Day 6 of #30daysofbiking- Southern Oregon Coast

 I found myself on Oregon's South Coast this morning with dry weather, a few spare hours, and a bike.
I started pedaling just south of Cape Perpetua and headed north.  There was just a bit of fog hugging the coastline as I started out.

 My rain bike would have been the bike of choice when I left home Friday, but it is in Mike Olson's Bicycle Shop in Forest Grove getting some badly needed attention to it's bottom bracket, so I had the fixie along, just in case I found some time to ride. 

Riding the Cape on a fixed gear bike presented a challenge, both on the UP, and on the DOWN.  As I passed over the Cape the view cleared up a bit.

Haceta Head Lighthouse.

A friend was riding his birthday ride today.  I was told that he'd be joined by about 25 others on a 50 mile ride today in the Bald Peak/Scholls area. I was unable to join in the fun, but I did hope to ride 50 miles in Paul's honor today.

I knew it would be pretty easy to get 50 miles because I was going to ride out and back.  I rolled 25 miles over just as I got to Waldport. As I approached Waldport the bridge over the Alsea River came into view. It is a new bridge, but harkens back to the Conde McCullough bridge it replaced.

Hwy 101 bridge over the Alsea River in Waldport, OR

I turned around and pedaled back.  The weather had improved a little as the morning had progressed, not that it was ever bad.  It was now a bit warmer and less fog.

I was riding along Hwy 101, the main coastal highway in Oregon.  In many places the shoulder was pretty much non existent, and that usually happened as the road wound it's way up or down a promontory. The motor vehicle drivers may be paying more attention to the ocean view than the presence of a bike near the shoulder, but the sight of a cyclist is not rare here.  I saw a dozen other riders today on my little 50 mile ride.  It would just be nice if there was a bit more space in where the sightlines were poor.  Along flatter sections there were no issues, and really no issues in the skinny places either.  I'd be a little more worried if it were summer with the higher traffic numbers, and the higher percentage of RV's and boats.

Today however, it was a good day to be out pedaling on the coast for my day 6 of #30daysof biking!


............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........50................0..............0...............0...........50 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........189.................0..............0...............0..........189
Total..........2178...............0..............0...............0.........2178