Reedsport to Bandon

I rode out to the end of the road today. Because I couldn't go any farther, I stopped at Cape Arago State Park. I didn't see the Golden Hinde. Sir Francis Drake pulled out in 1579. It's a good thing that he did because the Pacific was acting up driven by strong winds coming from the north, I think. The skies were clear, though and the temperatures were in the 60s. It felt colder than that.

Let me start from the beginning of the day.

Some of you know that I have been off of my bicycle for about four months so that my clavicle could heal. That has gone well. I feel little pain in my shoulder while riding. The pain that I feel is concentrated in my theighs and in my rear end. I am tempting fate on a multi-day ride with only a couple of weeks to prepare. That's why it's nice to have an accommodating sag driver who can shuttle me when I am ready to get off of my bicycle. Today's ride was scheduled to be 64 miles starting in Reedsport and ending in Bandon. We decided to shuttle to North Bend, 25 miles into the route. We got on our bicycles there and rode on a very scenic part of the route through the picturesque harbor town of Charleston. From there we continued on to the state park passing several beaches and viewpoints. Stopping at one viewpoint, we saw hundreds of California Sea Lions and other seals making lots of noise on the rocky islets near the shore.

Eventually we reached the end of the road where Ann was waiting with the sag wagon and our lunch. My legs and my rear end told me that it would be prudent to stop riding here and shuttle to our next hotel. So I did. Jeff rode on.

When we reached Bandon, we made a strategic stop at the Face Rock Creamery where we had a child's size serving. If you ever stop here, don't order anything larger. The small portion is about a pint of ice cream. And and I lazed here for a while until Jeff showed up. Then we drove to tonight's Best Western.

It was still pretty early, so we decided to take a walk on the beach. The wind was blowing so hard that we didn't last very long.

We had a very good dinner tonight at Alloro Wine Bar and Restaurant, a surprisingly upscale restaurant. My steelhead trout with tapenade was cooked almost perfectly. The sunset on the way back to the motel was spectacular.

Note: I am having a difficult time adding photos using this blogging software.

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