Short relaxing day, On THE Coast

Again it was a lazy day. I washed my anklet socks and I only brought one pair on this trip. I do have longer ones but they make me sweat more in the heat so while I was all packed and ready to go, my socks were still damp. I tried putting them in front of the air conditioner and then I brought them outside to air dry. While I was waiting I took another shower and waited, and waited


All geared up with nowhere to go, waiting for socks to dry

Again I made another mistake. I forgot about the continental breakfast again, but it was meagre. I had two cups of coffee and 3 mini danish because I had time to kill waiting for my socks to dry. I should have stuck to my plan of not eating at the hotel and stopping for breakfast somewhere while "on the way".

I kept looking at my paper map and I wasn't sure where to go, but eventually decided to take Hwy 126 to Florence, OR. I knew it would be cold on the coast and I didn't have any warm gear with me. It was chilly so when I arrived at Florence I zipped in my rain liner and it helped a lot.

It was now close to 11am (remember I started late), so I decided to have a proper lunch as my stomach was hurting. One thing I noticed when I am by myself is that I don't stop to eat or rest. I just keep rolling on and don't notice the fatique until I start to make riding mistakes, like cornering wide . . . then I open my visor and try to yawn and it does help a bit.

I passed up many photo opps but then I forced myself to pull over at a viewpoint



where there was this historic bridge. I have stopped here before

About 20 minutes later I was on Oceanside Drive in Yachats where I believe is the same place that Cesar had lunch a while back. I thought that if he ate here, then it would be okay for me



Nothing fancy for me, just a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with salad and a lemonade

Just down the street is Yachats State Park. I have been here before and it was good to just watch the waves and breathe in the ocean air



From here you can see the sandy beach below



It feels great to ditch your shoes and frolick in the sand and on the logs



There wasn't much warmth in the air and it was very windy



It felt good to just sit and ponder . . .



I had no plans to go anywhere, so I didn't . . . but I was homeless for the night



I still wasn't sure if this was a smart move to come to the Oregon coast or not because I left behind temperatures in the mid 80's when I left Eugene, and now have to settle for something in the mid 60's. It was a bit chilly if you factor in the gusty winds

Soon I would have to tear myself away from this beautiful view and find a home for the night.



Notice that the marine mist is starting to roll in again, which means a chilly night. I was now in search for a home for the night. I left Yachats and headed north on Hwy 101. I didn't stop but saw lots of ocean views worthy of a photo but when I ride alone I find myself not stopping so much. It must have been the hypnotic feeling of the twisty roads going back and forth, left and right in smooth arcs, just leaning left or right to the rhythm, you and your bike in harmony. I was sometimes hard to handle the gusty winds, esp when you weren't expecting them. Soon I crossed the famous Alsea bridge (the new one)




Then, out of the blue, with no warning my search for a home for the night beckons me



The last tent site is mine. I have been carrying all this camping equipment for hundreds of miles and now I get a chance to use it again. I am wishing that my teacher was here to give me more wise advice in the camping ways



Like a PRO I set up camp and soon it is operational and I have to go to the local store to find an extension cord, as well as something to stave of my hunger. I am slowly learning what I need and what works

So here is a photo of my blog command centre for tonight. Without warm clothes I could not use the picnic table outside.



It was a short day today, not many miles but lots of relaxation. Tommorrow I tackle Hwy 34 and head East back to warmer temperatures