Village Clinic Ride Day 13: The Coast Is Brimming With Life

After a huge day yesterday, we woke up a bit tired and we got off to a late start. After a big breakfast and a morning ice cream break, we set off from Newport. The day started a bit rougher than the day before, as the constant traffic on highway 101 made conversation all but impossible. This was unfortunate, because we met up with some Chinese bike-packers that we had met a few days before. We couldn't talk over that roar of traffic, so we all waved and exchanged some friendly words, and then rode on.

We talked to some locals near a rest stop by the town of Yachats, and they assured us that the road between Yachats and Florence was the most beautiful stretch of coastline in the entire country. And when we got there, we decided that they may be right. Nearly every corner was worthy of a postcard photo. With steep cliffs jutting from the water and green vegetation on every available surface, it was gorgeous.

And we saw a bear! It was a young black bear, not quite a cub but not a fully grown adult. The bear smartly waited for all the traffic to roar by, and then it wandered out onto the road right as we approached. We startled it, and it went crashing back into the undergrowth. We didn't stick around to harrass it or scare it. We were just thankful for the chance to see it. And it was just one example of the wildlife that we encountered: we saw a heard of elk intermingling with horses on a ranch, and when got to Florence, we saw more seabirds than we could count. The coast is brimming with life, and we're happy to experience it.

Big day today. We're trying to do 75 miles. Wish us luck!