Day 34: Tuesday, June 29, 2015

Stop to Stop: Bandon, OR to Gold’s Beach, OR

Underway: 7:50 am    Off Bike: 3:50 pm    Ride Time: 5:54 hrs    Stayed At: Campsite
Miles Traveled: 65.2    Total Miles: 2,477.4      Weather: Foggy, cool, calm

First Things First:

Mile to Mile: Today was a slow day. Partly because of a couple errands I needed to do but mostly because of all the times I stopped to take pictures. I finally got close enough to the ocean to see some amazing sights. The coast along this stretch is mainly steep rocky cliffs leading to beaches far below and amazing rock formations sprinkled along the shore to make every view a picture postcard scene. Tangled piles of huge log driftwood looks like the bones of prehistoric dinosaurs. The fog just added eerie element to the whole picture.

Towards the end of the day I took a detour (based on the recommendation of a local biker) and followed parts of old 101 as it wound itself along the new road. If you think 101 is narrow and twisty just try driving old 101 sometime – parts were only wide enough for one car, which I saw few of.

As I write this I am camped in a nice sheltered spot with level grassy areas at the county fairgrounds downtown Gold’s Beach – all for the rich sum of $7! What a deal and showers are included. I’m only a minute from the ocean and, in fact, will be lulled to sleep tonight by the sound of the crashing surf and distant foghorn. Rough life but somebody has to do it right?