TromboneAl

Yesterday Lena (wife) & I drove up to Brookings, OR and then rode up to Gold Beach and back. Great ride, 56 miles round trip, with a horrendous 22 mph headwind going north, and a great tailwind on the way back. I don't know about you, but I can tolerate any headwind if I know that I'll have it as a tailwind on the way home.

GoldBeachRide 000.jpg

We got an early start...





Had to take a pictures of these guys hanging out with their statue buddy.


This sign says it all.


The blowing spray gives you and idea of the strength of the wind.



The shoulders were wide in most places, but there is a fair amount of fast car traffic (speed limit 55).



This was the start of the 1,000 foot climb to the top of Cape Sebastion. It was tough with the wind and the climbing combined.

TromboneAl

This was the start of the final downhill into Gold Beach.


Freshly made strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert at the Porthole restaurant. I only allow myself to have this many carbs when in the middle of a long ride.


And of course I had to play the restaurant's piano for a bit.


Going back was great. We hardly had to push the pedals around to go 23 MPH.





Here we are on the Thomas Creek bridge, the highest in Oregon.

TromboneAl

We got back to the car around 5:30.

Here's a video of Lena riding with the tailwind:

Watch Video

Here's a better elevation map:

BluesDawg

What a beautiful place to ride!

bjjoondo 

SWEET!! Although 22mph. headwind would kill a wuss like me but it sure is pretty!

jppe

Thanks for the pics!

cycler39

Great pictures! Looks like a nice ride.

Thanks

cranky old dude

Thanks for sharing the ride with us. Great report and pictures.

simplygib

Great shots Al, as usual. Brought back some good memories of that area. And I'm really happy to see that you are responsible enough to practice helmet safety while at the piano. ;-)

'47

Sweet way to spend a day with someone you love.......not that the usual burping and scratching ride buddies aren't, uh, charming in their own way.

rumrunn6

thanks for sharing - looks like a nice road to rack up miles on! glad to see one of you was wearing hi-vis

love the piano shot! hahaha

Cone Wrench

That's a fine looking ride.

And by wearing your helmet you're setting a good example for all the young piano players out there.

kr32

Awesome ride! I would love to have rides like that, except for the wind, I hate wind. I bet the sounds of the ocean were great too.

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Rick@OCRR

Looks like a great ride! Thanks for the photos too; very well done.

Re: Headwinds, The Lighthouse Century along the SoCal coast (Cambria - SLO area) is often similar, i.e. into a tough head wind all morning; great tail-wind in the afternoon!

Rick / OCRR

SaiKaiTai

The Oregon coast is such a beautiful area. Of course, I'm very partial to coastal life (and riding).
I sure do miss my bike right now

geofitz13

Those pics made my night! Great ride, great report, great pics. And the pie looked good, too!

lhbernhardt

Thanks for the fabulous pics! The Oregon coast is one of my favorite places to ride; I like to head there each year with my gf and the tandem, usually to Seaside, where we can get off the heavily-trafficked high-speed coast road (US101) and into the empty, winding, and hilly interior roads (often less windy). At least the signage on 101 is pretty good, and they have bike-activated flashing lights for the tunnels. The winds are often collateral to the nicer shoulder seasons when the roads are not as crowded with cars and Winnebagos, and the waves are hitting the rocks with more force! Storm-chasers are often on the coast during the winter months, and the weather is constantly changing. And Oregon brews the best IPAs in the country!

Luis