PCC Day 2

We began the morning hearing that the was a 60% chance of rain in the areas we would be traveling through.  In the end, we only got a few drops, but we did go through areas that had had rain before we arrived.  Apparently, Wednesday is the day we need to look out for.

Based on the forecast, I pulled the rain gear our of my luggage.  Since it was cold but not yet wet, I wore the jacket and stowed the pants.  I also had on arm and leg warmers and still felt cold until after we had gone over a number of rolling hills.  As the climb over Cape Lookout was nearing, I took off the jacket, but otherwise it stayed cool enough that I kept both the arm and leg warmers all day.  Mr. Incredible was waiting for all of us at the top of the climb.

With Mr. Incredible.

We did most of our riding on smaller highways, away from 101: Three Capes Scenic Route south of Tillamook which took us from Netarts Bay through Cape Lookout State Park and then Pacific City

We had our first rest stop in Pacific City.  I arrived with very cold hands, so I got a hot chocolate at the cafe across the street.  It felt good and tasted good, too!

Cape Lookout area.  Photo by another rider.

After leaving the rest stop, one of the side roads we took was Slab Creek Road and connecting with N. Old Scenic Highway 101 (the former 101, now replaced by a modern highway).  It was a bit of an extended climb, but not bad.  The roads were wet from a previous rain, so I played it cautious on the down hill which meant that it wasn't as much fun as it could have been.  Another advantage to taking it easy on speed (besides keeping upright) was that it prevented me from getting too cold.

At the end of the road we had a second rest stop and I had lunch at the cafe there Otis'.  Great cooked from scratch good, including pie.  I got one of the last pieces of marionberry pie.  Yum!  Marionberries are the most common blackberry cultivar,^[2][3] accounting for over half of all blackberries produced in Oregon (from Wikipedia).

Otis Cafe.  Named after the town, not a person.

Bob and Linda inside the cafe.

We rejoined 101 and had a nerve jangling ride through Lincoln City.  Heavy traffic, not much shoulder, and not cyclist friendly at all.  I was happy to get to the outskirts of town.  We went around much of Lincoln City last year but I understand that we couldn't this year due to construction.

Following that, I stopped at Depoe Bay to see if I could see any whales.  I didn't, but Mary and Kim, who came along later did see some spouting.

After Depoe Bay, it was only a handful of miles to the turnoff to Otter Crest.  The road in to the hotel is a climb, but manageable even after more than 70 miles.

We experienced extreme winds here last year, but it was calm today.  Much easier to put up a tent that way.

 

View from our bluff at Otter Crest.

Stats: 

73.62 miles

3,915 feet of elevation gain