by Liz

Day’s mileage : 51

Running total : 731

This morning I was powered by waffles alone right up to lunchtime. They worked a treat – this has felt like my strongest day’s cycling so far. Water abounded all day, large and small lakes, rivers, estuaries, a glimpse or two of the ocean, as well as the promised water from the heavens. We were fine, stayed nice and dry in our waterproofs.

All morning the spruce forests on either side of the road were laced with pale pink rhododendrons, and bird song echoed where the forest rose steeply on our left. We passed several stretches of frog heaven, as I like to call them – usually a slightly smaller body of water full of lily pads and flowers – and a few beaver heavens, with floating tree trunks in place of lily pads. Sadly we also passed our first beaver, who had met an untimely end. 

The road rose gently but persistently for a good couple of hours and finally we crested the hill around 11.15am. There to our left and right the landscape opened up with views of an enormous crow’s foot lake below us to the left and to our right layer upon layer of forested ridges, with an inlet and some knobbly mountains beyond. Delicate lilac lupins were in flower along the roadside.

After passing through Reedsport, we stopped to eye up a lay-by beside the 101 as a possible lunch spot, and noticed a deer looking down at us from higher ground in the woods. The lay-by didn’t pass muster and we had lunch at Winchester Bay, overlooking the marina, with three golden eagles hunting above the harbour. We enjoyed some miles of quiet, hilly road through majestic spruce forest, past the Umpqua Lighthouse, before rejoining the 101.

At a viewpoint, a man from Eugene did a grand job of fluffing up our feathers, asking all about our trip and not holding back on the amazement and awe front. We pedalled off feeling a good few inches taller. A nice morale boost. 

A few miles later, the headwind was picking up as we approached the bridge over Coos Bay into North Bend. The rain stung our cheeks, cranking up the day’s wet weather experience. There wasn’t far to go, and a cup of tea and a hot bath were first on the agenda in our little house in Coos Bay town. Dinner is smelling very promising as I write, courtesy of Philip, and the downpour continues, thankfully now on the other side of the window.

Additional notes

Florence to Coos Bay, Douglas and Coos counties, OR.

Left at 9.15am. Arrived at 4.45pm.

Weather: Cool and showery. Later rainy with a head wind, the rain stinging our faces as we crossed the bridge into Coos Bay.

Landscape: Sand dunes. Spruce forest with lots of pretty pink rhododendrons. Many lakes like Loon Lake and Clear Lake, rivers and estuaries. Frog and beaver heavens. At the crest of the hill the view opened up to reveal miles of forested ridges and mountains in the distance. Winchester Bay. A headland with a lot of RV parking areas. A beautiful old forest past the Umpqua Lighthouse.

Towns: Gardiner. Reedsport. Lakeside.

Trails: None.

State roads: The 101, quite busy in places.

Breakfast: Fruit and yogurt, Bonnie’s waffles and vanilla ice cream.

Lunch spot: Salmon Harbour in Winchester Bay.

Dinner, made by Philip: Salmon with rice. Fruit and yogurt. Tea and chocolate cake.

Wildlife: A deer looking at us from up high when we stopped in a lay-by. Birds of prey – potentially turkey vultures rather than golden eagles.

Plants: Pale pink rhododendrons. Lilac lupins.

Things we saw: A dead beaver. Numerous RVs are on the roads in Oregon, many are big like a bus and tow a four-wheel drive car. Rows and rows of empty picnic tables for RV users.

People we spoke to or saw: A man from Eugene with his mother and children, out for Mother’s Day, generous with his amazement and awe. People we spoke to along the way would often ask us where we’d started out that day and where we were heading, and from around this time onwards, we could never remember. There were just too many places to hold them in our memory even for a day.

Incidents: The road surfaces in Coos Bay were AWFUL! On the whole the road surfaces along our route were unbelievably good, better than in the UK for sure.

Shopping: Safeway, Coos Bay.

Accommodation: A little house on a quiet street in Coos Bay, perfectly comfortable and space for the bikes inside, safe and out of the rain.

Today’s sound: Echoey bird song in a forest.

Today’s smell: A burnt caramel smell outside Safeway.

Special moments: Our waterproofs kept us dry. The lupins were beautiful. The enthusiastic response from the man from Eugene. We’re both tired but I feel stronger – it’s been my best day’s cycling so far.

Positive experience from my journal: Reaching the crest of the hill and seeing the views below us on both sides.

Appreciation from my journal: Being determined about the mileage and the weather.

Social media replies from Charlie, Francisca Blackman and Barbara. Charlie: ‘Can’t believe how far you’ve come already !! ♥️’.

Mementos: Safeway receipt, North Bend.