Day 1: Florence to Triangle Lake, Oregon

August 1, 2013

The temperature was 55F and drizzly in the morning. I got up at 7 and on the road at 8:30 after packing a soaking wet tent.

It was 4 miles north to the Siuslaw river bridge, where I wandered around looking for good views of the bridge. None of the views was great because of the gray sky.

View of Old Town Florence from the Siuslaw river bridge.

Siuslaw river bridge in Florence. The metal middle section is a draw bridge.

The underside of the bridge has a cathedral-like appearance.

I wandered around Old Town quite a bit and had breakfast #2 at the bakery. Old Town is where a ferry crossed the river before the bridge was built. It's more charming than all the newer stuff along US 101.

I left Florence late in the morning, heading east on highway 126. I had a gentle tailwind and the road stays close to the tidal river. Very flat from Florence to Mapleton. Wide shoulder, heavy traffic, nearly always a riverfront house in sight.

I had lunch at the only cafe in Mapleton. I spoke to a young pair of west-bound touring cyclists.

Siuslaw river in Mapleton. The poles around the docks indicate how high the river can get.

In Mapleton I turned left onto highway 36 which has very little traffic and no shoulder. Finally a quiet road. The terrain becomes hillier, with a definite uphill trend as I thread into the Coast Range.

Huge old wigwam burner at a sawmill. Oregon banned burning of waste bark, sawdust, and wood chips in the 1980's.

Highway 36 was the main road connecting Eugene and Florence until 1957, when the existing route of highway 126 was completed. Now it's a low-traffic byway.

I stopped to look at the Nelson Mountain covered bridge 1/4 mile off the highway.

Nelson Mountain covered bridge, built in 1928.

Oregon is the largest producer of Christmas trees in the U.S. Trees don't naturally grow like this-they are aggressively trimmed.

I stopped to hike at Lower Lake Creek falls. The parking lot is 1/4 mile from the trailhead, but I was able to park my bike at the trailhead. It's a popular swimming area when the weather is warmer.

Time exposure of Lower Lake Creek falls.

About half a mile past the trailhead I turned into the Triangle Lake campground. It's run by the local electric co-op. Rustic, flush toilets, shower, $10, no store nearby. I got a waterfront site on Lake Creek. The well water is sulfury so I filtered drinking water out of the creek.

My campsite at the Triangle Lake campground which is on Lake Creek, not on Triangle Lake.

Today I expected the temperature to warm up as I went inland, but it never did. Temperature was about 60F all day. Overcast, with occasional drizzle. Not much climbing today, but the cool weather sapped my energy.

Seeing the covered bridge and waterfall brought back memories of my Waterfalls of Calapooya tour which ended 30 days ago. That tour took me to 25 waterfalls and 8 covered bridges.

Distance: 47.9 miles (76.6 km)
Climbing: 1357 feet (411 m)
Average Speed: 10.7 mph (17.1 km/h)

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 48 miles (77 km)

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