87 miles – $1730 raised
Let me tell you how I’m living right now. After a fantastic soak in a hot tub with tear your skin off jets, I’m now laying in bed in my underwear eating a specially prepared veggie meal and beer that was delivered to me by tour mates Sandy and Nick. What’s more I just sent Sandy off to do my laundry!
So how did I manage this excellent state of existence you might ask? Well, let me tell you about my day. We woke up in Coos Bay and hung around the hotel for a while so I could catch up on the blog stuff. We got rolling around 10:30 or so and pedaled out of town. That first bit out of Coos kind of sucked because the 101 is a legit highway at that point. In just a few miles we were back to the quiet big shouldered two laned 101 we have been loving this whole ride.
The wind today was epic. I think tomorrow is flag day and at one stop I noticed how all the 8 flags in front of the grocery store we were at were all blowing straight out in the exact direction we were going. It was amazing and we were flying. Today’s ride was mostly easy up hills or long descents. In either case we kept a pretty solid pace. At one point the wind was whipping and the road was smooth so I took the lead. I could hear the other guys behind me and so I started to get moving pushing as hard as I could. I kept hearing the click of Sandy’s derailleur so I just kept pushing and pushing leading our paceline. After a few miles I finally let up to drop back, low and behold there was no one! I was hearing the click of my bag rattling on my fender! I was miles ahead of the dudes… Literally because I was on a long straight road where you could see miles behind you. I was feeling good and new they were coming so I just kept on cruising. Turns out one of the epic sea/cliff views had lured them in for some photos.
Scenery today was either ordinary NW gorgeous forested roads or the trees would thin out and bring you near the beach to spectacular cliffs overlooking the coolest looking rock formations in different bays. Stunning to say the least! I stopped a few times to take pictures and the guys were still out of sight. I just kept riding with the wind and started to feel a hint of what people like about road riding. I was going so fast with so little effort… Just felt like I was flying.
I rolled into tonights stop in Gold Beach and stopped off at a pizza place to wait for the dudes to catch up. While waiting I sat with a senior couple Claire and Marvin. They’d been living on the beach in this small town for nearly 40 years. 5 kids later they seemed happy and content enjoying the beautiful coast they had. They filled my head with stories about the old days and the area while I rested my tired legs with a local beer. It was about as perfect a moment as i can imagine to be honest.
When the dudes rolled up they went to grab some food and I headed off to scure us a cheap room at the Motel 6. I’ve traveled a lot and this is the most remarkable Motel 6 I’ve ever been too! Completely modern looking rooms, hardwood floors, spacious and thee best jacuzzi I’ve ever been in! Tear your skin off jets that were amazing after so much riding. Once my hot tubbing was done I made it back to the room and sorted out my laundry. The problem is every single thing I have with me is wretchedly filthy so I piled everything into a bag and got in bed. Sandy and Nick showed up reporting that the Chinese joint they went to was closing but the owner was up to stay late and cook whatever they wanted. They brought me some specially made spicy veggies and tofu. They also showed up with a 12 pack of Olympia beer. They just left for their turn in the hot tub (and to drop the laundry off) and so here I am… Wrapping up the day with a nice meal and some typing in bed.
Good stuff!
