August 10, 2006 – Day 31 – 402 Miles Tillamook, OR – Brookings, OR
Tillamook, OR – Brookings, OR
Got up to an absolutely beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the grass was growing, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture. It wasn’t raining. The official scorecard for donning raingear is as follows:
Raingear 21 days = 70%
Clear 9 days = 30%
But that doesn’t matter today. Had a great breakfast and hit the road (Hwy 101 South). The official mileage between Tillamook and Brookings is 273 miles, so why did it take me 402? Because I needed to get there in a reasonable amount of time. Yesterday, after turning on 101 in Astoria there was a sign which said “Newport – 133 miles.” I drove about three and one-half hours and settled down in Tillamook, 68 miles from Newport. Yes, many stops to take pictures. Yes, relaxed riding, enjoying the sun and restful environment. But 3.5 hours to go 65 miles?? You gotta be kidding. But I’m not. The traffic was pretty slow, plus, as mentioned, there are so many stops you just have to make. I realized I’d not be getting back to Texas until sometime in 2007 if I stayed on 101 through northern California. So I adjusted.
On the ferry a nice couple from Oregon told me I needed to visit the Cape Blanco lighthouse. Wanting to do this I took Hwy 22 from Hebo to Salem, I-5 from Salem to Winston, and Hwy 42 back to 101. Though this added about 120 miles to the trip I was able to make it within my lifetime.
And the rides…WOW…the rides.
Interestingly, both Hwy 22 and Hwy 42 would be wildly touted routes themselves, except for their western terminus: the craggy Pacific coast of Oregon. These are great rides, winding left-right-left through canopied forests, with nice creeks and rivers running parallel most of the way. I’m very interested in tomorrow’s ride because the waitress where I had breakfast this morning quietly told me the coast in northern California is much prettier. I may be unable to stand it.
Some more
I made it out to the Cape Blanco lighthouse. The gate to the lighthouse was closed so I couldn't get as close as I'd like. What isn’t shown is the wind coming in off the Pacific at about a steady 40 knots/hour. And that wind is c-o-l-d. We’ve discussed how I feel about c-o-l-d. Don’t like it. Never have. Never will. Took my pictures, admired the view, and got the hell outta Dodge. Drove down to Brookings looking for a campsite, but all were full. I was able to find a very nice little motel with decently priced rooms called the Westward Inn. It’s very well managed and kept. The reasonable roomrate includes free hi-speed internet so it meets all my requirements.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse
Below the lighthouse
Got up to an absolutely beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the grass was growing, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture. It wasn’t raining. The official scorecard for donning raingear is as follows:
Raingear 21 days = 70%
Clear 9 days = 30%
But that doesn’t matter today. Had a great breakfast and hit the road (Hwy 101 South). The official mileage between Tillamook and Brookings is 273 miles, so why did it take me 402? Because I needed to get there in a reasonable amount of time. Yesterday, after turning on 101 in Astoria there was a sign which said “Newport – 133 miles.” I drove about three and one-half hours and settled down in Tillamook, 68 miles from Newport. Yes, many stops to take pictures. Yes, relaxed riding, enjoying the sun and restful environment. But 3.5 hours to go 65 miles?? You gotta be kidding. But I’m not. The traffic was pretty slow, plus, as mentioned, there are so many stops you just have to make. I realized I’d not be getting back to Texas until sometime in 2007 if I stayed on 101 through northern California. So I adjusted.
On the ferry a nice couple from Oregon told me I needed to visit the Cape Blanco lighthouse. Wanting to do this I took Hwy 22 from Hebo to Salem, I-5 from Salem to Winston, and Hwy 42 back to 101. Though this added about 120 miles to the trip I was able to make it within my lifetime.
And the rides…WOW…the rides.Interestingly, both Hwy 22 and Hwy 42 would be wildly touted routes themselves, except for their western terminus: the craggy Pacific coast of Oregon. These are great rides, winding left-right-left through canopied forests, with nice creeks and rivers running parallel most of the way. I’m very interested in tomorrow’s ride because the waitress where I had breakfast this morning quietly told me the coast in northern California is much prettier. I may be unable to stand it.
Some more
I made it out to the Cape Blanco lighthouse. The gate to the lighthouse was closed so I couldn't get as close as I'd like. What isn’t shown is the wind coming in off the Pacific at about a steady 40 knots/hour. And that wind is c-o-l-d. We’ve discussed how I feel about c-o-l-d. Don’t like it. Never have. Never will. Took my pictures, admired the view, and got the hell outta Dodge. Drove down to Brookings looking for a campsite, but all were full. I was able to find a very nice little motel with decently priced rooms called the Westward Inn. It’s very well managed and kept. The reasonable roomrate includes free hi-speed internet so it meets all my requirements.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse
Below the lighthouse
posted by Minuend | 9:39 PM
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