Dwagenheim
I didn’t sleep very comfortably. Maybe I’ve been spoiled from all the nice beds and indoor living recently. Just as I was waking up, I heard raindrops trickling on the roof of my tent. It was just a light sprinkle so I was able to sit under a tree and cook an oatmeal breakfast. As I started to pack up, the rain was gone. I heard the barking of sea lions in the distance. I headed out on the cool morning around 10am with long sleeves and my cycling pants. The first 20 miles was rolling ups and downs, nothing too difficult. I had a taste for pancakes, so I stopped in Garibaldi and had a big breakfast at noon. When I went up to pay the check, I was informed that an older couple by the name of the Johnson’s had paid for the meal. They had already left, so I couldn’t thanks them, but the kind gesture sure made my day. I left stuffed and headed towards Tillamook. Before long, I arrived and stopped in at the Tillamook cheese factory. I went in for the self guided tour and checked out the operation. It was fascinating. Before I left, I purchased some chocolate milk, post cards, and cheese curds. When I went outside, it was raining so I drank one of my milks, put on my rain gear and headed south. From Tillamook, I took a recommended detour, the Three Capes Scenic Route. I wondered how scenic it would be with all the rain and low clouds. The first 10 or so miles was pretty flat and hugged the Tillamook Bay. I saw some cool birds like Great Blue Herons and King Fishers. There were also many sport fishermen in small boats. My ride became long and steep until I approached Oceanside where there were many houses perched up on hills facing the ocean. I rolled into Netarts and got some dinner food at the local grocery before riding a few more miles along scenic Netarts Bay to Cape Lookout State Park. I picked a nice camp stop in the hiker-biker area and set up my tent. It was still light out so I thought I’d take a hike and see if I could make it to Cape Lookout. I rode my bike for about 1/3 of the way until I reached a steep part. I parked the bike and quickly marched along the trail. It was a beautiful trail and at one spot there was a terrific lookout north. I took a photo and confusing on until I come to confusing section. There were two trials and one was marked to lead to the road and the other to the trailhead parking lot, which I thought was confusing. I walked along the latter until I figured it might not be it and if it was, by the time I got to the end, it would probably be too dark to see much. So I turned around and headed back to camp. This park looked a lot less busy than last nights. I returned to my campsite and started cooking up some pasta. I fixed up a sauce with stewed tomatoes and fresh mushrooms and then tossed in some cheese curds at the end for a little experiment. I enjoyed my tasty meal and crawled into my tent before 8pm. I did some writing then had a snickers bar for dessert before falling asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. (55 miles)
Peace
Dave
Pic: Nehalem River
Peace
Dave
Pic: Nehalem River