Friday, May 26, 2017

Day 5

Day 5: Orick - Eureka
Time: 3:18:03
Distance: 66.3km
Average Speed: 20.1km/h

As soon as it was bright enough I set out for Eureka where I had arranged to meet Dan and Dale that I had met at Gold Beach. Google maps estimated 5 hours cycling time so I gave myself that much to make sure that I arrived on time. 

This section of the cycle had the most busy roads and the last 30km were almost never on the coast. When I arrived in Eureka a woman with lots of bike maps in her hand told me there was a better route that I could have taken for the last hour along the coast. Since I arrived without breaking my legs or worse I had no regrets.

I had a coffee and sandwich in downtown Eureka before going to Target where I was going to meet the guys. On the drive to Napa we drove through a section of redwood forest called "The Avenue of the Giants" and stopped for a look around. Tonight I stayed in the house of Dale and his wife Lynn. I will always be grateful for them welcoming a tired, slightly sunburnt Irish stranger into their home. 

I'll spend the weekend at the bottlerock festival headlined by the Foo Fighters and exploring Napa city before my flight home Monday.

Some quick thoughts ​on the trip while they are fresh in the mind;

I definitely tried to cover too many miles in too few days. With the constant hills keeping a high average speed was always going to be difficult so I probably should have planned shorter cycles. 

The road conditions got worse once I left Brookings and entered California. Oregon roads were better surfaced with wider shoulders. Brookings would have been a good finish point. This PDF is a great resource for people planning the Oregon section of the trip: 

The 101 has several cars, RVs and logging trucks. In other words, it's a dangerous route that I would not recommend to a first time bike tourer. Anyone used to riding on busy highways or cities would probably be fine and will enjoy the views, road surface, climbing and descents.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Day 4

Day 4: Gold Beach - Orick
Time: 7:38:31
Distance: 155km
Average Speed: 20.3km/h

Today's goal was to finish as close to Eureka as possible​. I woke at 5 and went for breakfast with Dan and Dale from Napa. Dan was taking his son's stuff home from Portland where he was studying and Dale was joining to see the highway 101.

The first few hours were never flat but the tailwind was so strong that it felt like I had a motor. I stopped in Brookings for early lunch and sorted out the details for my weekend at the bottlerock festival in Napa with Subway's WiFi. Subway has been a daily stop for me. Eat, charge the phone, natural break, fill the water bottles in only one stop. 

I continued on to Crescent City. The roads became poor in California compared with Oregon where a Fiat would fit comfortably in the shoulder. Crescent City was a bit dodgy looking so I didn't stay long.

My plan was to pass through the Newton B Drury scenic parkway through a redwood forest. Once I reached Klamath I realized that I had no phone or Internet connection. This continued until Orick where I'll stay tonight.

The ride through the woods had a huge climb but much more descent. The road is off 101 so most of the time it was just me and the giant trees. Definitely worth veering off 101 to see this and no extra miles.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Day 3

Day 3: Sunset Beach State Park - Gold Beach
Time: 6:11:45
Distance: 134.5km
Average Speed: 21.7km/h

I woke at 5 and was on the road at 6. The first 20km were on the very hilly 7 Devils road. After getting on to the 101 again I reached the beautiful town of Bandon where I made plans for the coming days. 

The final destination for this trip is Napa but with the amount of climbing to be done time is tight so I'll stop cycling in Eureka, California and bus down to San Francisco.

Today's tailwind was very strong. I had to turn back on only 2 occasions today (once when a jersey fell off my lo-tech clothes dryer and the other when I made a wrong turn for the motel. Both times I appreciated how​ lucky I was not to be riding North. Just after Port Orford a cyclist across the road with double the amount of bags as me was walking his bike. I stopped to offer to help repair something but he said the bike was fine and he was just sick of cycling into the headwind.

I arrived in Gold Beach at around 5 and checked into the motel 6 to shower and sleep properly after 2 nights in the State Parks. At the motel 2 lads from Napa on a road trip that started in Portland offered to drive me the rest of the way. When I was having dinner they happened to be in the same place and we got talking again. They told a group of elderly people I was Irish and after chatting with them for a while we took some photos. When I asked for my bill the waitress told me the elderly people had taken care of it.

Day 2

Day 2: Newport (South Beach State Park) - Sunset Beach State Park
Time: 8:06:53
Distance: 167.6km
Average Speed: 20.7km/h

Cycling from North to South has been working out great. Most of the day I enjoyed a tail wind. Despite the favourable wind today wasn't too easy. The road was rarely flat but the climbs, while long, weren't too steep. For the first part of the journey I was high up on the cliffs watching the waves crash against the shore. Afterwards I passed through the Oregon sand dunes area so I didn't see much of the sea.

I wasn't sure where I'd sleep tonight but I had looked up a few campsites near Coos Bay. About 25km out of Newport I stopped at a bike shop to get my tires up to proper pressure. The small pump that I've packed only goes as far as 80psi and I need around 100psi. The owner recommended Sunset Beach which was another 140km away. This became my target for the day.

At a second bike shop in Florence I met a German who has been cycling around the world for the last 6 years. He invited me to lift up his bike and with a lot of effort I could just about get it off the ground. Poor man was riding the opposite way and so into the wind all day.

A construction worker stopping traffic outside Reedsport recommended Don's in the center of town for food. Dutch apple pie was top of the range.

The next 3 days look like they'll have more climbing and I'm​ seriously thinking I may have planned a longer route than I'm able for. Will give it another go again tomorrow.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Day 1

Day 1: Portland (Tualatin) - Newport
Time: 7:07:00
Distance: 168km
Average Speed: 23.6km/h

I've been in Seattle for the last week with work (Tableau). Along with these 2 gentlemen below (John and Giovanni) we drove to Portland Saturday morning (thanks for driving Giovanni) and explored the city for the day. Today we drove out to the suberb of Tualatin where I could start the trip and avoid​ the worst of the traffic coming out of Portland.

I took a mix of the 99w and 18 most of the day passing wineries at first and then forests before getting on to highway 101. After the first 40km I stopped at a McDonald's for a cheese burger and called my girlfriend Valentina. As I was unlocking my bike to leave the cleaner told me that he was very confident I'd make it to Newport.

25km later I had my first puncture. A tiny sharp piece of metal broke through the back tire. It was a routine fix and I was on my way again soon. Other than that the bike ran really well today. I stopped for lunch about 80km in and didn't stop again until Newport other than to fill water bottles.

Newport is the headquarters of rogue beer so I stopped there for dinner. The menu said they had the best burger in the world. I arrived at the campsite at South Beach before 9. Huge campsite with hot showers. After today's last 40km of cliff and sea views I'm looking forward to tomorrow.