Big Ride Pacific Coast 2008

DAY 4, Tuesday 9/16
Nehalem Bay State Park To Devil's Lake State Park

Ride Time : 6h30min
Max Speed: 37.1 mi/hr (60 Km/hr)

Earlier take off this morning. We were departing by 8:00am, after the usual route debriefing assembly lead by Ride Director, David Van Doorne. Today we have a longer ride day, with over 88mi (142km) and around 5,000ft (1500m) of elevation gain with an altitude range of 870ft (265m).

As much as it was all night, it is a misty morning so the whole tent is soaking wet, inside and out, including sleeping bag and clothes. Well, tough luck -campsite was amazing anyway. Last night we had a great dinner and hung out by the fire, sharing stories and drinking beers until around 9pm. The two Seattle girls that I met in Cannon Beach yesterday and that are heading to Tijuana Mexico from Victoria, BC showed up on campsite, so we had couple beers and chatted for quite a while. They’re doing a pretty awesome trip. Here’s their blog http://thehotbodyssey.wordpress.com/

I took a little detour and am now having a Latte and Donut at a classic spot in Manzanita; The Coffee Shop -a place where I have been before with good friends- while most people have already started heading south. It’s a 90-mile ride today and climbing is not marginal, so I should get going.

After a great breakfast in Manzanita, I started heading south, solo, until I caught up with my group about 10 miles down the road, while the fog was significantly limiting visibility. We drafted for 24 miles (39km) towards Tillamook Creamery, where the first check point was scheduled, and where most people took a break to visit the cheese plant. Bill Bloxom, one of our team members, got his bike checked by Alan, the Big Ride’s mechanic, so that was our first delay (over an hour). In the meantime, Steve Bursley and I found a sporting goods store in town, where I finally got a tarp (much needed the night before!). After another stop, now at the bike shop (another 40’) waiting for Bill to get his bike in good shape to keep going, the team continued heading south. At this point we are riding through the countryside with beautiful scenic views and this classic horseshit smell, on a cold and wet day, still with a lot of fog, and of course, not being able to see the ocean for that reason, even though we’re riding almost on the shore.

At the second check point, located at 41mi (66km) -and after the first big climb of three- we fueled up again with power snacks, water and Gatorade refills, but we also spent over an hour hanging out with Alan, the mechanic, listening to his awesome stories about living out in a van for weeks during the multiple bike treks he has supported around the country, and his tips about surviving without showers, with just alcohol gel, baby wipes and wide-mouthed Gatorade bottles (the minimalistic version of a honey-bucket on wheels, I guess). Anyway, after the long chat we all (4 at this point) hopped on our bikes to make up for slacking so much during the first half of the route. We still had another 46mi (74km) and at this point it was 2:30pm, so we really needed to -finally- stay put and push it to get in campsite on time. And we did, after two more killer climbs and little over three hours, we hit campsite at Devil’s Lake State Park in Lincoln City, OR.

Because tomorrow is a rest-day, and Lincoln City is a big enough town to offer hotel accommodations, riders are free to either camp or stay in hotels the next two nights, so I got a room at the local Comfort Inn and hauled in my bike and my two 25" x 43" yellow float bags (thanks to Coleman’s sponsorship through my good friend Matias Lyon in Chile) from the State Park, about three blocks away. Around 9pm some of us (the young and the young at heart) met up at the dive across the street for beers, spirits and good stories. It’s a really fun group with people from all over the country: Boston, NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, etc and all sorts of riding levels and experiences. So we all drank to the first third of the ride, and got to know each other a bit better, on a different -but probably as intense- environment, other than riding bikes. And we left after last call, somewhat hammered, around 2am...