Fast Forward: The Pacific Ocean and Florence, Oregon

Suislaw River Inlet

We're in Florence, Oregon today. It's a long way and a long time since the last posting in Gray Bull, Wyoming. In the interest of not procrastinating any more, I'll just start in again from where we are. As time, and perhaps an appropriate segue warrants, the other stories about mud pots, thunderstorms, the Grand Tetons (Wyoming), French cyclists (in the thunderstorm), National Parks vs National Forests, elk, bears, the Snake River (Wyoming), the Grand Tetons (Idaho), wildflowers, Driggs (Idaho), the Snake River (Idaho), backroads vs highways, Atomic City, volcanic cinder cones, lava rifts, lava tubes, an overabundance of cows (and related theories regarding global warming), Boise, Burns, the white-headed woodpecker, the cow counting game, Lake Abert, the missing geyser, the water-less campground(s), an inaugural PCT hike, the eventual arrival in Ashland, Oregon, and the end of Phase One of "Retirement"; will be told.

View Up the Valley

About two thirds of the way into the cross country trip, somewhere between the lava tubes, and endless cows, it became clear that a trip that started on the Atlantic Coast, in Rockport, Massachusetts, must end on the Pacific Coast.  Stopping in Ashland, a mere three hours short of the 'other' coast was uncompleted.  (For why we stopped in Ashland, see a previous post).

Which is why, right now, S.D. and I are in Florence, Oregon.  We're in our second week of Phase Two - getting things, and bodies in order so that we can take a shot at hiking the PCT through Oregon, north as the trail or the weather permits this year.  We've been bicycling around Ashland,  hiking up and around Collins Mountain, and are now on the Oregon coast for a few more days of cycling and...just for the poetic completion of it all...seeing the Pacific Ocean. 

And it is beautiful. Florence is a nice, small town on the Suislaw River. Our hotel is less than a block from the Old Town which is also on the river and has great coffee, wine, and restaurants.

Yesterday we rode north from Florence and out to the North Jetty of the Suislaw River Inlet, and Oregon Dunes National Park and stretch for 40 miles down the Oregon Coast to Coos Bay.

North Fork of the Suislaw Rivr

Since we loved it so much, we rode  20 miles south to the South Jetty of the inlet.  They were only a few hundred yards apart as the crow flies, but 20 miles apart via the road.  The ride north took us through towering pines and junipers, the ride to the south was behind the giant sand dunes that make up the

This morning, the fog bank (more about the fog later) hung over the coast so we rode inland and east from Florence, up along the North Fork of the Suislaw River.  Totally different country from the coast. Here the sand dunes were replaced by sharp hills and mountains covered with pines and firs, and the road wound beside the meanders of the river. Foxglove and giant Queen Anne's lace bloomed alongside and moss overhung the road.

Afternoon fog coming ashore

And now a word about the fog. Pacific fog may look and feel like Atlantic fog, but apparently it works on a different schedule. During yesterday's ride, in the morning you couldn't help but notice a giant fog bank off the coast. When we asked one of the many friendly locals when the bank would burn off, as fog is supposed to, he informed us that not only would it not burn off, but that we should expect that bank to cover the coast by around 1:00 in the afternoon. He explained that the bank generally sits out there and as the land warms up, the resulting in shore breeze brings the fog inland - usually stopping around RT 101 (the north south coastal road).  Sure enough, as the day warmed the fog bank crept closer. It didn't land however, until today. With inland temperatures reaching into the hundreds today that bank just moved on in...and there doesn't appear to be any sign of it burning off the way the East Coast fog does.   Just one of the many things that is going to take  some getting used to if we stay on the left coast.