US 101 again tracked the coast as we began our day.
Several rivers flow into the ocean along the coast, and
there were a number of bridges along the way to accommodate the highway as
it continued north (for us).
There are McDonalds everywhere. Sometimes they afford an opportunity for a
retreat from the ride, with water or coffee. Sometimes it is breakfast.
I think we had one lunch at a McDonalds along the way.
And of course....free WiFi.
Doug at the hotel tonight.
Day fourteen. All is well. Overnight in Portland, Oregon.
We departed Coos Bay Oregon this morning with the temperature at 57 degrees. We continued our travel north along US Highway 101. We stopped for fuel and breakfast (McDonalds) about 30 miles north of Coos Bay in Reedsport (Pop. 4,000).
Reedsport is typical of many of the small towns along the coast in southern Oregon. Like many of these towns, Reedsport sets at the mouth of a river (Umbqua), and is struggling economically because of the decline in the timber industry, which has been the foundation of the economy for over one hundred years (Not so much in the last twenty.). Today Reedsport is trying to rebuild their economy by attracting tourist to fishing and ride ATV's along the sand dunes that are very prominent north of town.
Reedsport's average high temperature for June is 66 degrees, and the average low is 50 degrees, and Reedsport gets 91 inches of rain per year, with December being the rainiest month (19.5 inches). All of this is typical along the Oregon coast.
Fifty miles or so north of Reedsport (still on US 101) the long stretches of desolation (trees, roads, and no people) begins to show the influence of the metropolitan areas to the north. US 101 seems to have a small town every ten miles or so; all catering to recreational activities and tourist that flock to the coast. An increased number of towns means an increase in traffic, which translates into slow travel times. The beauty of the ride on previous days is repeated only briefly, and interrupted by the traffic. This was probably made worse because we traveled though the area on a Saturday.
Nonetheless, the traffic and resulting slow travel makes us reconsider our plans to travel 101 as far north as the Columbia River. Instead we make reservations at a motel in Portland and continue on 101 to north of a small town called Neotsu where we take State highway 18 east to Portland.
Traffic along Highway 18 was near the posted speed limit of 55 much of the way, but we were slowed while travelling through Newberg, which was apparently having a parade as part of some type of celebration. Traffic backed up both east and west of Newberg, as this is a busy corridor for those tourist that I referenced above....making their way to and from the coast.
Highway 18 was good (two lane), and we made it into Portland without any difficulty. Doug's GPS tracked us into the general area of the motel. For some reason neither his GPS nor mine ever accepted a multiple variations of entries made for the address. This happens from time to time.
We did not cover as many miles today as we had hoped, but it was still a good day. The weather was again cool (mid 60's) and overcast, which has proven to be the norm along the coast. This temperature makes for comfortable riding weather with a light jacket.
Another good day.
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