Day Thirteen

Umpqua Lighthouse State Park to Coos Bay, 23 miles.  

A light day today, but filled with interest. I finished yesterday’s post at a Winchester Bay pizza restaurant while enjoying excellent halibut and chips. It’s the coast, after all. I walked the 2.5  miles back up the hill to camp past the lighthouse. It was dark and the lighthouse was beaming. Here’s the video of the effect. Back at camp, another rider had rolled in.

This morning, I met my fellow camper, Joern. Meeting people like Joern is a highlight of cycle touring. He started his ride (that is, this ride) at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in May. He’ll finish in Patagonia, Argentina…he didn’t say when. When I say Joern has ridden everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. Russia, Nambia, Bhutan, Australia, Iceland. Everywhere.

Joern is a retired German policeman. He was a cop for 45 years, so you know that he’s not a youngster. He told me something that made me feel better about this lurchy ride I’m on. Joern said everything hurts for about two weeks on every long ride he’s taken. After that, only some things hurt. He’s a perfect cyclist-ambassador, making the whole pursuit feel accessible and doable. Check out Joern’s website at www.my-bike.tours. It’s in German, but the photos are universal. 

It was a short 20-something ride to Coos Bay, clear sky, cool temperatures and a slight headwind. The Oregon Dunes are the big attraction here. Revving motors and spraying sand is the main activity. 

I crossed the big, graceful bridge over Coos Estuary. The towns just south of the bridge are North Bend and Coos Bay. But the bay is called Coos Estuary, not Coos Bay. This bridge was built before cyclists were common users. There are narrow sidewalks, but no shoulders. Like the Elk Creek Tunnel I passed through a couple of days ago, there was a button to push to activate a flashing sign that said “Bicycles on Bridge, 30 MPH”. But this was a long bridge and traffic was thick, so I didn’t push the button, I rode the sidewalk, until the gusting westerly wind started nudging me towards traffic, at which point I dismounted and walked. My second time walking the bike on this trip, but hey, I’m a great walker. 

My logistics in Coos Bay are greatly simplified by a Warm Showers host, Tom Bright. I need to take a 5 day recess from the ride, starting tomorrow, to return to Missoula with Joan to move into our new home. I was planning to book a motel tonight and find a storage unit to stash my bike while I’m on moving recess. But Tom graciously agreed to let me stay with him tonight and the night of my return to Coos Bay, and to keep an eye on my bike while I’m away. So tomorrow, I’ll take two busses and a train to rendezvous with Joan in Portland, then we’ll drive home to Montana. To return I’ll fly back to Portland, then reverse course with the train and two buses to return to Coos Bay and the ride. Warm Showers is a wonderful community of cyclists and hosts. Joern reminded me that Warm Showers is worldwide and he’s been enjoying hosting and being hosted for a long time. The world’s cyclists stream through the homes of gracious hosts around the globe. 

I’ve had a chance to reorganize my kit here at Tom’s place. Quite a bit of equipment is going home with me to Missoula, not to return to my bike. I’ll continue south with a lighter bike and less stuff to keep track of. This my last post for a few days as I shuffle boxes and move furniture. My plan is to be riding towards Cape Blanco down the Oregon Coast on August 24. I have another recess the following weekend for my niece’s wedding back north at Cascade Locks on the Columbia. Then it should be a steady ride down the length of California.