PCC Day 6

On our final day we woke up to cold but clear weather.  We left Port Orford by 8 to ensure everyone would be at Gold Beach by 11 am.

I think the stretch between Port Orford and Gold Beach is one of the most beautiful of the ride.  A good portion of it is along the cliffs looking at the ocean.  The Oregon coast has rock structures known as haystacks, which make things more dramatic with the crashing waves.

The parts that weren't looking out at the ocean are fern filled forest and a tiny bit of grassland where a fee cows were grazing.  It was a relaxing ride with not very much climbing.

At Gold Beach we had the option of going on a 2 hour jet boat ride on the Rogue river.  Most of us chose to do it and had a good time.

The boat, to be honest, was pretty noisy but the advantage of that kind of boat is that they need only 6 inches of water to be able to travel.  We watched recreational fishermen on small boats looking for salmon and did see a large catch on the way back.

We also saw egrets, their nests and the nests of eagles, a seal or two, wild grapes growing up a tree, and lots of rocks, trees, and plants.  Sitting still with the engine off, it was extremely peaceful and lovely.  (All the pictures I took came out terrible, sorry.)
 

Upon our return to land, we continued the ride right where we left off.  There was some climbing shortly after leaving Gold Beach, but nothing worse than our Wednesday night training rides up Old Tunnel Road and Grizzly Peak Blvd.

From Gold Beach to Bookings is also a lovely stretch.  More beautiful, sunny beach views, forest, and creeks.  

There were some significant rolling hills as we approached Bookings.  They were challenging at the end of the day at the a full week of cycling, but still manageable.

We rode to the southern end of town to get to the finish line.  It was great fun to roll up under a balloon arch, receive a medal, and have my picture taken like a celebrity.  There was music, champagne, cheering and plenty of cow bells ringing.

I can't turn this photo right side up.  It is me with Allison and Jennifer at the end of the ride.  Allison and Jennifer work at the Arthritis Foundation.  They organized the tour (with others) and worked very hard all week to make sure everything went well.

This was much more leisurely than last year when we had to hurry directly to Brookings to arrive by noon, followed by a hasty lunch, grabbing luggage, and jumping various buses headed all directions.  After a fair amount of feedback from riders about how that arrangement was too rushed and chaotic, it was changed this year to have the whole day to arrive in Brookings with a party at the end and one more night with the gang before returning home.

After all the riders came in, there was a band that played for several hours and one last meal together.

What a week!

The band that played for our last evening together.

Stats: 

58.1 miles

3,466 feet of elevation gain