Seaside, OR to Tillamook, OR: Southbound on the 101
I woke up sore today. Probably because I slept on the ground, on my side, and I had ridden some of the hardest miles of my life yesterday. I made oatmeal for breakfast and waited around a little before packing up my tent. It had rained a little during the night so everything was wet. Thankfully I was sleeping light enough to wake up and cover my bike. Unfortunately it didn’t clear up enough to dry anything before I left. I got on the road and made it into Seaside proper. It was quite a nice ocean side town and I would have liked to spend some more time there, but I had to make it down to Tillamook. I rode to the boardwalk and unhooked my panniers on the beach and dragged the Long Haul on the beach to the ocean. This was made a little harder by the fact that it was low tide so I had even more beach to walk. Bikes and sand are not friends. I did eventually make it to the sea and got someone to take my picture in the ocean. Yes the waves did get me and the bike, and my shoes didn’t dry out on the ride today.
I got the picture and then headed out of town down the 101 toward Tillamook. I decided the southern route because I thought it would be a bit easier than riding 80 miles a day for two days. I hoped a mild day and then an honest riding day would even out in the end. I think I made a good decision. The 101 is a beautiful highway and I would recommend it to anyone, even just driving down it in a car. There are a number of really nice overlooks and incredible scenery down the whole stretch (or at least the part I was on). On down side I did get my first flat of the tour today, but after some wrestling I swapped it with a spare tube and patched the hole. A small sharp rock (flint I think) was to blame for the puncture. But I was soon fixed up and on my way.
I reached Tillamook a little later than I had hoped but it didn’t end up being an issue. I found all the things I was looking for, supper (fish and chips), laundry, and WiFi (both provided by the camp I stayed at). I ended the night at a camp near the north end of Tillamook a few blocks away from one of the two cheese factories in the town. (I didn’t get a chance to tour either of them unfortunately. Perhaps next time Tillamook)
