Day 19 - Port Orford, OR to Bandon, OR

Day Total - 43.2 miles
Trip Total - 724.6 miles

Getting on the move this morning was tough. It was even wetter than usual, not to mention our hard day into the wind yesterday. We still made it out of camp by 10:15 though, and with only about 40 miles to the next campsite, we had plenty of time.

It was cool and cloudy as we pedaled the six miles to Port Orford, the first town of the day. We made a short side trip to the harbor. Port Orford is a fishing town without any natural protection from the open ocean, so two large cranes lift every boat into and out of the water every day. From there, we continued north out of town, but not before Kevin's coffee stop at a Circle K (weirdly, just a store, not a gas station). While he was inside, I talked to a woman outside and horrified her with the sunburn on my legs.

Humbug Mountain still looks like something out of Lord of the Rings

The Port Orford ship lifts

About five more miles up the road, we came to the turnoff for Cape Blanco, the westernmost point in the contiguous US. We both wanted to go, but it would have been 12 more miles out and back, and after yesterday, it simply would have been too difficult to add that mileage to our day.

The next stretch of the route wound through dairy farms, up and down rolling grades. The terrain profile made the day look like it would be very flat (by our standards, anyway), but although we didn't have any major climbs, the rollers came one after the other, almost without interruption. My legs were definitely feeling the effects of the previous day too, so it was hard riding into the small village of Langlois, where we both got hot dogs at the local market. They have something of a reputation for them, and I can see why - they use natural casing and make a delicious sweet mustard in house. It was also at this stop that a huge rottweiler tried to break his chain and attack me. Fortunately, we bought pepper spray a couple days earlier for just such an occasion. I haven't had to use it yet, but it truly is amazing how crazy (some) dogs get around bikes.

Shortly after our lunch stop, we crossed from Curry into Coos County. Traffic began to pick up too, and I guessed (correctly, as it turned out) that there was a highway to I-5 and interior Oregon at Bandon, the next town. It didn't last too long though - about six miles before we hit Bandon, we turned off 101 onto a local road. It took us through Bandon State Park, where we took a couple of short spurs to check out the dunes and sea stacks along the shore.

After passing through a few miles of vacation rentals and motels of varying quality, we finally reached Bandon proper. Since, as cycle tourists, we always need food, we went to the local grocery store, but not before getting lost - luckily, as it turned out. Kevin needed a new front brake cable, but the ACA map didn't list a bike shop before North Bend, which we will hit tomorrow. However, we happened by pure chance on a newly opened shop in Bandon, and Kevin was able to get the part.

Shopping completed, we rode the final few miles out of town and over a narrow lift bridge on the Coquille River to camp at Bullards Beach State Park. The massive campground was almost full when we got there and filled completely soon after, but we were the first bikers to arrive. After setting up my tent, I took my (unloaded) bike for a spin out to the beach and lighthouse - not really worth the distance, but it was fun to ride without carrying anything.

Not long after I got back to camp, we were joined by none other than the Starving Cyclist. We though we would never see him again after he failed to make it to Humbug Mountain the day before, but he pushed a long day after stopping some 15 miles behind us the previous day. We also saw another northbounder who had been in camp with us at Harris Beach, bringing the total number of other northbounders we have seen to 4, against at least 50 heading south.
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