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What is the crown jewel of Oregon? Is it our fertile valleys, harsh deserts, towering mountains, thick forests, or pristine coastline? ExplOregon sets out to find this out. What makes Oregon so great? The past few rides around this state have showed me that the natural beauty is a spectacle in contrast, and yesterday's ride showed me a side of this state that I have seen so much from a car.
The Oregon Coast is dominated by it's roughness and sheer beauty. While it certainly has its share of sandy beaches, the Oregon Coast primary features are the towering cliffs and sheer headlands that dominate hard rocks formed by millions of years of pounding and relentless surf. I set out to ride a potion of this beautiful stretch of land from the bustling town of Newport to the cozy town of Florence.
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| Getting ready to ride |
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Riding along the US Highway 101, the fifty-odd mile ride started in Old Town Newport amongst the touristy jewelry and souvenier shops. Originally thought to be the western terminus of the transcontinental railroad, Newport grew to become one of the larger port cities in Oregon. When the railroad decided to start in San Francisco and the logging industry died, the many fishing warehouses and piers were converted to trendy restaurants and tourist attractions. Even on a cloudy day, Newport was bustling with many people walking the streets and shopping.
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| Old Town Florence |
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I headed across the massive Yaquina Bay Bridge and proceeded south for about twenty miles. US Highway 101 is the main highway along the West Coast of the United States. Starting at the Washington-Canada border, it heads due south through Oregon into California going through San Francisco into Los Angeles. It is commonly known as the Pacific Coast Highway. The Oregon Coast Bike Route primarily uses 11 as it's main conduit, although there are a few stretches where it diverges from the main road. Stretching about 360 miles from Astoria to Brookings, I selected this particular portion because it was close to home and also gave me the experience of the Oregon Coast that I was searching for.
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| Sign just before crossing the Yaquina Bay Bridge |
For the first twenty miles of the ride, I paralleled sandy beaches and state parks that were overflowing with day-trippers and overnighters. While the traffic was fairly heavy, the shoulders were very wide and the tailwind allowed me to traverse the first part of the ride fairly quickly.
After speeding through the samll towns of Seal Rock and Waldport, I reached the halfway point in Yachats. Pronounced Ya-Haats, this tourist town was where I was supposed to meet my support car for lunch. However, I made such good time that I actually outpaced my support car. It took me only an hour and fifteen minutes to go the twenty odd miles to Yachats. That tells you just how gusty the tailwind was.
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| Heceta Beach |
I decided to proceed on while my support car caught up to me. Proceeding on meant climbing the headlands between Yachats and Florence. Carved by millions of years of wave erosions, the massive headlands of Cape Perpetua and Heceta Head tower massively hundreds of feet below pounding surf. Highway 101 becomes very steep in this portion and the climb took a lot out of me. However, not unlike the McKenzie Pass ride, once you get to the top of the hill the view is incredible. Miles of pristine coastline and jagged cliffs stretched out for miles on each side. It was incredible.
At the top of the hill is the Cape Creek Bridge and tunnel. I only mention this because all of the bridges along the Oregon Coast were designed by the same man during the Great Depression. They are massive in scale, and I went over two of them when I rode.
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| Cape Creek Bridge |
After meeting my support car at Heceta Head, I climbed the final few hundred feet to the top of the headland, stopped for a quick picture and headed downhill.
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| Looking down onto Heceta Head and the Lighthouse |
After about ten miles of steady downhill, I reached Old Town Florence. I completed the ride in a surprising three-and-a-half hours covering about 50 miles. While I had driven this stretch of 101 many times, the experience I got while riding a bike just can't compare. Being outside and enjoying the spray of the surf, the gust of the tailwind, and the fresh smell of the sea made this one of the most enjoyable rides I have done.
ExplOregon by Bike Ride 8: Oregon Coast Summary
Total Miles for Ride-50.6 miles
Total Time on Bike- 3.5 hours
Weather-Mid 60's with Cloudy Skies
Miles Traveled Overall in ExplOregon- 422.6 miles
Time Spent on Bike Overall- 35 hours
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