I ride that road quite often. In fact, my favorite rides are to either turn onto the M-line from the Oxbow summit and return via Esmonds Creek Rd and Siulslaw River road to Alma. (Road closure until this friday, so don't do it this week. Some of the M-line isn't paved, but is very hard-packed) or turn right at Alma, turn onto Esmonds Creek Rd, continue to the Smith River via West Fork Smith River Rd and then come on back via the same roads you took to Oxbow summit. M-line, West Fork, and Esmonds Creek roads usually have bears feeding along them, but they have always left when I yelled at them.

I have never found the chipseal road to be excessively rough even on 25C tires. I usually just bomb along at 18-24 mph. Maybe I just don't notice the loss of vision because I am so old my vision sucks anyway. And brain? What brain; no brain no pain. You can avoid the headwind by making a very early start of it. The fifty miles of slight descent from the Oxbow Summit to Gardiner is much more fun in the early morning before the on-shore breeze picks up. Of course, that means riding in darkness, but I prefer the low traffic conditions of the wee hours. Bubba can't hit you when he is in bed.