Eric's Bike Adventure 1995

Trip Log Part 5: Scottsburg to Sunset Bay

• Scottsburg to Sunset Bay State Park, Thursday, July 20, 1995

  

  The morning started slowly. I took the opportunity to do laundry, and spend the morning talking to my grandmother. After raising seven kids and helping consult for umpteen grandkids (and now some great-grandkids), she's really mellow. I wonder what it would take to get her frazzled around the edges! It does sound like she's glad to be living up among the trees, after many years in the desert down in southern California. I think she's glad to not be raising kids anymore. She described most of her kids as going through "empty-nest" syndrome about now, with all the grandkids heading off towards college, real life, or whatever.

  

  I got another late start, about noon, after talking and laundry. The weather wasn't rainy anymore, so it promised to be a good day for heading back into the wind, towards the ocean. At one of the picnic spots along the Umpqua River, I met a couple from Colorado, who asked about the bike trip, Dale and Bobbi. They said one of their sons does a lot of biking, and that they knew the founder of the "Bicycle Mobile Hams of America". I mentioned that I was also a ham radio operator, but didn't bring any radio stuff with me. I gave them my card, and they said they'd send me some info about BMHA, which arrived shortly after I got back home. Perhaps next time, I will be radio equipped...

  

  Except for a mild headwind, the weather out to the coast was good. The river valley was pretty, more so as the sky was clearing up. It's a little distressing to see the clearcut along the valley, but the hillsides are finally starting to grow back. Got to see a barge that sits out in the river dredging the bottom, for what I don't know. It makes quite a racket in an otherwise quiet and peaceful setting.

  

  Around 2 or 2:30, I made it back to Reedsport, and chowed down on lunch. While eating, I talked with a couple out visiting their daughter, who was doing an internship at the hospital. I wonder if my aunt knows her? Back on the coast, no longer into the wind, it promised to be another pleasant afternoon ride. Maybe I would finish the day before it was getting dark!

  

  The ride down the coast started with nice rolling hills. There were some neat driftwood sculptures after leaving the Winchester Bay area. Sculptures of a whale tail, a heron, a big fish (maybe a whale?) with a huge gaping mouth. The approach to North Bend gave a great view of the bridge across the bay. By this point in the trip, I decided all these art deco bridge along the coast would make an interesting coffee table book. Each bridge has a unique set of towers, back when bridges looked different, instead of all the same. This kind of "permanent" public art is worth the extra cost. Modern architecture doesn't seem to have the same depth of character as this older architecture does.

  

  On the way through North Bend, the route detoured off of 101, heading through town, off of the freeway. A mile or two into town, I passed a kid with a flat. I offered him some help, but he said he was ok. He said he had a pump where he was going; I hope he had a patch kit. Across North Bend, and through Coos Bay, I got to the road heading down to Sunset Bay State Park. It was starting to get dark, and I was almost there, just a couple more miles. I saw a couple touring bikes outside a Dairy Queen. As I got closer, I recognized the bikes! Jonathan and Wayne! I stopped, and went in to say hi. I realized I was also hungry, and got a Garden Burger which was surprisingly tasty. They went on ahead, so they could stop at a store and get some grub for the next day. A couple blocks down from there, I passed the house of the "Whirly-Gig Lady", where I had bought a whirly-gig a couple years earlier. She was in her garage working away, so I stopped in to say that mine was still working great.

  A little further down the road, I saw a kid at the end of somebody's driveway. He was old enough to walk around, but not old enough to talk yet, and was getting pretty close to the lane. I saw a couple cars slow down as they passed, and I decided that was a little too close for comfort. There were a couple guys doing something in the garage of the house the kid was next to, so I stopped next to the kid, and called down to them, "Hey, is this your kid?" One of the guys yells out "Where the hell is Debbie?", then comes out of the garage, and retrieves his kid. It didn't leave me great feelings about the family life there, but I'm glad I could help the kid get back to safety. As I started leaving, the guy asked if I was hungry, but I said no, I had just eaten, and continued on to the campground.

  Final stop, Sunset Bay State Park. On the way in, I passed a couple who said I had "great visibility". The ranger gave me my receipt and said "put it on your windshield". I said I'd do it as soon as I got one. Up to camp, meet up with Wayne, Jonathan, and the other crowd at the campsite. More about them tomorrow. A long day. By now, it's dark. Definitely ready to hit the sack.

  Day total: 59.8 miles, Trip total: 290.6