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| Approaching Coos Bay Bridge from 101 |
I woke up early this morning (5 am) and beat much of the July 4 weekend Hwy 101 traffic to the Coos Bay Bridge.
Early in the morning, the mile-long bridge didn’t appear to be more challenging than other bridges and tunnels I had already negotiated. So I hit the button for the cyclist-warning flashers, waited for a a break in the traffic, and then gave it a go.
True, I got buzzed numerous times by cars and trucks while ascending the uphill first half of the bridge, trying my best to stay on the tiny shoulder.
Once I crested the bridge’s high point, the last half mile was all downhill and I was able to move at speeds of up to 30 mph.
A friendly semi-truck driver also matched my pace on the descent, blocking the other traffic from passing until I had crossed over on to the town of North Bend.
I gave the truck driver a tip of my sombrero as I rode up onto the town’s sidewalk and pedaled on feeling pretty good about myself. A survivor. But if I ever do this again, I think I will try the longer alternate route that bypasses the bridge.
Definitely white-knuckle riding, and probably not good for my blood pressure.
Ate breakfast at a North Bend Taco Bell restaurant, and noticed a Big 5 Sporting Goods store across the lot.
Turns out that the store had one fuel canister remaining in stock that would fit my stove.
Glad I checked, because I had already used up one of the two canisters I had been carrying, and the canisters are hard to find in towns without REI stores this year.
Also glad I have a low granny gear on my bike, because the hills out of town on Seven Devils Road were steep and sustained and challenging.
Unlike Tugman’s, Bullards Beach State Park, my destination for the night, had a positive vibe, and the other campers I met there were friendly.
A much nicer place.
So I quickly resolved to take a rest day at Bullards in hopes that there would be less traffic on the 101 after July 4.
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| New fuel canister for my stove |
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| Got two bars on my phone by climbing up to here |
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| Surprise! My vegan friends roll into Bullards on day 2 |
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