Day 16 Beverly Beach to Beachside State Park (24 miles)

Out of three possible campsites to reach I chose Beachside State Park at a reasonable distance of 24 miles. I could have stopped at one at 8 miles or pushed to one at 60 but after doing such a long ride the previous day I thought 24 miles would be comfortable. The views on the west coast just get better and better and I wish everyone could actually see them as I am seeing them.

My first sight after setting off was the Yaquina Lighthouse. The Mir bird colony around the rocks of the lighthouse are being monitored at the moment as they have stopped breading for the last two years so the population has declined. The rangers have found out why after observing that the recently re-introduced bald eagles have been swooping in to the nesting birds and either eating the chicks or scaring the parents away for long enough to allow for seagulls to have a clear run at feeding. The Mir’s are still coming back as it’s hard wired into their make up that they are supposed to be breading but this year’s batch of new born were cleared up almost as soon as they were hatched.

Next was the bridge going out from Newport. This bridge is very high and the high wind off the open was making it difficult. Once again the view either side was stunning. I tried to record myself riding across but it was difficult enough to ride without trying to film as well. One of the other riders I have spoken to mentioned that ice cream is good to give you a boost while riding and as I was felling quite hungry I stopped at the first decent looking parlour I could find. I soon cleared a Strawberry American Special. 2 dollars well spent.

The next landmarks came in quick succession and they were the Yellow Arches Bridge and the while you wait wood carving shops. I took a video of me crossing the bridge as the wind wasn’t to bad now and I took a couple of the wood carvings. I pulled into Beachside and set up my tent quickly as it was very hot and the beach was only yards away. I got talking to some others who were setting up for the night. Chris from New York who I had seen earlier in the day by Starbucks, brothers Matt and Sam from Minnesota and another guy called Chris from Montana. Chris from New York had been doing something called “woofing” that was very popular amongst travellers where a person can go and work on a farm for a few weeks. He had also stealth camped in a logging company grounds once on his trip which is always risky as the loggers are big rough men who haven’t been home for a while. If you want to get a mental picture then think Tom Hanks in the film where he is stuck on an island after a plane crash. Pure Robinson Crusoe. I noticed he had only been wearing sandals recently as he had the funniest strap lines on his feet I have ever seen.

I went down to the beach and chilled for a while before running into the Pacific for the first time ever. It may have been hot out but it was cold in. Still my Pacific Ocean cherry has been popped.