Oregon Coast 2011 Day 9 Bandon to Gold Beach

Kevin/Jo: Our longest day on the road, the day started off somewhat foggy, but visibility was much better than 2008, so we were able to see some of the sights as we rode along Beach Loop Drive. Soon we were back on Hwy 101 with light traffic and good shoulders.  We stopped just south of Bandon at Art 101, a non-profit that among other things, makes art from debris collected from local beaches.  We took photos of the art on display-a 15 foot tall eagle, a ten foot tall jelly fish (made from plastic soda bottles),  and some other sea creatures.  They all were quite clever.

The terrain was fairly gentle as we left the coast and followed 101 inland a few miles.  Soon we were in Langlois, where we stopped at the market and got something to drink. We chatted with the owner and some cranky old local about the arrival of Cycle Oregon.  The cranky old guy was going on about how he hated cyclists and seemed to be advocating running over those “sons of bitches” that ride in the roadway.   I kept my mouth shut, thanked the owner and we were back on the road.

Down the road a bit, we stopped in Sixes, which appears to not much more than a post office  and a building that housed the Grange and a “mall” which sold various antiques, second hand stuff and other peoples junk, and objets d’art.  I bought a Dr. Pepper and Jo bought some packaged snacks. We chatted with the couple that worked there. They were quite the characters. Originally from Fresno, they had all sorts of stories from “back in the day”.

The highway gets back to the coast at Port Orford, where we stopped for lunch.  We had heard the the Crazy Norwegian was a good place for a good burger and a beer, but were very disappointed that they were closed, as were most places to eat. We found the only open restaurant in town, and quickly went inside.

The Red Fish restaurant has been open about a year, and appears to be the most upscale restaurant in town.  We ordered burgers (quite tasty) and then Janet met us and ordered a burger as well.  Our server was a cyclist and was very interested in our Hampsten bikes.  During our conversation, we learned tha tthe chef had worked at Moots Cycles as a frame welder, and another guy working at the restaurant lived in Steamboat Springs  for 20+ years, and knew Kent Ericksen (Kent made my frame). After lunch we got back on the bikes and headed to Gold Beach.

The only significant hill was up and around Humbug Mountain, then gently rolling hills towards Gold Beach.  We decided to stay on 101 and not take the ACA route through Cedar Valley.  I figured that 101 was about six miles shorter, and probably less elevation gain.  When we briefly stopped at the Prehistoric Gardens, I asked the owner about the two routes. He said that 101 was “more flatter”. I responded with “That’s more gooder. She (while motioning towards Jo) will like that more better”.

We rode nearly flat roads until we were able to exit on to the original coast highway. Rough with more ups and downs, it was good to get away from the noise and traffic of the highway.  We rode along the Rogue briefly, then crossed the bridge over the river and into town.  While crossing the bridge, both Jo and I were yelled at by some guy driving the other direction.  “Idiot!” he yelled.  Jo responded with “That’s your name!”. My witty retort was “I know your are, but what am I?  Ha Ha!”  A quick ride through Gold Beach and we arrived at our hotel, the Inn of the Beachcomber, where we met Ted, the rather talkative owner, and another guest who expressed amazement that we had ridden our bikes down the coast.

The day ended up being about 56 miles, with about 1,800 feet elevation gain.

Janet: Met Kevin and Jo for lunch at Rockfish in Port Orford.  After lunch, they pedaled away up the next big hill. I went to Port Orford Heads State Park to walk on the trails.  There was a Coast Guard museum there, but since it was Tuesday it was closed.  At least, I got to see the boat.  Then I walked around on all of the very short trails at the park.  The views were slightly obscured by the fog but eventually it lifted and I was able to see more of the coastline.  No bear warnings at this place - Hurray!  Back on the road and before you know it, I passed Jo and Kevin.  Pulled off at Ophir State Park to see if the bikers needed anything.  After they rode on, I decided it was a good place to sit on the beach to read my book, watch pelicans flying over the waves and enjoy the cloudy/foggy weather.  Kevin texted that they were 4 miles from Gold Beach so I loaded up the car and moved on.  We stayed at the Inn of the Beachcomber.  Jo upgraded us to a bungalow which had a beach view where we could see the crashing waves from our deck.  We took a short walk to the beach and sat on a log - freezing.  We met the owner Ted, he's a talkative fellow.  His wife was riding the Cycle Oregon ride - about 1200 riders, we were glad to be a day ahead of them.  Ted rents SUP's to play in the surf or paddle on the Rogue River.  Dinner was at Spinner's, it was an ok meal.  Back at our room, we watched the sunset on the beach/the faux lighthouse at the adjacent RV park.