Rest Does A Body Good

October 08, 2015

Day 13: Seaside to Tillamook

Today's Distance: 50 miles

Total Distance: 560

I woke up to some bad news today. I got an email today from Frankie letting me know that his tent flooded and he had to head home. I guess he woke up to all his belongings soaking wet and ended up catching a bus back up north. Super bummed for him because he was doing so well. I sincerely hope some day he'll be able to finish what he started.

As for me, i'm so glad to be back on the road again today! I feel rested and ready to start making some progress again. The day started with a 2.2 mile climb into Cannon Beach which got me warmed up real quick. More and more people are coming up to me and asking me about my trip which is nice to break up my day a little. Cannon Beach is a really nice beach town that's known for its landmark, Haystack Rock (which is also shown a couple times in The Goonies). I parked my bike and walked out onto the beach to get a better view. It's a cloudy day so I wasn't tempted to throw on my boardshorts, but it was still a nice view of the coast.

I also hit my first tunnel of the Oregon Coast today. The idea is to push a button before entering and it alerts drivers that you're in there. It wasn't as long as I expected it to be but it was still kind of scary because of how loud it was inside. The fact that it's an uphill climb as well doesn't make it any easier. After the tunnel I kept climbing until I hit the summit and then I had the most fun I've ever had going downhill. The shoulder was legit and the road was excellent so I flew down that sucker without really having to touch my brakes. Right when I hit the bottom of the hill almost immediately another longer, steeper climb begins. I had to go back to the "small goals" strategy that I used in Canada. I don't surprise myself too often these days, but I really surprised myself with how well I climbed those hills. I think I maybe stopped once, but these were hills I would've dreaded a couple weeks ago. I was rewarded at the top with multiple, complete strangers congratulating me on climbing that hill on a bike and with my favorite view so far of the trip. I met Paul & Liz at the top as well. I asked if they could take a picture of me with the gorgeous coastal views behind me and then we ended up chatting for a good amount of time. They reminded me a lot of talking to an aunt and uncle. Genuinely interested in what I was doing and also on a little adventure of their own.

The rest of the day was spent riding through small towns and around a couple Bays on my way to Tillamook (yes, that Tillamook). I passed by the Tillamook Cheese factory and could've done a tour or something, but my moms been hooking it up with those blocks of cheese for the longest so it's nothing new. I ended up calling it a night in Tillamook.