Ask And You Shall Receive

This morning began with a house full of people but our host, Neil, wasn’t one of them. He was actually out of town. Despite his absence, his home was playing host to three cyclists and five couch surfers. It’s no wonder he’s hosted SO many people.

With so many people in the house, it wasn’t entirely surprising that my departure was somewhat delayed. But for a good reason. There was quite a bit of discussion between all of Neil’s guests and there was also a fair bit of curiosity directed towards those of us travelling by bike. Eventually though, it was time to hit the road.

As I was the first to be packed and ready to leave, my departure turned into a big sendoff – certainly the biggest I’ve received. There were hugs. There were handshakes. And, of course, a group photo. It was all pretty remarkable considering our host, Neil, was out of town.

My first stop of the day was of Subway. I have to say it’s a little surprising that there are actually two Subway locations in Seaside. And both are relatively close to each other. I picked the location that was a bit closer and slightly easier to get to as crossing the highway wasn’t needed.

As usual, I ordered two subs. One for breakfast. One for the road. As I ate my breakfast (aka. meatball) sub I must’ve drifted off into deep thought as I didn’t even hear the repeated beeping of the bread oven’s timer. That is until I heard someone apologizing for letting it beep so long. The someone was Kyle, and I assured him I didn’t even hear it but, sensing an opportunity, I asked, “Can I have a free cookie to compensate?” I was only half serious. However, the reply was, “Sure!” A few minutes later Kyle brought me a double chocolate chip cookie – a very fresh and gooey double chocolate chip cookie. I’m not sure if Kyle owns the store, but between Jeremy in Raymond, WA and Kyle is Seaside, OR, it’s been great being the beneficiary of such cookie kindness. Thanks again to both!

With breakfast taken care of, I returned to the road to continue my journey south. Unlike my east to west journey across Canada, my north to south route along the Pacific coast is actually the “right” way to go. Given the strong northwest wind today, I could see why. And I very much enjoyed it.

My first stop for photos was Cannon Beach and it was only 15 km away. It was recommended to me by Amy back at Neil’s place. In particularly, she suggested getting photos of Haystack Rock. And so I did. First from the coastal road that was today’s route, and then from down at beach level. I didn’t get far on the beach as my bike doesn’t travel very well in sand. Plus, it was high tide so it wasn’t possible to go right out to the rock. As such, I propped my bike up in the sand and took some photos from a distance.

The road to Cannon Beach required me to leave route 101 to get closer to the coast. Shortly after, when I returned to route 101 I ran into Javier. Technically, he ran into me as I was stopped at a view point. We chatted briefly before he continued on while I took a few more scenic photos. We ended up meeting again at another view point. This time it was Javier who had stopped first. He also left first while I took a break and had a CLIF Bar. Chocolate Almond Fudge. So good.

In between our two meetings I encountered my least favourite part of today’s ride. The Arch Cape Tunnel. Tunnels and bikes are not a pleasant combination. And even though I knew the tunnel would be part of my day, that doesn’t mean I was looking forward to it. Quite the contrary. Headwinds still top the list of “Least Favourite Aspects of Cycling” (if I had such a list), but tunnels would probably number two. Tunnels are a bit intense to go through but at least they’re generally passable in only a few minutes. Headwinds can last for days!

On the upside, Oregon continued its cycle-friendly ways by installing flashing lights to warn drivers when cyclists are in the tunnel. I’m not sure if drivers actually pay attention to said flashing lights but if nothing else it provides the illusion of safety.

Fortunately there were no significant issues in the tunnel, save for one oncoming driver who decided to honk his horn as I neared the far end of the tunnel. It was loud. It echoed. And it was completely unexpected. At least he was the only beeping driver to do so.

Beyond the tunnel the ride was very scenic and frequently hilly. It made me particularly grateful for the significant tailwind that was helping me today. That said, my average speed on the day was slower than I expected. Apparently the hills had more of an effect on my speed than the tailwind. Oh well. With the road following the coast, the hills had the benefit of providing beautiful views of the ocean and beaches below. There’s a reason why so many people recommend cycling this route and today I was getting a real taste of it.

By 2:45, I arrived in Tillamook. It was a good feeling as it was a sign that the bulk of the day’s ride was over. My reward for this accomplishment was the discovery of a Subway along the highway. I knew my food options would be limited (ie. non-existent) at tonight’s campground so I decided that filling up at Subway would be a good idea.

After a good day of riding up to that point, I also decided I deserved a cookie – more specifically, a cookie courtesy of the Jeremy (from yesterday’s Subway stop in Raymond). I actually ended buying three cookies. I mean, at three for a $1.50 it just seemed like the right thing to do. Eating all three in one sitting also seemed like the right thing to do. Well, maybe not the RIGHT thing to do but I did it anyway. Probably not all that surprising.

From Subway I only had about 20 km to go to get to tonight’s campground – Cape Lookout Sate Park. Many of the parks and campgrounds in Oregon have Hiker/Biker sites for $6 and Cape Lookout was one of those places. Too bad Canadian campgrounds don’t follow Oregon’s example.

To get to Cape Lookout I once again had to leave highway 101 and follow a more scenic route. Apart from the occasional wind gusts, it was a very nice ride – although, perhaps a bit chilly by my standards. That said, portions of the ride felt perfect. At times it felt as beautiful as the tourism commercials look.

The Hiker/Biker sites at Cape Lookout are beautiful. I hesitate to praise them TOO much as this was my first stay at a Hiker/Biker site; however, I can’t help but think that they aren’t all like this. That hypothesis was proven correct when I spoke with another cyclist at the site and he confirmed they aren’t all this nice.

With that in mind, I sat down at my picnic table and starting working on this update – watching the sun go down as I typed. Yes, this was definitely a good way to end the day.

As I worked away, I noticed Javier make his way into the area. Apparently he had 2 flats today so he was also very happy to be finished for the day.

And now, with my update pretty much complete, my last act of the night will be eating my remaining half of my oven-roasted chicken sub. Of course, by doing so I don’t know what I’ll be eating for breakfast tomorrow. Probably CLIF Bars. And I’m okay with that.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 100.95 km*
Ride time: 5:05:24*
Average speed: 19.83 km/h*
Maximum speed: 54.53 km/h

* I inadvertently reset my cycle computer at the Arch Cape Tunnel so these numbers are the result of cross-referencing totals from my cycle computer with my travel spreadsheet. I believe them to be accurate within an acceptable range that will allow me to sleep tonight.