nice steak dinner. Below is a shot I took of the clean-up crew in action as the made quick work of the dishes (while I took pictures).

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• Start: Florence, Oregon
• Finish: Sunset Bay State Park, Charleston
• Distance: 96k
• Elevation: 942 meters

Not a very eventful day today. After yesterday, that is a good thing. We rode a little bit inland today, away from the coast. In the morning the coast was mostly sand dunes. In the afternoon we were riding through more forested area. We all got in by 4:00 made an early day of it. We made a nice big camp fire tonight to ward off the cold.

• Start: Lincoln City, Oregon
• Finish: Florence, Oregon
• Distance: 123k
• Elevation: 990 meters

It was a very eventful day today. It was a pretty long day with some hills so there was lots of planning and discussion before the day ever began. Necla and I were on cook duty today, but we did our shopping yesterday and hoped to be able to ride some of the day. Some people were a little anxious about the long ride so Bruce divided the driving into 3 segments to allow people the opportunity to drive and shorten the ride.

Bruce and Ellie took the first third and we met them on the far side of Newport just before the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Lovely country along this section. We are starting to see more of the rugged coast that I usually associate with Oregon.

Just before Newport I went off the route a little bit to see the Yaquina Head lighthouse that was recommended. It was a nice little lighthouse and there was some beautiful scenery from that vantage point.

That is were things got interesting. Dave followed me to the lighthouse, but turned around when it was clear it was further than anticipated. No one saw him again for the rest of the day. He missed the planned coffee stop and the truck before the bridge. And we were all getting a bit worried. But we went on reminding ourselves That David was an experienced rider and he would show up somewhere down the road.

Necla drove the truck for the second leg. That section was also quite scenic, but also quite fast and flat. Bruce and I both admired a couple of the many splendid bridges they have in Oregon.

We stopped for lunch in Yachats and to switch drivers again. It was my turn to drive this leg. Before I could not finish lunch we got a message that Dawn had a flat and couldn’t repair the tire. I hoped in the truck and went back to find her. I drove all the way back to Newport looking for Dawn (and of course the missing David as well). Didn’t see either of them. Turned around and drove the 40k back to Yachats. About 2/3 of the way back I found Dawn. She had gotten her tire fixed and was moving fine. Picked her up and drove on to Yachats to rendezvous with Diane and Jean. There we got a message that Dave was behind us 10k. But since I had just driven that rode twice we (wisely) decided that information was not reliable. We got Dawn back on her bike to ride with Jean and picked up Diane and we all headed for Florence. We finally got to Florence to find Dave patiently waiting for us – wondering why it had taken us so long.

Hopefully tomorrow will go a wee bit smoother.

• Start: Lincoln City, Oregon
• Finish: Lincoln City, Oregon
• Distance: 0 k
• Elevation: 0 meters

Today was a rest day. We all went our own ways catching up on all the things that needed to be caught up on. Sometimes just enjoying the view of the beach from our hotel.

We are back on the road tomorrow as we head for Florence. We are all looking forward to the 120k.

• Start: Bay City, Oregon
• Finish: Lincoln City, Oregon
• Distance: 90.1k
• Elevation: 1028

Another great riding day. It drizzled on us a wee bit during breakfast just so we would appreciate the rest of the day. After breakfast it cleared and turned into an absolutely stunning day. I rode in my vest all day. We had a bit less distance than the last couple of days. But a bit more climbing – largely concentrated in two sustained climbs.

We chose our coffee break spot at the summit of the first and largest climb. It was a beautiful wooded spot and allowed me to get some very nice shots of the riders finishing the climb.

First was Bruce, followed by Jenny and Bonita. Bruce was riding well as usual, but Jenny and Bonita were climbing machines today. Cruising up that hill like it was flat. They both rode very well today. This was a respectable climb too. Over 200 meter of sustained climbing. Prevailing grade of 6% but hitting as high as 11% in spots.

I saved the last finish shot for last. The first ones to the top today were the Dave’s. Old Dave was in the lead but young Dave was closing in fast. But old Dave would have none of that and he gave us a sprint finish like a professional. Young Dave very graciously stayed in the saddle and joined in the fun.

We had a very leisurely lunch at about 60k. Then had a nice warm up before taking on the second climb that finished at around the 80k mark. That was a lovely climb. The road was a little rough, but since there was absolutely no traffic you could wander at will to find a smooth path. No really steep pitches, just a beautiful wooded climb. And the descent? Absolutely wonderful. No traffic. Just steep enough that you could go as fast as you wanted but not so steep that you needed to touch the brakes. (Ok, some of us may have touched the brakes once of twice).

We finished the day at our wonderful beachside hotel in Lincoln City. Below is a shot of the gang walking on the beach to dinner.

• Start: Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon
• Finish: Bay City, Oregon
• Distance: 99.2k
• Elevation: 997 meters

Today we had a dry day! We had a wee bit of rain when we were trying to break camp, but once we got on the road not a drop. Beautiful Day. A fair number of hills. The most elevation gain we have had so far on the trip. The big hills were all before lunch, then rollies into Bay City.

Pretty foggy and overcast before coffee in Seaside. Not much to see in that stretch. We stopped in Seaside for coffee. I thought it was a lovely little town. A bit of a throw back to days gone by. John used his usual charm to find out the best coffee shop in town. Finding it, however to a bit more effort. But it was well worth. A lovely place.

From Seaside we continued on south along the coast. There was some awesome scenery. I believe that the following shot is of Cannon beach, after a long slow climb.

I got a good shot of Young David coming up the climb to the viewpoint. He looks a lot fresher at the end of the climb than I did.

We had lunch in Manzanita. Everyone finally regrouped there and then we headed off to complete the day.

The ride today went very well. Afterwards not so much. First Necla choked on a piece of fruit. Fortunately John was quick with the old heimlick and everything was alright. Diane wasn’t so lucky. She was playing catch with a couple of the local boys after dinner and tripped over an iron fire pit and put a pretty good gash into her leg. She went into the local ER for stitches and hopefully she will be able to ride again in a couple of days.

Start: Brucepoint County Park
Finish: Fort Stevens State Park Oregon
Distance: 99.5k
Elevation: 654 meter

We made it to Oregon! Another rainy day. Not quite as wet as yesterday, but pretty consistent rain all the time we were riding. Then it cleared and we had beautiful clear skies in the afternoon again. Our campsite for tonight is gigantic. I’m told it is the largest campsite west of the Mississippi. I can believe it. It is a small city by itself. A well maintained and pleasant place, but it lacks the charm of the smaller sites we’ve had the past couple of nights.

The ride today was mostly gentle rolling hills along the coast of Washington. Different scenery than I am used to. Lots of sloughs and mud flats. I suppose that is why oysters are such a big business around here.

The most eventful part of the ride was the bridge across the Columbia River. Over 6 kilometers long with no shoulders. Or at least that was what we were told. As it turns out it had a decent enough shoulder on the south-bound side, and the drivers were quite courteous. It wouldn’t kill them to send a street sweeper across everyonce in a while though. Lots of hasards that could have been a problem if hit wrong.

On the south end of the bridge is the historic town of Astoria Oregon. Several people
spent some time seeing the sights of Astoria before making there way to the campground.

All in all another good day of riding.

• Start: Schafer State Park
• Finish: Brucepoint County Park
• Distance: 80.8k
• Elevation: 408 (747) meters

I have two numbers for the elevation today. The numbers from my bike GPS are 408, but that is suspect. There were a couple of times when I was chugging along, barely making 10-12K but the GPS said I was going down hill. I suspect that the heavy cloud cover was throwing of elevation accuracy significantly. Therefore I’ve also included the numbers from Bruce’s maps as well (747 meters)

Today we had a rainy day. I’m sure it’s the only one that we will have for the trip:-) It really wasn’t all that bad, but it was a fairly constant drizzle most of the time when we were riding. Fortunately it stopped after we arrived at our campsite for the evening. Another great camp site.

Not a very eventful day. Pretty much heads down in the rain. Our cook team was exceptional in helping us cope with the rain. We had our coffee break in the back of the truck as well as lunch. Dawn greeted every arriving rider with a chocolate and Jean was doing valet bike parking. A very nice touch.

We completed the traverse of the Olympic peninsula today and have a nice view of the Pacific Ocean from our campsite.

From here we will travel the coastal route for a few days.

• Start: Dosewallips State Park
• Finish: Shafer State Park
• Distance: 95k
• Elevation: 851 meters

Today was cook duty day for Necla and I. After breakfast I took over driving the truck and after Lunch Necla joined me to go grocery shopping in Shelton. Cook team is a lot of work but it is only every fifth day and the other campers are very appreciative.

Dosewallips was a very nice place to stay. Quite secluded and very quite. We hit a bit of fog first thing in the morning that made it a bit cool, but that cleared off by coffee. From Dosewallips we headed south paralleling the Hood canal. We stopped for coffee after about 30k alongside the Hood and finished up the last of our great Valerie cookies.

From there we continued south to almost Shelton on 101 to our lunch spot. After lunch the riders headed south west on state route 102 for another 35 or so kilometers to Shelton. The Shelton State Park is a wonderful area as well. We have the group site all to ourselves. I could easily handle a group ten times our size. Necla did a very nice job with dinner and I did my best. And with enough wine and beer the troops seemed appreciate the meal.