Friday was a big riding day. When planning this trip, we debated.... A slow ride down and back, or a long day with a day to play on the lost coast. We chose the second option.
We said goodbye to our new friends in Newport, and headed out. We stopped at for gas, a snack, and to talk over our plan for the day. Yup, we were still both down for the long day.
We made our way down the coast on the gentle curves of 101, and were getting hungry around the time we got to Bandon. We decided to stop for our favorite beach town lunch, fish and chips at Bandon Fish Market.
Check out this cute sign they had in their restaurant!
The Halibut and Chips were amazing! The calamari was great too, but together it was too much food. I definitely recommend sharing. In the back of the restaurant, there was a friendly kitty that we spent a little time with.
After that, we wandered across the street to the fudge factory.
After some savory samples and fudge to go, we also realized they had stickers! We both got an Oregon coast 101 sticker for our luggage. Nathan's first sticker for the new panniers!
We drove around Bandon a bit to see the beach.
It was a lovely break, but with two hundred or so more miles, it was time to be on our way. Just south of Bandon was the first near catastrophe on our trip. I was riding along, in a post lunch hypnotic state. We hit some curves, and in this comfortable state, I didn't see that the first curve was a decreasing radius turn. Slowly, it dawned on me that my bike was no longer going where I was looking.... Drifting toward the outside edge of the lane, mind racing, I leaned further into the turn, but not before I felt my back tire slip on the moisture of the painted white line, wobbling as it corrected its position back into my lane. Coming up out of the turn, I felt relief and panic set in simultaneously. A crash in that corner could have ended our trip, or worse. As the panic subsided, I let myself relearn the important lesson that you always have to be on top of your game on a bike. No complacency. The good part about this was that I really challenged myself to practice my form on the curves, and in doing so, felt more planted and confident with each mile.
We stopped briefly at the California border for pictures, and pressed onward toward our campground in Fortuna. The promise of a hot tub and a general store selling beer was quite the motivator.
We found our campground, and I got to practice a bit of off roading to get to our site, as the tent sites and cabins were down their own gravel path. This was starting to get fun! I think I might actually be able to off road this bike!
Nathan set up the kitchen while I set up camp. Having not read the instructions on the stove, I was greeted by the sure of Nathan moving things away from a small bonfire on our picnic table. Nonetheless, he cooked us a fabulous dinner of chilimac, and Apple Crisp for dessert. After a soak in the hot tub, and long hot showers, it was time to turn in for the night. Tomorrow, Lost Coast!
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