Sunset Bay State Park to Humbug Mountain State Park, Oregon

the Devil you know

May 7, 2014
Sunset Bay State Park to Humbug Mountain State Park, Oregon
60 miles

We began the day with breaky on the beach - nothing like oatmeal and coffee to get the day off to a good start.

Breakfast with a view - Sunset Bay State Park

We were about to face the Seven Devils....seven hills to climb to the top of the ridge.  Great name for this section as we were ready to sell our souls to the Devil for just a few miles of Louisianna flats!  As usual, the climb was worth it as we were treated to panoramic views from the top of the ridge.

Seven Devils Road, Oregon

It was a morning of contrasts, as we passed by protected estuaries and at the next turn were looking at massive clear cuts.

We were rewarded for our climbing with a long, fabulous glide into the town of Bandon.  Even better the bike route took us off Highway 101 and into town via a scenic route.  It was a welcome break from the traffic and noise of the highway, and of course we celebrated with a second breakfast at the Minute Cafe.

Outside of Bandon, Jane won the award for first flat of the trip!  As we pulled over to examine the damage we were astonished to see a pair of cyclists approach.  They were pulling a trailer and inside the trailer was their one year old daughter.  They stopped to see if we needed help!  It was both humbling and inspiring to meet them.  They are from Germany and are planning to cycle to Los Angeles.  I must confess I am fearful for them, as parts of the route are quite dangerous as the shoulders on the road can disappear to nothing.  They were planning to camp at Humbug tonight, so we are watching for them.  We are looking forward to seeing them again.

First flat of the trip - Rob gets to work

Refreshments ready to go at Hiker/Biker campsite - Humbug Mountain State Park

Giggle of the day:

We were beginning what we hoped would be the final climb of the day.  We saw a view point at about the 58 mile mark and with legs screaming and lungs bursting, we decided to pull in and recover.  As we rode in we noticed a couple standing beside their car.  They began to stretch it out....full quad and hamstring stretches.  We looked at each other in disbelief.  Not a word was spoken!