Oregon continues to earn its title as best state of the trip so far.
Headed out of Corvallis and over the mountains to Newport. Our new bike specific map tells you where there are major grades and hills which helps the squad in its daily mental preparation. The climb out of Corvallis would have killed lesser men (i.e. us a few weeks ago), yet we managed to get over the hills. The mountains literally tumble into the sea at Newport. We spent the night at the Rogue Brewery Public House and then South Beach State Park. At the Rogue Brewery you get a free pint on Tuesday if you wear a Hawaiian shirt. We tried to convince the bartender that we qualify if we both wore our bright orange reflective vests, but to no avail. Later we harangued the gate guard at the state park to let us camp for free. A few minutes of half-hearted banter and $4 a person later we were allowed to camp. Two devastating blows to my negotiating skills in one evening was hard to swallow. Whats more a raccoon managed to get into our bagels, trailmix, energy drink and cheese during the night.
The next day we rode through the 'post-card' area of the coast. Steep cliffs, sea lions, lighthouses and hidden beaches dotted the way from Newport down to Florence. We camped at the base of the Oregon Sand Dunes and had our first real interaction with other touring cyclists. There are also a number of people hiking down the length of the coast on foot. I find that particularly crazy, yet many people along the way have told me that I am crazy for biking down the coast, so to each their own.
Down to Coos Bay (home of Steve Prefontaine) tonight. In San Francisco around July 4.
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