August 25, 2010
Fwd: Day 13- 54miles! Sunset Bay State Park to Port Orford, OR
We had a great group in camp last night was really fun being with like> minded souls. We were joined by a young man from Germany just after> dark....how he found the hiker/biker site in the dark I will never know-I had a hard time in the daylight. Must be young eyes. We all enjoyed the really great sounds from the fog horns at this camp. They were musical some way...have never heard others like it but made for wonderful sleeping. We had a good breakfast and sent everyone on their various ways. As it turned out we would connect again down the road. We should have known today would be a challenge given our start! Think I have mentioned that I have had trouble with my gears slipping? Jack adjusted them back in Tillamook and they have been good until today and we of course were heading up! We had a little 2mi warm up before the climbs were to start and I could not get into some of my much needed gearing. We stopped and Jack once again was repairman on the job. He worked with them for awhile by the side of the road and got me going again!! Then we were off on the Seven Devils Road loop to Bandon about 25mi down the road. Well they turned out to be a little devilish!! You climb to about 600+ ft and then go up and down the ridge for 20mi! The road goes up into a forest and over a mountain rather than running along the coast. It was traveled only lightly by cars so it was no problem with traffic. The sun came out today in full force so not only did we have hills we had lots of sun! We made it into Bandon around noon and see our camp buddies Dave, Scott and Catherine finishing lunch at the local fish taco place. We decide to give them a try and they were very good (no problems down the road). They left us to finish up and we think we might all end the day at Port Orford. Now the next 25mi are supposed to be easy rolling hills that fly by. That is what the guide book says......not exactly!! They roll pretty high and are pretty constant and the book did not mention the last two pretty big climbs!! Plus turns out it is the hottest day of the year - 90's we heard later. Finally we roll into Port Orford and there seems to be no hotels and the nearest camp is seven more miles down the road and it is supposed to be 'buggy'! We finally come to two hotels at the very, very end of town the nicer looking of the two seems to be closed. Jack knocks on the office door but no one answers...so we go to what looks like the only alternative> next-door. We get a room however at first glance it is iffy we are adjusting. Ah yes, we did run into Catherine again on the road about 18mi out of Port Orford we helped each other into town and she got a room at the now open place next door and Dave and Scott showed up there too so we all walked to dinner at a local fish place The Crazy Norwegians Fish house ...it was really good and the supported bike group we have been seeing for couple of days were there also. We had some good natured kidding but they had the last word or the last pie I should say. They got the last piece of Marion-berry pie :(Tomorrow Gold Beach.....there are no camps so Jack is playing it safe and already booked us a room at the Motel 6....believe me that will be> a few steps up! View from top of Seven Devils Road
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Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 540 miles (869 km)
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