September 12 - Saturday - The day dawned foggy but warm as we headed out on Hwy 101 along the southern arm of Coos Bay.
Doug is trying to be serious but he's on his bike so you know that it isn't possible.
Even though this isn't the official bike route the road has a good shoulder and this morning there was very little traffic.
The drawbridge over the Coquille River (ko-keel). Oops..the camera got switched to black and white without Donna noticing.
Looking west along the river at Bullard Beach State on the right shore. It was too bad we had only gone 20 miles at this point because this park would have been a really nice place to stay. We took a break there and cruised through the campground anyway.
Just outside of Bandon we started encountering a lot of cars parked along the side of the road (Clue #1) Then we started seeing people on foot (Clue #2). We pulled into this little town and there were people everywhere (Clue #3). The answer - the annual Cranberry Festival whose parade had just finished!
The harbor looked pretty busy as well.
We had lunch at the Wheelhouse (a very delicious crab croissant sandwich) and while we were inside the sun came out.
That is the Coquille River Lighthouse in the distance. It is at the south end of Bullard Beach State Park.
We wandered around the harbor area which is quite pedestrian friendly and festive today.
Imagine a very rich brown color.
The sound of the day. We found the festival and Donna got her color back......
.............just in time for the old car show.
We reluctantly said goodby to this lovely little town and headed out on Beach Loop Road. Just as we got to the top of a steep little pitch, Donna realized that she did not have her handlebar bag.....a pretty significant item. We ZOOMED back to the waterfront where 3 fellow cyclists that we had talked to earlier were getting ready to give chase to deliver the handlebar bag to us. Donna had set it on top of a utility box that was next to her bike while putting on gloves and helmet. A good lesson that ended well.
Another view of the lighthouse and park.
There are a lot of sea stacks in this part of the coast.
Beautiful but not the sort of thing that does well on a bike.
Right around this spot the road reconstruction was not as far as along as yesterday. In fact the asphalt had been ground off and there were all these grooves. We paid for all that smooth pavement with about 4 miles of arm-and-bottom-jolting vibrations.
We stopped for an ice cream break at Langlois. We met a young couple from Nanaimo, BC who arrived by motorcycle. They were headed to San Francisco as well though they will get there a lot faster. They didn't like that grooved pavement any more than we did.
Even though it says blueberries that is really a cranberry bog behind the fence.
One more mile of pain and penance.
The Elk River
We had a pizza dinner at The Hard Rain Cafe in Port Orford, a very pleasant place with good music. Donna got one of their cranberry oatmeal cookies to go and the waiter gave her a second one for free!
While we were at dinner the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped so we opted for a warm, dry motel for the night. There was one just across the street from this park that fit the bill.
After showering, Doug got a phone call that alerted us that our plans may need to change. Afterwards, we walked over to the park and watched the waves building and the fog get thicker.
56.4 miles today for a total of 363 miles
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