It's Raining Again...

We’re loving Oregon. OK, so it rained again today. But our 50-mile ride from Bandon to Winchester Bay was great. Tonight, we are staying at a very comfortable and well-equipped yet reasonably priced motel, and ate dinner of the freshest fish that you can imagine, washed down with a huge carafe of chardonnay that came in well under budget.

We started the day with breakfast at the coffee shop that backed onto our hotel in Bandon, where we ordered large lattes/cappuccinos, and several bagels stuffed with various different fillings, some of which we ate there and then, and some of which we packed in our handlebar bags for the ride. As we slurped our coffees in the cafe, and chomped away a few bagels, we chatted to Alan, a homesick Glaswegian, who was working as a Green-Keeeper at the near by Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (second only to Pebble Beach, apparently, in terms of reputation and quality). We hope he gets to see his Mum again soon!

There was a light drizzle as we pulled away from our hotel, but we saw some blue sky, and were optimistic about what lay ahead of us. About 5 miles into the ride, a fellow touring cyclist pulled out just ahead of us from one of the campsites. We got chatting to Eric, a Seattle resident, originally from Brooklyn, who was on a tour down the Oregon coast and back up again, and soon agreed that we would all ride together for the day.

It was a pleasant ride. Although we were very close to the coast all the way, there was nearly always a barrier of trees between us and the ocean so, although there were some good views across the valleys, we didn’t see the dramatic seascapes that we had become accustomed to over the past few days. Still, this meant that we did get some shelter from the wind, so we can’t really complain.

Arriving in the small town of Winchester Bay, we said a fond farewell to Eric, who was camping tonight, and freshened up in our motel. We then wondered out to Griff’s Seafood restaurant, one of three eating places in town, and had one of the best meals so far on our trip. We were shocked to find that the chef was only 18 years old: a rare talent. We wish him well for the future.

We’re now back in the hotel, chilling out and watching a bit of TV. Apparently, tomorrow’s weather is going to be the best all week, and we then have another five days of rain, Oh well…onwards and upwards.

Us x