48 degrees when we woke up and no rain . . . things are improving!!!

We are now off the coast for a bit and climbing in BIG timber country . . .

. . . lots of highline clearcut logging operations . . . this is where many of the trucks loaded with logs come from !!!

Funny!!!!

As we rode through Umpahati, there was a Coast Guard cutter trying to get to the open ocean through the waves coming in through  the break water. They finally made it after several attempts.

Rich and I took a short detour UPHILL to view the Umpahati lighthouse. Still a working lighthouse, it’s 2 ton bezel cut lens, ground in Paris, France, beams out into the ocean.

On the way up to the lighthouse we passed out of the tsunami zone. I wonder how accurate this blue line is!!! Hope the locals never need to find out.

We rode along the Oregon Sand Dunes monument area today and in some locations the dunes are fighting with the roadway for the same space!!!

miles and miles of sand . .

. . . of which some has been opened up for dune buggies, hopefully a minimal acreage. These areas, environmentally, are very fragile

. . . at our map meeting last night Ryan had briefed us on what has been described as the ‘most horrific riding experience’ on the Pacific Coast ride. The 1.5 mile long high bridge we needed to cross. Soon it came into view . . . gulp!!!

. . . no shoulder, no ‘riders on bridge’ flashing lights and high winds. What could go wrong???? Lucky for all of us, nothing did go wrong. Four of our riders got ‘coal-rolled’ on the bridge, including me. BUT . .  as I crossed the last high span there was no traffic coming behind me and I could see a large truck in my rear view mirror. As we rode off the bridge, I could see it was a fully loaded logging truck with its four way flashers on, that had held traffic back as I rolled across the last quarter of the bridge. I gave the driver a thumbs up, he flashed his truck lights, and we both went on our way. A redemption in my mind for all the ‘other logging truck experience’s we have had!!!

Soon we were along the coast again, the sky was blue, the temps above 60 degrees and we rolled into Charleston, and Sunset Beach State Park, our home for the night.

Ryan and Mike had cooking duty tonight,  and produced a wonderful meal of peppers stuffed with rice, hamburger or tofu, a BIG salad and roasted Brussels spouts!!!

. . . Jenny helped out with the salad. Ryan likes to take a ‘hit’ of olive oil every once in a while just for the fun of it!!!

Mike likes to sleep with his Lynskey bike in his tent. The joke is, they have already had three tricycles from this affair!!!!!!!!