The travels of the Rambling Roses: Barview, Oregon to Lincoln City, Oregon Oct 2

56.01 in 5:35.....Oct. 2, 2013.....I woke this morning to the sound of pounding rain, and fell back to sleep. I woke up an hour later to the sound of pounding rain, and fell back to sleep again. I finally got out the door and on a wet bike at 11:30AM. I actually stayed dry for two hours, but it was cold, with a biting, damp head wind, and ominous grey clouds. I noticed some blue to the west in the skies, but I couldn't get any for myself. I rode past Garibaldi Bay, with fishing boats jammed, almost side by side, and people sitting on the side of the road watching people in the boats. I rode past piles of oyster shells on the side of the road near the Fish Peddler on the dock by Tillamook Bay. I rode through Tillamook, home of the world famous Tillamook Cheese Co. Pam stopped and spent a few hours there learning how cheese is produced, and buying some too. US101 twisted and turned as it found its way around these bay areas, then it went in land a little. That's where I was when the rain started. My last three and a half hours were spent riding in the rain, many times heavy rain, with the temps at about 45 degrees. Most of the land was pretty flat, but mostly I remember looking down at the road, protecting my face from the stinging rain and headwind. Thank God I decided to put my waterproof Frog Tog pants on my legs for the first time today. I had two shirts and two jackets on, along with a headband for my ears. Nothing, however, keeps my feet from getting soaked, not even my Wal mart bags and two pairs of socks.

There was a loop that left US101 and went over closer to the coast, called Three Cape Scenic Loop. I would have loved to go over there, but it added mileage, and there would be a lot more climbing. I decided to take the quick way to warmth when I hooked up with Pam, and tomorrow, with nicer weather, we will take a day off and Jeep to the three capes. After 46 miles, I stopped at our predesignated campground. Pam was there, but it turns out that it was a Coast to Coast campground, which means it was private, for owners only, and we were not welcome there. They told us to go ten more miles down the road, to another campground. When I left, the rain picked up, and so did the elevation. I had a two mile climb that covered 700 ft of elevation. My legs felt so bad that I decided that tomorrow would be an off day. My wheels still are not back from my layoff, and I'm sick of being cold and wet. The only thing better than climbing for two miles, was the two mile trip down the other side, where I was so cold heading into the wind at 25 mph that my feet went totally numb. At least I didn't feel the cold on them any more. I just heard on the news that this area has had 12 inches of rain in five days. That's too much for me. Pam and I finally hooked up in Lincoln City, at a campground called Devils Lake Campground, and that is more than appropriate, because today was the day from hell. After I stood in the bathhouse shower for a half an hour under the hot water, we went into town and had a meal at a neat place called McMenamins. We came out of the restaurant after our meal, and it started to rain. Go figure.