Bike, Not Hike – Oregon June Getaway Part 2

Dean and I talked a lot about our career paths and personal history the evening I stayed with him and his wife Carol. It’s always fun to hear each hosts background, what got them into bike touring, and why they host. Dave and Carol are a retired library worker and elementary education teacher respectively. They look forward to hosting more bikers as the weather improves and the effects of COVID recede.

Carol made us all blueberry pancakes with some extra blueberries and strawberries on the side for breakfast. Carol went to her aquatics exercise last night and it was Dean’s turn this morning. For me, it was a 63 mile ride back to Cannon Beach on a slightly different route for the first 20 miles. Rather than follow OR 47 back to US 26, I took OR 8 and 6, then NW Timber Road to get me back to US 26. As you can see here (Click on link), it cut off only about 100 hundred feet of climbing from yesterday, but I think the grades along Timber road were more severe.

The scenery was beautiful in the sunshine. I didn’t stop at any of the wineries. They weren’t open yet. Meanwhile Hidalgo had to wait while I needed another 10-100.

Maybe I was not as fresh as yesterday. Maybe it was because it was warmer. It could also have been because there was slow building headwind. Regardless, the climbs seemed steeper, the shoulder seemed narrower, the traffic seemed heavier, and it was just plain harder on the return trip. When I was done, it showed up in the stats. I rode only half a mile farther, climbed 150 feet less and took 16 minutes longer. I know I drank a lot more. I also know that on the downhills I was consistently going over 30 mph for long sections. Today, I rarely got above 30 and had to pedal hard on some of the downhills to stay above 20 mph. Hills can be bad, but headwinds are always worse!

This time my trip to the Bakery General Store was later in the day. The doughnut selection was good, but not as big as yesterday morning. I got a German sausage in a “(bread) blanket”, a banana, milk and 2 oatmeal cookies for my early lunch/second breakfast.

A Scenic Viewpoint I ignored on the ride out when it was overcast. Today was sunny and clear.
According to Becky that was Mt. St. Helens in the background. Out of this frame, we could also see Mt. Rainier smaller to the left.
It was a tough climb after lunch

As I did my final climbs against the wind, I realized it wasn’t just my imagination. As I was heading west against the wind, I could see there were times when I did not have much shoulder, but across the lanes, the eastbound side had a safe margin. It was just another condition that added to my fatigue.

There was still fresh chicken at the store at the junction with OR 53. I was thirsty more than hungry, so I got a cold Gatorade to help wash down some trail mix. I had one more short, steep climb back into Cannon Beach, so the rest really helped. I got off 26, headed south on 101 and made the final climb. I stopped for a photo op just outside of town.
This is why it is called Cannon Beach.
Only a few miles more until rest, shower, dinner and some fishing later in the week.

Getting off of 101 back into town was a steep downhill curve. After a few more turns, I was back at the Airbnb in Cannon Beach. I had beat the hikers back to the house, so I had the place, including the shower, all to myself. It was a good, 2 day mini adventure with a lot of sights and a few interesting people.

The Lone Rider

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