Day 17 – Port of Suislaw to Charleston (Sunset Bay State Park)

65 miles (105 km) – Total so far: 996 miles (1,602 km)

Distance 65 miles (105 km) Time riding 4 hours 51 mins Max speed 39.4 mph Average speed 12.1 mph Altitude 7 metres al Left at 7:20 am Arrived at 3:00 pm

I was told the breakfast at Beachcombers bar (where I had been last night) was a must. To be honest it was the usual sort of thing; eggs, hash browns, ham, weak coffee, and lots of it, more than I could eat by a third.

From Florence the 101 goes through Oregon Dunes Area. It is about 35 miles of forest and lakes, with dunes blocking any ocean view. The riding is not too bad, undulating as expected, with two decent hills of 125 metres either side of Reedsport, but the traffic became heavy after about 10 am. Incredibly for an ocean route, you don’t actually see the ocean until the viewpoint on the hill out of Reedsport.

The riding becomes more exciting on the Bay Bridge just before North Bend, then through the very populated areas of Bend and Coos Bay, before hitting Charleston and the Cape Arago Highway.

The camping at Sunset State Park is very busy, in fact full, but the hiker biker area is empty and in a great space surrounded by forest. I expect I’ll have it to myself. I was about to pay $5 as requested, but an older woman ranger told the young trainee it was free without a car. I’m sure she was wrong, as there was a sign saying $5, but I didn’t argue.

3 miles ride on over a couple of hills is Millers Bar at the Cove…