Oregon Route, Training

Dana is working hard on trying to find us a better route to get to Lakeview, Oregon.  Using old Cycle Oregon routes and doing some "cutting and pasting", she just may have succeeded.

It was a very rainy, stormy day on the Oregon Coast, including hailing a few times.  Really too stormy to do any riding.  Disappointing for me because I haven't ridden in about 2 weeks (I was in Colorado for 12 days and experienced snow on 3 of them, enough to keep snow on the ground my entire trip).  I did manage to use the spin bikes at the gym for 35 minutes and build up a sweat.  I also did some weight training.  The best part of my day was my 2+ hour massage!

Dana said she rode to work today, but it was wet and cold.  I'm thinking the weather must not have been as stormy in the valley as it was on the coast (it usually isn't), but I'm sure it was pleasant.  I have to commend Dana for going out & riding in "the elements"

More Scouting Trips in Oregon and Colorado

Lucinda and Jill spent several days last week trying to find us a better route from the Oregon Coast to the mid-Willamette Valley for the first day of our trip.  Gale, Lisa and Nancy had previously found the Smith River route between Reedsport and Cottage Grove which had seemed to be our best option, but it was 90 miles with two significant climbs - certainly not an easy start to our trip (especially with 3 more days of climbing!).  Lucinda and Jill found Hwy. 42 either from Coquille or Bandon to the Roseburg area, which is relatively flat, a good road, and only 70 miles - this seems to be a much better option.  Lucinda and Jill also scouted between Roseburg and Lakeview - we are still awaiting a report on that stretch of road.

Nancy has been visiting family in Colorado and decided to scout the area between Monarch Pass and Pueblo or Colorado Springs.  Our preference has been to ride to Colorado Springs rather than Pueblo because there is a lot more to do in "the Springs", such as either driving or taking the railroad up to the top of Pike's Peak, hiking in the Garden of the Gods, touring the Olympic Training Camp and/or the Airforce Academy, playing golf at Broadmore, etc..  We are planning 4 days of R&R at this stage of the trip (primarily to allow me to visit my family), and we prefer to be in a place with a lot of attractions.  Pueblo is an old steel town and has limited attraction for tourists.  As it turns out, there is significant road construction on the west side of Pueblo where the Adventure Cycling Western Express route guides you.  So, the decision is an easy one we will ride to Colorado Springs.  I am actually very excited about riding this part of the country.  There are certainly some VERY significant climbs and descents, but the views are spectacular.

Planning Dinner

Last Thursday, March 18, Lucinda hosted a wonderful planning dinner for all of us to get to know each other and to discuss the trip.  We missed Jeri, Jill, Frances, Donna and Steve not being there.  We all really enjoyed each other and think we have a great group for our adventure.  Lucinda is planning on a "scouting trip" to the coast and then from Roseburg to Lakeview.  Nancy will be scouting an area of Colorado when she is there next week.  We are checking out some routes that are not on the Adventure Cycling maps to make sure they are safe for cycling.

Dana is back riding, but limiting herself to under 20 miles to allow a complete recovery from her surgery.  All of us are committed to really getting into our training over the next few weeks.  We also talked about some organized rides some of us may do:  Reach the Beach, and Salem Bike Club's Cookie Monster metric century.

Windy Day on Oregon Coast

It was beautiful and sunny, but VERY windy on the Oregon Coast today.  I hadn't ridden my bike in almost a week and my body was telling me I HAD to ride.  I managed to fight the wind and ride 26 miles.  While the wind made the ride more difficult, I think the most difficult part for me was that it took me longer than normal to warm up due to not having ridden in several days.  If I hadn't needed to get home I would probably have ridden another 10-15 miles.  When I did get home I took our dog on a 2 mile walk; walking home against the wind was a real struggle.

Green Bike Co-op Class

Gale, Jeri & I had our "last" bike mechanic class at Waldport's Green Bike Co-op tonight.  This is a great program and we've really learned a lot and feel much more confident in adjusting/fixing our bikes.  Actually, Jeri assisted Rick Hill in teaching the class, and Gale & I were the students.  Rick has said he will continue with the class if we want (we all "want") in April.  I'm finding I really enjoy working on bikes.  It's something totally different than anything I've ever done, and I still have a lot to learn, but it's actually starting to make sense to me.  The Green Bike Co-op is under the auspices of Seashore Family Literacy:  http://www.seashorefamily.org/

Because of other obligations my training has really gotten off course this week.  Hopefully, I'll get out for 3 or 4 hours tomorrow.  If my daughter's bike is not too tall for me I may be able to ride a bit while I visit her in Colorado for about 10 days; otherwise, I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do when I get home!

Rain Soaked Oregon Coast

With wind gusts of over 60 mph and non-stop heavy rains, yesterday was an impossible day to ride on the Oregon Coast.  Disappointing, as I had planned a 40 mile ride.  It looks like it might clear a bit today, but there are still wind warnings and it is currently raining.  I have hopes for a decent riding day tomorrow.

Siletz River Highway

Jeri, who is already in condition to start our tour, rode up to Hwy. 229, the Siletz River Highway, this morning and met me at the old Kernville Steak & Seafood House, and we rode out about 10 miles on the Siletrz River Highway.  It was a bit cold, but a beautiful morning for a ride.  We turned around at the 10 mile mark and returned to the restaurant parking lot.  There is major highway construction on Hwy. 101 where a new bridge is being built, and it really is not safe for cyclists, so I drove Jeri to Salishan and left her there to ride her bike back to Newport.  What this means is Jeri rode about 60 miles today and I rode 20.  There is probably something wrong with this "picture"; I think I better do a longer ride tomorrow!

For some reason I had never ridden along the Siletz before even though it is fairly close to my house.  It is a beautiful ride and one I plan to start doing much more frequently.  The road does have some traffic, and no shoulder, but it did seem pretty safe.  This may become my new favorite practice route!

Oregon Coast to Cottage Grove

Jeri, Gale & I went on a scouting trip today. It was a long day.  We drove what we felt were the 2 most rideable routes between the coast & Cottage Grove.


From Florence we took Hwy 126 to Noti, then went from Noti to Lorene to Cottage Grove. The drive totaled about 81 miles to the Holiday Inn Express (it and Comfort Inn which is only about a block away from Cottage Grove are the only 2 motels we saw on the west side; unfortunately we have to ride all of the way through Cottage Grove to get to them - not that there is much to drive through in Cottage Grove!). Hwy. 126 to Noti is pretty much all uphill with 1- 5 mile & 1 - 8 mile stretch of fairly steep grade. The tunnel is about the length of 2 football fields and is uphill at the end of one of the steeper grades (I think the 8 mile one, but it may have been the 5 mile one). There was about the amount of traffic you would expect on a weekday for a main highway between the coast & the valley. Some of the road was very smooth with a good shoulder, other parts weren't so good. This road is doable, though not terribly safe. An advantage is that there are services, such as perhaps a small restaurant or small store at reasonable distances along the way. A big concern is that it is a very long uphill grade, particularly with a tunnel with no shoulder at the end of a particularly difficult grade - if you get really, really tired you CANNOT stop.


We had lunch in Cottage Grove, then headed back to Lorene (there is a steep hill between Lorene & Cottage Grove that there will be no way for us to avoid no matter which route we take). At Lorene we took the Siuslaw River Rd to Alma (really not quite sure if there is anything in Alma but an "intersection"), then turned left & went over Oxbow Pass to where we picked up Smith River Rd. (went the wrong direction on Smith River Rd. until Jeri realized the river was flowing the wrong way! Fortunately she was on her toes because we had driven less than 1 mile). We took Smith River Rd. to 101 then went about 1/2 mile south into Reedsport on 101. This route was about 89 miles, with virtually no traffic (between Lorene & 101, a distance of about 65 miles we saw exactly 2 log trucks & 6 cars, & 4 of those cars were in the last 10 miles before we got to 101!). It's a beautiful route and not as hilly as 126. Oxbow Pass has a pretty steep grade for about 2 miles. The disadvantage of this route is that the road is a bit rougher (it's all paved, so gravel is not an issue), it's 8 miles longer, and there are no facilities along the way except a campground. Because there was no traffic (if you calculate you'll realize we saw exactly 4 vehicles in 55 miles!), it is much more scenic, and it is not as hilly, I think all of us preferred it to 126 even though it is longer. It would be important to have support vehicles checking on us because it is quite isolated. However, if/when any of us got tired we could easily stop anywhere along the road to catch our breath - not true on 126 - you'd have to be cautious on 126 where you stopped. Also, if Oxbow Pass just felt too steep to bike one could walk the steepest part as it is only about 2 miles (there is about a 6 mile uphill grade before the steepest part but it is a fairly gradual climb - I'm ok with it & I am not a climber!). And, there is no tunnel! This is not a road any of us would ride by ourselves because it is so isolated, but with a group it would be fine & we could designate meeting places where we would meet the "sag" vehicle. We were thinking we might actually like to bike part of this one day before the trip just to make sure, but our consensus was that this was the better route. The big concern is one that probably can't be overcome - the first day will be LONG and not easy.

We did not drive 36 as we felt it was just too long (also, I'm not sure but I think Jeri said she had ridden it before & that it had no shoulder & there was a fair amount of traffic on a good part of it - if it wasn't Jeri it was somebody else that told us that). We also did not drive the part of the Siuslaw River Rd. from Hwy 126 to Alma because that is longer than the Smith River Rd., and you don't cut off of Hwy. 126 until after you've passed through the tunnel; basically if you go that far on Hwy 126 you might just as well ride to Noti as the turnoff for the Siuslaw River Rd is more than 1/2 way to Noti.

Deciding the best route will not be an easy decision!

First Bike Ride following Surgery

I am now down in Arizona and rode my Mt. Bike 10 very easy miles. But the first time on a bike since surgery on Feb. 5th. It was wonderful to ride again. Looking forward to more miles.

Steamboat Inn

We have booked another accommodation for our trip, Steamboat Inn which is between Cottage Grove and Crater Lake, Oregon, and "perches on a bluff" above the North Umpqua River.  The Inn was featured in the Travel section of last Sunday's Oregonian.  A few of us will be camping a few miles away as the Inn has no facilities for RVs, but we will all eat together in the Steamboat Inn cafe; the cafe closes at 6 p.m., so we will need to be ready to eat before 6 p.m., but that shouldn't be a problem as we will probably be famished after a short (55 miles) but strenuous day of riding.  The website for the Steamboat Inn is :  http://www.thesteamboatinn.com/index.html

View from the deck at Steamboat Inn