Day 30: Reedsport to Tyee campground

September 14, 2011

Map of today's route. Terrain view is best.

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Today's ride will be easy because I have a tailwind and the destination is only 220 feet elevation.

After much conversation with Brian and Nancy I got away from the motel at 9:45. It looks like it will be sunny for them going down the coast to Crescent City. But today I go inland and I see dark clouds in the Coast range to the east. The coast is finally sunny on the day I go inland. Clouds are following me!

Brian and Nancy are veteran cyclists and adventurers from Victoria, B.C.

Today the tour begins a new segment that I call the Umpqua-Crater-Rogue alternate. This 380 mile route bypasses 165 miles of the Pacific Coast route. My route follows the Umpqua river upstream from Reedsport to the crest of the Cascade range at Crater Lake. Then it follows the Rogue river down to Grants Pass, then south to California and down the Smith river to Crescent City.

The route starts with 37 miles east on highway 38 from Reedsport to Elkton. The road has light to moderate traffic, with a narrow 2-foot paved shoulder. The highway stays close to the river which has a very small gradient. It's an easy ride.

4 miles east of Reedsport I stopped at the Elk Viewing area for a few minutes just to enjoy the sun. I could see that I would soon enter the dark clouds in the hills to the east.

Looking downstream at the Elk Viewing area, Highway 38, and Umpqua river. I'm leaving this behind...

...and going into this. Umpqua river looking upstream.

The sky was overcast for the remainder of the day. The temperature only warmed up to about 70F which is below normal. With the usual mild tailwind, it was pleasant.

I need more sun to solar charge batteries. Other than the brief spell of sun this morning, this is the 4th consecutive overcast day.

Umpqua river and highway 38 threading through the Coast range.

Mill creek flowing into the Umpqua river. Loon Lake is 5 miles upstream.

Highway 38 has less traffic than US 101 on the coast. But much of the traffic is log trucks.

Scottsburg county park would be a nice place to camp if camping was allowed.

Narrow bridge crossing the Umpqua river at Scottsburg.

I went off the highway in Scottsburg to look at the old buildings. Scottsburg is the oldest settlement in Douglas county. It's navigable from the ocean because it's just below the first rapids of the Umpqua river. Back in 1840 it was a river port that traded mostly with fur trappers. With no roads, rivers were the main transportation.

Minnie Fryer house, circa 1870. In Scottsburg.

Hedden Store, circa 1851. In Scottsburg.

Scottsburg has no services, but there is a store and restaurant 2 miles east of town. I had lunch at the restaurant.

The area between Scottsburg and Elkton had the best blackberries of the trip. Huge vines covered with huge berries. The coast has late-summer moisture, but is too cool for blackberries to ripen well. Further inland there is heat to ripen blackberries, but no late-summer rain. This area seems to have the perfect balance of warm sunshine and late-summer moisture.

Typical valley view when highway 38 cuts off a bend in the river.

Victorian farm house between Scottsburg and Elkton.

In Elkton I had to stop at Tomaselli's bakery. I've been there many times. Elkton is a major town in this sparsely populated part of the Coast range, but the population is only 142 and there is no motel.

The most important part of downtown Elkton.

Leaving Elkton I turned right onto highway 138 towards Sutherlin, then immediately right again onto Mehl Creek road. Now I begin 70 miles of no-traffic county roads.

Umpqua river from the Mehl Creek road bridge in Elkton.

Mehl Creek road promptly crosses the Umpqua river, then goes upstream, across the river from highway 138. It has maybe one car every 5 minutes. There are a few houses, but it's mostly private tree farms with plots of all ages. The recently harvested areas have the most open views.

Mehl Creek road has a total of 2.6 miles of well graded gravel in 4 segments. Short paved sections appear near homes to reduce dust. It's a delightful country road, but it has an extremely steep hill that climbs 400 feet. I had to take a couple of "photo stops" on that hill.

View from the summit of Mehl Creek road.

Tonight's destination is Tyee Recreation Site BLM campground. $10, with piped water and vault toilets. The host maintains the campground very well. The sky was still overcast and the temperature was in the 60's. The humidity was high, but still lower than on the coast. The forest was very lush and the river looked great, but now and then I could hear highway 138 across the river.

I'm camped only 15 miles from home, so I had dinner with my wife on the deck overlooking the river at Tyee Landing restaurant 0.7 mile past the campground. After dinner she came to visit my campsite. It was my first time to camp near home during a bike tour, and her first time to visit me during a bike tour.

I gave serious thought to spending the night at home, but I was concerned that it might become the end of the tour. I can avoid that temptation by not going home.

Distance: 60.2 mi. (96 km)
Climbing: 1606 ft. (487 m)
Average Speed: 11.3 mph (18.1 km/h)

Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 1,503 miles (2,419 km)

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