Day 18 – Sunset Bay State Park to Humbug Mountain State Park

59 miles (95 km) – Total so far: 1,055 miles (1,697 km)

Distance 59 miles (95km) Time riding 4 hours 40 minutes Max speed 33.9 mph Average speed 12.6 mph Left at 8:30 am Arrived at 3:00 pm

Millers Bar at the Cove was good for food and a beer last night, although it was a bit pricey. Though the area is so evidently good for seafood it is difficult to get anything that isn’t battered or breadcrumbed, and then fried.

There is quite a bit of cyclist traffic heading in both directions on this route. The CGOAB site has at least two other sets of riders on it. The people I have met have either been students on a type of coming of age experience, or crazy. Last night in the HB area there were 5 others. One very young (I guess 19) Californian lad who has just started in Bend and is headed to San Diego, then back up the Sierras to Crater Lake and Bend. Two guys from Berkeley University who are mid 20s and started in Vancouver, headed west on the Olympic peninsula (I went East) then down the coast back to Berkeley. Also a young couple (again I’d say mid 20s) who are just on a 2 week trip, from Newport to Crescent City, and a rental car to SF. Of the crazy type, I rode past 2 young guys on the Cougar Pass who were walking and obstructing a fair bit of traffic. They clearly were headed for the beaches. They had a large ghetto blaster type player on a rack at the front of the bike, blaring music out, and beers in a cooler on the back, as well as panniers with tent etc. Today headed up the hill into Port Orford and into the strong northerly was a guy about my age, walking, and ‘riding for Jesus’ on a scruffy paper made with felt pen at the front of his bike. Jesus wasn’t on his side today.

This morning’s ride away from highway 101 on the Seven Devils road was excellent and highlight of the trip. The ‘Devils’ are the steep hills encountered on the road, each about 80 meters and ranging from 7 to 12% in gradient. Good that they were in the morning, as it is cool at that time, 15 – 20C. It soon heats up though, and mid afternoon despite being in the coast was almost 30C, not quite what the Cascades were like though. After about 15 miles it is back onto 101, and very similar terrain to yesterday; forested, ups and downs, busy traffic, shoulder usually decent except for a section just after Langlois. The isn’t much in either town, Bandon or Port Orford, but I did get a decent sandwich in Port Orford and the test match score, which livened the day up considerably. After a supermarket stop it was on the 5 miles or so to Humbug State Park, and what seems and excellent hiker biker area.