09.01.2024 | Reading time - 35 min(s)

Bike Pacific Coast Highway, U.S.A - Part 2 of 4

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Welcome back to part two of four where life-long cyclist and novelist Geoff Aird shares his experiences on his incredible cycling adventure, cycling pacific coast highway route 101 all the way from Seattle, Washington to San Diego, California over 25 days and 1497 miles on his trusty road bike.

Click here to see Part 1 if you missed it.

Here, we join Geoff for the second leg (of four) of his journey with five days of cycling from Newport, Oregon to Arcata, California - his final days on the Oregon coast bicycle route moving onto the Northern California coast bike route. Geoff met many interesting people on his journey and had many incredible experiences on his journey.

Anyhoo, enough rambling from me - over to Geoff...

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Cycling Day 5
Cycling Day 6
Cycling Day 7
Cycling Day 8
Cycling Day 9
About Geoff

Newport, Oregon to Arcata, California (five days – 332 miles)

Oregon coast bike route - California coast bike route

Cycling Day 5

Riding out of Newport I had to cross a bridge over Yaquina Bay. There's a button to press and a big yellow light comes on warning motorists there's a cyclist on the bridge and to drive carefully. Motels don't serve breakfasts so on these days I'd have a coffee then cycle on an empty stomach and have breakfast around 11am. Today's breakfast was in a classic American diner in the small town of Waldport. Meal portions can be huge in America! The salmon omelette was a ‘four egger' and hung off the edge of the plate, accompanied by a mountain of hash browns and beans! Then two slices of toast all washed down with a huge mug of coffee. As always, the coffee refills are free; either the waitress comes round and fills it up or you go to the counter and help yourself. Very generous and it's easy to overdo it!

Onwards and southwards and the waves kept rolling in and I never tired of those brilliant ocean views. The sea here is bright blue and seemed to lighten everything and make colours brighter. I rode at a pace that allowed me to take everything in. The road winds inland and for thirty or so miles I was in ancient forests, and I enjoyed the change of scenery. Then back to the wild coastline and past shifting sand dunes and they really do shift, as much as 200 metres. I watched beach buggies careering up and down them which looked great fun. I stopped for coffee and cake in Dunes City. By now I was realising how friendly Americans are – they chat, they ask you questions, they're cheerful and so helpful, nothing seems to be any trouble. I was also learning that if you say you're Scottish they warm to you immediately! If you say you're a Scottish firefighter, well they absolutely love you!

My overnight accommodation was in Reedsport, a one street town strung out along Highway 101. The receptionist recommended the Mexican restaurant over the road. I took the advice and enjoyed a mountain of tacos with cheese, steak and peppers.

Cycling Day 6

Next morning was another beautiful day and I stopped off at a 7-Eleven on the way out of town for food and hydration. Hot bacon rolls, coffee and a couple of cans of energy drinks which went into the panniers. A healthy tailwind blew me along through more dunes then into forests of Douglas Firs and Ponderosa Pines. I was now in logging country. I raced through Coos Bay, once the world's largest lumber port and it still retains a core of heavy industry. Huge logging lorries thundered past, their long trailers crammed with logs, and I'd grip the handlebars tightly as the backwind buffeted me around. These monster vehicles scared me half to death! My destination that night was Bandon, an earthy logging town which seemed stuck in the 1960's. I got there early, about 2.30pm and scoffed down a Subway then checked out Google maps for the location of the hotel. It was right on the shore and my room had floor to ceiling windows which looked out onto the ocean. That night I lay on my bed and watched the sun go down over the horizon. It felt like paradise!

Cycling the pacific coast highway

Cycling Day 7

The next day was Bandon to Gold Beach and my last full day in Oregon. The day was memorable for the long, slow climbs which seem to go on for ever! The first twenty miles or so was inland and I passed sheep ranches, cranberry bogs and Christmas tree farms. Then back onto the coast and the Pacific Ocean as I passed Cape Blanco, the most westerly point of land in mainland USA and onto Port Orford for lunch. I ate at a small café overlooking the sea with a beautiful woman called Cynthia, a science teacher whose dog had taken a liking for me! There's a huge volcanic plug just metres off the shoreline and she told me it was called Battle Rock in memory of a battle in 1850 when early settlers fought off a party of hostile Native Americans for two weeks before establishing a settlement which became Port Orford, the most westerly inhabited town in mainland USA.

That afternoon the weather changed. It became cold and a thick mist blew in off the sea. A headwind nagged away and by the time I crossed the Rogue River into Gold Beach visibility was down to about 20 metres. This was the only day on the whole trip I had my jacket on. Brrrrr!! Gold Beach was named for the nuggets mined from the area's black sands during the 19th century. Accommodation that night was in a Motel 6 and the receptionist recommended the Porthole Café for an evening meal. As is the way in many of these places you can sit at the bar and eat there so it's inevitable that conversations strike up with staff and other patrons. People always liked to hear about the journey I was on and if they're not cyclists they find it hard to believe that it's possible to pedal the whole way down the Pacific coast! The thick mist I'd faced in the afternoon had chilled me but after a bowl of barley and bacon broth then a huge plate of steak, vegetables and mashed potato I felt grand!! I then got a wedge of carrot cake to take back to the hotel and I slept well that night!

Cycling Day 8

I left early the next morning and ate at another old time diner on the way out of town. Between Gold Beach and Brookings, the Pacific Highway is studded with cliff-side ocean vistas, giant conifers and boomerang shaped rock formations offshore. South of Brookings I crossed the border into California. The third and final state of the journey although with a coastline of approximately 850 miles (about the same as Land's End – John O'Groats) there was still plenty pedalling to do. I was heading for Crescent City that night and the Redwood National Park, one of the most spectacular places on the whole trip.

Many of the places I passed through are called ‘cities' but in fact are no bigger than small towns and Crescent City was no exception, with a population of about 8000. I ate ‘downtown' at CC's Diner and learnt that this area is renowned for its foggy weather and that helps the redwoods thrive and as I set off it was a grey, foggy morning. But a tailwind cheered me up and it was lovely to see the grass bending in the direction of travel!

Northern California

Cycling Day 9

I spent most of the day in the redwood forest and these are the most amazing trees I've ever seen. Some of these Titans are over 100 metres high and are the tallest living things on the planet. They looked majestic and I felt tiny and insignificant as I pedalled through them on a quiet, beautiful road of newly laid tarmac. I became aware that I was making slight errors of judgement when taking corners and I think it was because for days and days on the coast I had vision to the horizon and endless skies. Now, in these dark, dense quiet forests my horizon on either side was down to about 10 metres and it took a while for my vision to adjust. Black-tailed deer darted about in the undergrowth, foxes zipped across the road and racoons ambled along grassy verges near me. I had a smile on my face all day!

Eventually the 101 veers back onto the coastline and the now familiar Pacific Ocean. Except it wasn't familiar - here the sea fairly pounds in, crashing onto the rocks, unlike the Oregon coast where it rolled in. A much more dramatic seascape. I got to Arcata just in time as black clouds were heavy and a storm was on its way. After five continuous days' cycling my legs were sore and I had numbness in both hands, so I was looking forward to a day off which I spent sleeping, eating and the hotel had a launderette, so my gear got a proper wash!

End of part 2

Next Time

We hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with Geoff so far and stay tuned next week for the third leg of his journey where he continues to follow the west coast from Arcata on the California coast to San Francisco and over the famous Golden gate bridge - in between, hear about the stunning scenery and the incredible people Geoff met along the way.

About Geoff

Geoff Aird is a life-long cyclist and retired firefighter who has turned his hand to writing novels when not on his bike. Geoff's debut novel “Within the Walls” follows a criminal investigation that reveals a sinister underbelly to the seemingly sedate seaside town of Berwick upon Tweed. You can find Geoff's debut novel on Amazon uk or in G C Greave bookshop, Berwick upon Tweed, where the novel was set.

Pacific coast highway

Author

Ross Howieson

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Bike Pacific Coast Highway, U.S.A - Part 2 of 4

Newport, Oregon to Arcata, California (five days – 332 miles)

Cycling Day 5

Cycling Day 6

Cycling Day 7

Cycling Day 8

Cycling Day 9

Next Time

About Geoff