by Philip

Day’s mileage : 58

Running total : 532

We were ready in record time this morning – seems we are getting used to where everything lives in our panniers! The cottage was a poster child for how AirBnB should be done – many thoughtful touches, every possible thing provided – and Seattle’s best coffee for the morning! 

Leaving the cottage we had a few miles along the estuary, all flat, with eagles and pelicans wheeling above as we approached another long river crossing – this one a mere two miles long after yesterday’s mega bridge. We enjoyed purpose made cycle lanes, and generally wide shoulders on the US101 as we cycled through a large area of out-of-town shops. The vista is wide here, with acres of broom in full yellow flower and lakes covered in water lilies which are beginning to flower. Frequent signs warn us of elk but we haven’t seen one yet. After our first 11 miles we’ve only climbed 200’ and as a result I’ve only used 6% of my battery. We stopped by a tiny coffee shop, drive-thru only, and stopped for our first break of the day, sitting under a tree. 

The next ten miles were more built up, with frequent traffic lights (a rarity up to now). We came into the town of Seaside, imaginatively named, and saw a gorgeous beach off to the right. The town sprawled for about 5 miles with shops lining the highway, including a lot of surf shops as you’d expect near the ocean. One highlight of this stretch has been the mountains on the horizon, silhouetted, and very beautiful. 

We stopped for a sandwich and cookie (yes, we found some!) and then had a 2 mile hill to climb, with an equal descent into Cannon Beach and our first proper Oregon beach. Cannon beach is a bustling seaside resort complete with fish and chip shops and bucket and spade shops. As we drove through, there were numerous residential streets off Main Street all leading straight to the sea – delightful!

After some hills, we came to a tunnel and two more cyclists (on real bikes) at the entrance to a tunnel – we went through before them and then had a chat once they emerged. They then headed off before us and we were slightly embarrassed to overtake them shortly afterwards. The coastal road is hilly – 2 miles up (400’) and then the same down … and repeat. Stunning views all along the road – we stopped at several viewpoints. At one, an elderly gent observed our “hats” were cute, and asked to take a picture of them. 

From the heights of the coastal road we headed inland – a long loop to cross a river, going through farming communities with hay cut and drying in the fields. From a bridge we saw a river lined with houses, each with a dock, and with little gourd-shaped bird houses on the supporting posts. A bit further on we stopped for a late lunch, asking a man if it would be ok to sit under his tree. 

After lunch we found our way around a road closure and then rejoined the 101 which was gently undulating alongside the Nehemah river as it wound its way to the sea. We stopped at one point to look out across the mile wide tidal river and its mudflats, seeing a heron and also a raccoon – both enjoying the fruits of the sea. Coming in to Rockaway Beach we stopped at a “Dollar General” store to buy dinner before heading to tonight’s cottage. Unfortunately while they had most of what we wanted they had no fruit or veg so we ended up going to two other supermarkets, but still have no bananas! 

Our cottage is in a very quiet road 3 blocks from the sea so we’ll be exploring this evening!