Oregon Coast 2011 Day 4 Cape Lookout to Lincoln City

Today’s ride started with a bang! Right away from the campground, the route began a three mile climb with gradients mostly 10 to 14%, occasionally more than that. The cool foggy weather was nice in that it was easy to keep from overheating. Jo kept spinning her ultra low Great Granny gear (26-34) and topped out with a big smile. We met some German dude at the summit, and he was happy the climb was over as well. The long descent was fun and well earned.
At the bottom of the hill, we passed through an area of sand dunes, and chatted with some young guys touring the Pacific Coast. When we passed them, one of them thought the distinctive whine of my Chris King hubs was that of my fender rubbing the tire. I assured him that it was not the case, but the King hubs “roll good, with angry bee sound!” He liked that.
We stopped for coffee at the Sand Lake store and chatted with the owners. They had owned the store for 23 years, and both of them (probably in their early 70’s) had been born there and lived their entire lives in Sand Lake. They commented that they really liked our neon green jackets, and wished all cyclists would wear them, and estimated that 80% of passing cyclists wear dark colors and are hard to see. In 2008 when Alan and I passed through here, they made the same remarks about my jacket then! We met another couple (from Germany) that we had seen back in Fort Stevens. Their English wasn’t too good, and our German even worse, so we didn’t have much of a conversation!
From Sand Lake we rode over Cape Kiwanda (a pretty gentle climb), through the resort village of the same name, and then through Pacific City, where I saw a dog on a roof. He seemed quite content, and was at ease surveying the landscape.
Lunch was at the Hawk Creek Café in Neskowin, where I had a Terminal Gravity IPA and a cheeseburger. Jo had a burger with blue cheese and grilled onions; they were very tasty! The wood fired pizza oven was turning out pizzas that smelled delicious. Alan and I had a pizza here in 2008, and while it was very very tasty, we decided pizza for lunch and bike riding didn’t mix too well. So, next time for pizza! While waiting for lunch we chatted with another touring cyclist. He was part of a group of six that were touring the Oregon Coast. We will probably see them again in the days to come.
After Neskowin, we got off Hwy 101 onto the Slab Creek Road. This alternate route over Cascade Head
is five miles longer than the Hwy 101 route, and gains the same elevation, but is way nicer than the highway. The road surface is kinda rough, but it is a delightful road. The climb up isn’t too bad, and the descent on the other side was way fun.
A short detour due to bridge construction put us back on 101 for the final bit into Lincoln City. Lincoln City is a long spread out town along Hwy 101, maybe seven miles or so. Outlet Malls, motels, and strip malls line the road, putting Yucca Valley to shame in the longest strip mall in the world competition.
After negotiating the traffic, we rolled into our hotel the Siletz Bay Lodge. After 48 miles and 2500’ of climbing, we were happy to see Janet out in front.
After today’s fun ride, Jo said “ I love my Hampsten Strada Bianca bicycle. The expertly crafted(by Independent Fabrication of Boston) steel frame, with S&S Torque couplers is awesome, and along with the custom Tokyo Pearl white paint, it makes my life perfect! I said that I just liked my Hampsten Strada Bianca bicycle. But its titanium frame makes me ride like the wind, and more attractive to the opposite sex!

Janet enjoyed a 5 mile walk at Cape Lookout beach. The walk was mostly in the fog, but lots of interesting debris on the beach - sea foam art, jelly fish, footprints, etc.