September 10, 2011
Day 26: Nehalem Bay to Cape Lookout State Park
Route for days 26 and 27, Nehalem Bay State Park to Lincoln City. Terrain view is best.
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47F with dense fog at daybreak. I never got around to finding the showers last night, so I had a shower this morning and got on the road at 9:15. The fog cleared at about 8, surprisingly early.
It was mostly uphill for 2.5 miles to get back to highway 101. Then downhill to Nehalem bay. I really enjoyed going around the bay with sunshine and 70 degree temperature. The bays are noticeably warmer and sunnier than the open coast.
Fishing attracts many visitors to the bays. Tide-influenced estuaries are very productive for fish and shellfish.
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As expected, the temperature drops about 10F when I approach approach the ocean. After 11 miles I was only 1 mile across the bay from where I started today.
Back at the ocean I took a long stop at Manhattan Beach State Park. It's huge, maybe 1/4 mile of sand between the dunes and the ocean. The coastal highway was foggy, but most of the beach was out of the fog. I had a clear view of the ocean and looking inland I could see the mountains rise above a layer of fog.
Highway 101 stayed in fog going through the communities of Manhattan Beach and Rockaway Beach. Then the road turns inland to go around Tillamook bay with sunshine and temperature in the 70's again. Always a tailwind when starting around a bay, and always a headwind when turning back towards the ocean.
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In downtown Tillamook I turned onto Bayocean road to do the Cape Meares loop. That starts with 15 miles along the bay, into the wind. Then the road turns southwest to climb Cape Meares. The coastal fog seems to be gone now.
I went downhill half a mile off the loop road to the Cape Meares lighthouse. It has a great view to the south. Unfortunately, the fresnel lens was recently vandalized. The lens was intact during my first visit 5 years ago.
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I was thrilled to have a sunny afternoon on the coast.
In Oceanside I found out that the road ahead has been closed for more than a year. When leaving Tillamook there was no sign announcing that the Cape Meares scenic route is closed. I sure don't want to backtrack 20 miles to Tillamook!
The road had barricades near the top of a steep hill 2 miles south of Oceanside. I went around the barricades and could see people walking the closed road. The washed out section was half a mile past the barricades on a steep sandy slope above the beach community of Netarts. There was still one lane of pavement, but it would probably collapse if a heavy truck drove on it.
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I camped at the awesome hiker/biker campground at Cape Lookout State Park. The park isn't actually on Cape Lookout, it's on a beach just north of Cape Lookout. The hiker/biker camp is closer to the beach than the main campground. It was warm and sunny and the beach was crowded.
For the first and only time of this tour I saw a sunset and camped near the ocean without constant fog. It was a great evening.
Today had less fog than any other day I spent on the coast during this tour. High temperature was about 72F (21C).
Distance: 51.7 mi. (82.7 km)
Climbing: 2163 ft. (655 m)
Average Speed: 10.6 mph (17 km/h)
Hiking: 1 mi. (1.6 km)
Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 1,290 miles (2,076 km)
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