West Coast 2018

64 miles We set off at 7.45 and made 31 miles before stopping at Port Orford for breakfast. After breakfast the sun came out and the views were spectacular We headed off the 101 for 18 miles or so, up into the hills on empty roads. It was really good to get away from the traffic for a while.  Crossing the bridge into Gold Beach we were faced by the bizarre spectacle of what seemed like hundreds of little motor boats all engaged in slow motion dodgems. We arrived at Gold beach and found an RV campsite which has a hiker biker section - where they usually play football so I’m not sure how popular we are. Putting up our tents we felt like monkeys in a zoo, surrounded by these immense homes on wheels. We celebrated our last night in Oregon by having an evening meal out (our first!) - Mexican - what a pleasure! We ended the day watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean

53 miles Woke up early thinking we might have to cover over 80 miles to the next state park. As it happens we were able to stay with Brian and Nicole at Bandon. Set off before 8am and covered the first thirty miles in no time We saw a flock of Egrets prior to stopping for breakfast: We arrived too early for any of the Charleston diners to be open so we had a coffee before our breakfast (with more coffee). By the time we finished I wa feeling a little wired. After breakfast we set off up the seven devils hill - this has a severe reputation but the views were worth the effort. We arrived at Brian and Nicole’s house knowing they wouldn’t be in until later so we put up our tents, cycled to town to get food then, once showered sat and enjoyed the view from the house of the river Coquille Once Brian and Nicole arrived home we spent a few hours making some new friends (enjoying several glasses of wine in the process). 

59 miles A later start today settting off at 8.30am. There is less of a hurry - we’re meeting another friend, Simon Pooler a friend of mine (a friendship that stretches back to University) on theCalifornian border on 3rd August. This stretch of coast is famous for Seals and a Sealion colony. We spotted a colony of seals early in the ride: Then joined the tourists to see a Sealion colony: Over lunch I took the opportunity of free WiFi in the diner to face time Sarah. It was wonderful to see and speak with  her even for a few minutes. I also face timed Simon P who we at meeting up with on the 3rd. He was busy packing and repacking kit – we both looking forward to his arrival. The afternoon ride was breathtaking as we rode up into the hills: And spotting more eagles on the wing. We camped at Umpqua State Park, again meeting up with our Canadian friends Steve and Anna. The campsite is by a lake and I joined Steve for a swim – it was clear and cool. Just ...

I’d like to thank everyone who has sponsored my so far -it looks like we’ve raised £380 so far which is great. It occurred to me that some people might think this is one of those Hobson gets a free holiday from Julia’s House. This isn’t the case -every penny goes to support the children’s hospice. 45 miles It rained last night - first proper rain, but our stuff has remained wet from the insesent mist. The cycling seems to be getting easier - this is partly because it’s been flatter today, but also we seems to be getting fitter and used to clocking up the miles with heavy bikes. Hopefully it’s having an impact on the waistline (but the Lycra still seems tight so I doubt it). By the time we had finished breakfast the most had cleared so we decided to have a shorter day and dry out our stuff. We arrived at our campsite nice and early - around 2.30pm. Stopping at this time felt like skipping off school early! It have us the chance to wash some clothes and get everything dry....

The mornings are misty in Oregon.... 77 miles The Oregon Coast has proved to be very misty. We’ve  been told that a few miles inland the temperatures are up to 100’F (not sure what that is in real money but it’s hot). On the coast however we’ve had our jackets on. In the road by 7.30- with the road pretty much to ourselves. Breakfast after 27 miles at Tillamook (famous for having an epic fire in 1933) then on another 28 miles and a couple of big hills to Pacific City  (lovely coastal resort with surfing an everything (other than any sun) for coffee and lunch. We got chatting to a photographer (Jill Rosell) from Bend Oregon where apparently Theresa standing wave you can surf non stop! We then made our way to Lincoln City via another beast of a hill. We are staying at Devils Lake State Park (another hiker biker site) and have met up with a couple who we met a couple of days ago – Steve and Anna from Canada.

44 miles A much shorter day – we took our time all day. Apparently taking it easy every now and then is really enjoyable- who knew? A late start (8.45) followed by a look at the shipwreck  ‘The Peter Iredale’ circa 1900 on the beach. We headed off to a town called Seaside 19 miles south, in the sea (you’ve got to take your hat off to the imagination the pioneers had in their naming of towns). We had planned to hire boards and go for a surf here, but it was overcast, the water cold, and the surf wasn’t great so we had a slap up breakfast instead. We made sure we wouldn’t be left without food again so stocked up in the local supermarket. The afternoon ride of 25 miles was beautiful – with clear blue skies and fine views.  The hills to get the fine views weren’t so great. We arrived at our campsite - the hiker biker site at Nehelam Bay State Park then set off to the beach for a swim -  OMG the water is cold here! I made it to my stomach t...

71 miles The shop at Raymond that we bought our ingredients for our evening meal last night had an extensive stock of lagers, fizzy drinks, canned food, chocolate and crisps. Unfortunately it had almost nothing that we could use to make a healthy meal. We ended up buying two tins of chicken chowder and easy cook rice. It was horrible but the cold six pack of lager made up for it... For breakfast this morning we ate our last two cereal bars and an apple each. In the hope that we’d find a nice diner in the first 20 miles or so. After thirty miles we gave up and finished our snacks – some peanuts and chocolate. By the time we reached Astoria (58 miles) I was considering eating my own leg. We were ready to eat almost anything. After cycling past McDonald’s and KFC we found a a place that did Mexican tacos which went down a treat. We found an ice cream shop (as you’d expect the single scoop is about half a litre of ice cream) – all the better for having been so hungry. Tonigh...