by Philip

Day’s mileage : 45

Running total : 626

Today’s planned mileage is shorter than usual so we allowed ourselves a slower start – however the ocean woke us early and we enjoyed watching the crashing waves from our bedroom window. Breakfast included some coconut based yogurts and blueberries from our host, and we enjoyed chatting with her and enjoying the beautiful sunny start to the day. Riding out of Neskowin we did a mile on the 101 before turning onto Slab Creek Road, a meandering, quiet road running initially along the creek before climbing 700’ into the hills over 6 miles. We passed foxgloves just emerging, broom with red and yellow flowers, and saw the occasional robin and dragonfly. The area was forested again with majestic tall pines and amazingly peaceful – over the 10 miles on this road we were not passed by a single car, and saw only 5 in the opposite direction and a cyclist. After the climb to 719’ we reaped our reward – 3.5 miles back down to sea level without turning a pedal. On rejoining the 101 we found a little shady glen for our first snack stop of the day. 

As we continued we lost the forests and went through more open areas, soon becoming more built up, passing the Cape Foulweather Coffee Company and then into Lincoln City – a sprawling, large, town. The road widened to two lanes in each direction and a marked cycle lane for some of it. As we left the town, we stopped at a viewpoint which talked about a tsunami in the 18th century and explained how to behave in the event of a warning. From there we went on about 8 miles, passing over rivers and estuaries, often seeing the sea, until we reached Depoe  Bay which we’d been told was a good place to watch for whales. Boasting the world’s smallest harbour, we saw people on whale-watching trips, and sat on a cliff-edge bench in the sun. No whales, but a seal, 2 Californian brown pelicans and numerous anonymous seabirds. The entry to the harbour from the sea is treacherous and we marvelled at the skill of the captain of a fishing boat as he navigated between the rocks.  

Immediately after writing the previous paragraph we saw three whales – we’d been told to look for the spouts as they exhale, and once we’d got our eye in we found we could see them reasonably easily. What a treat!

From Depoe Bay we climbed up to Cape Foulweather itself via a little one way road adjacent to the highway. The cape had the most spectacular views and fascinating geology with helpful information boards. From there it was (nearly) all downhill, with a strong tailwind carrying us quickly along Beverley Beach – a mere 2 miles long expanse of sand, with 2 cyclists, 2 people on foot and one dog occupying it.

As we’ve recorded here previously, we sometimes have to buy food at little stores – not so today where we had the choice of all the big names … so the main food shop was courtesy of Safeway, followed by a visit to Fred Myer (he of puncture fame yesterday) to buy a new inner tube (unsuccessfully) before retracing our steps (into a headwind of course) to find our motel. 

When we checked in I asked about bike storage, and the manager responded by moving us to a different room with a carport … and a direct view of the ocean from our lounge and deck. It’s a very similar view to last night, just a little further away – we are very happy to be here, listening to the sea and enjoying the evening sunshine.