Day 452
Jim
We splashed out on breakfast out today as we had no food in our kitchen bags, a real treat, doesn’t take a lot to thrill us! Then it was back on the road, the Pacific Coast continued to deliver stunning views. We debated staying on Route 101 rather than take the old highway, which though it promised to have less traffic it added hills! We made the decision literally as we started to ride past the turning and it was definitely the right choice. 4 miles up then 4 miles down, all along the deserted road we were surrounded by woodland, it was enchanting and for me worthy of a Top 10 road! Back on the 101 we immediately were amongst the traffic, not much fun. As the day progressed the weather deteriorated with a thick mist obliterating any views of the sea. The area was living up to the name Captain Cook gave it was he landed in North America for the first time. He christened it, Foulweather Bay, a most apt name for today. His landing on 7 March 1778 had a massive impact on the future of not only this area but the whole of America. On hearing the news, the then President, Thomas Jefferson realised the government needed to know more about the land bordering the Pacific. Hence the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of exploration of Lewis and Clarke in 1804/5, and the rest, as they say, is history!
As the day progressed we started to see a few fellow tourers out and they were actually going in the same direction as us! That evening we camped at a hiker-biker spot at Beverley Beach campground. Here we met Steve and Tim, two American guys and a Swiss couple Flo and Rachel. We all chatted about our trips and future plans, it was great to have company.
In the morning Steve sang us his song about cycling the 101 and then we said our goodbyes, this was his and Tim’s last day but we hoped to se Flo and Rebecca down the road.
The weather was improving and route 101 delivered a fantastic day’s riding. Before we reached the campsite we diverted to see the Devil’s Cauldron, a massive hole in the cliffs, believed to have been created by the Devil himself to boil the bones of unwary cyclists, or it could have been formed by two caves under the sea collapsing, you choose! At low tide you can watch the sea swirl through it, and very magnificent it looked too. All along the coast were inlets created by the fierce seas, with sea spouts, or crazy rock formations, endless variety and beauty. We were well and truly hooked.
That night we camped at the Honeyman hiker-biker site. Flo and Rebecca were here and we met Jim from Seattle and Robert from Oakland. Robert had cycled this area many times and was full of information. Jim, older and quieter was a wonderful character and Tom sat up late besides his campfire pondering about life with him. He was so generous too, giving Flo a gas canister and Tom a Bluetooth speaker. In the morning when we went to say goodbye to him, we realised that his seat was broken and his brakes did not work. Now Tom is on about seat number four of the trip, hoping to find THE ONE. He carries his previous one so we gifted this to Jim and checked his bike over too. It felt good to repay his kindness .
The sun was finally out and we were in cycling heaven, every corner revealed another stunning view. We took several side trips. The Yaquina Lighthouse is set overlooking another beautiful bay with wonderful woodland covering the peninsula. It was opened in 1851 but decommissioned just 3 years later. A local group raised funds to restore it, and in 1996 the light was lit and it now guides fisherman during the hours of darkness. Towards the end of the day we realised we wouldn’t reach a campsite so high up on the Seven Devils (hills) Road we spotted a sunlit sheltered spot and settled down for the night.
