Day 25 - August 24: Dallas OR - Pacific City OR

47 miles.  2083 feet up, 2416 feet down.

To the coast!  After a couple of days of pretty flat riding under cloudy skies, we saw a bit more of the sun today and started out with some small climbs right from the get-go.  Map meeting and snack table wasn't until 9:30, so got a bit of reading done before I even had to get out of bed; what a luxury!  Not much shoulder (or traffic) until we got onto State Route 22 at about 3 miles.  A short bit on it, then off again for another 3 miles.  Then back on 22 from mile 6 to mile 15.  The shoulder was wide enough, but there was a lot of small stone/rock debris which was a bit irritating to dodge.  Lots of traffic whizzing by.....

Below are some pics from the first while on the road.  It was nice to have some rolling hills once again in view; makes for more interesting terrain.

Finally, at 15 miles we turned onto a quieter road (Fort Hill Road/Yamhill River Road).  We passed some vineyards and (Christmas?) trees.  There continued to be a variety of crops planted and thriving in the roadside fields.  And - the blackberries were as thick as ever!  No blood donations today, though.  

Shortly before our first SAG stop.............

We were back on busy roads (State Routes 18 & 22) for about 4 miles, although the shoulder wasn't bad.  Then a couple of miles of really quite nice quiet roads through The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.  

Sadly, it was then time to get back on busy/no shoulder State Route 22.  Not a pleasant ride at all.....

While I didn't look around very much as I was trying my best to stay as close to the shoulder as possible without falling off, I did notice the vegetation starting to change.  Trees were getting significantly thicker and bigger, and soon I saw the National Forest sign.  Some beautiful, huge, and moss-covered trees for quite a while after that point.  Some trees reminiscent of our travels in Haida Gwaii last summer.  

We had a few single lane bridges to negotiate.

Once we left State Route 22, had our second SAG stop & gorged on blackberries, and turned onto State Route 130 for 9 miles, the traffic was much better and the coast was coming......

Into the booming metropolis of Pacific City.  Rooms weren't ready yet so I took a spin out to the ocean.  I could just sit and watch and listen for hours, but I didn't.  A relatively quick appreciation, and back to the motel.  A cute little retro motel, and a wonderful curry dinner provided by Emily.

And............ that's a wrap.  Up the coast tomorrow.  Should be beautiful; hope we have good weather.

The Ride:

Garmin:  79.37 km.  2299 feet up, 2654 feet down.

RWGPS:  80.3 km.  867 m up, 967m down.

Temperature range:  15C - 20C

The Route:

Pacific City OR.  Population 1,109

Pacific City is home to the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area.  In 1845, Mr. Johnson, a cook on an English ship sailing along the Columbia River, deserted and traveled down the Willamette Valley.  He established a land claim and began removing brush and that summer set off a burn to clear debris.  The fire got out of control and ultimately burned 1.5 million acres of old growth forest - the largest such area destroyed in a single forest fire in the US.  Small tribes of Native Americans, already depleted by 80% due to disease, were driven from their lands.  The area later became a "vacation" destination for Oregon Trail pioneers from the Midwest, who had never seen the ocean.  In 2000 about 8% of the population lived below the poverty line.