Day 15, Newport to Florence

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Ryan was good enough to start a fire this morning trying to ward off the chill. It was still raining but Rich and I got the breakfast and lunch chow out on time.

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Even though we had kitchen duty, we managed to get on the road by 8:10am, it was 42 degrees!!!

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Right away there were some great views but you REALLY needed to watch the road. In some places it is slipping into the sea. Not good for bikers!!!

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Just five miles down the road I had, as Phil Ligget says, ‘a puncture’!  BIG sharp rock went through the tire and it will need a boot to repair it. There was gravel in the hole through the tube!!

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The rain slowed to a stop and soon the sun actually came out, the morning light illuminating our views to the west. Beautiful time of day!!

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There always seems to be traffic on Hwy 101 and even though there is a wide shoulder a rider needs to stay vigilant . . .

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. . .  and remember to look down at the road once in a while!!!

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There seems to be a rest stop or viewpoint every 10-15 miles along the Oregon Coast. Mostly state or federal property. The birds have this scoped out of course and are patiently waiting for the next group of tourist to drop some ‘chow’ they will be happy to clean up!!

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Seagulls are everywhere . . .

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Talk about a million dollar view . . .might even be better than the Yellow Farmhouse,  Snaren!!!

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Rich and I pulled in for a little lunchy and met Janet and Larry from N. Carolina. They were touring the coast before heading back to the Carolinas. Good luck Larry!

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We no more left Janet and Larry and it started raining again . . .

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so in Walport, we stopped at the Goren Bike Coop and got a piece of boot from Rick, one of the retired volunteers, at the bike coop . . .

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. . . and, he let us use the bike wash to get some of the grit off our drive trains. The 70 years olds who man the coop during the day leave at 2:00pm so they can go home and take a nap. Nice!!!

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. . . another bridge to cross that at least has a wider shoulder. Many have no shoulder and when there is a car, a logging tuck and you all meeting at the same time it can be a ‘perfect storm’ for disaster. The logging trucks generally do not move over and don’t cut you any slack!!!

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. . . another tunnel today, but it was a shorty. They do all have the flashing light system letting motorists know there are bikers in the tunnel.

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We tied up with Gina and Pam at a lighthouse overlook, and although we all look stellar . . .

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. . . it’s hard to compete with the coastline views.

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. . . Connie and I wish you were here, Smoochie!!!

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Great sand dunes along the way . . .

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. . . and million dollar views. We arrived in camp after the rain had stopped and tried to dry off our wet tents. Unsuccessful!!!

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