Day 29 Humbug State Park to Brookings 50 miles

Last night was very cold and it was even colder when we emerged from the tent!  I put on several layers, leg warmers, gilet, windproof, waterproof and thick gloves and we set off on what was described in our route book as the best part of the Oregon coastline.  After 50 miles battling a headwind and rain forecast,  coupled with several long hills, one of which continued relentlessly  upwards for 4 miles, we arrived in Brookings.  We had dried the tent off by waving it frantically in the wind at the side of the road during the day. Rob must have been tired as it was he who actually suggested we stay in a motel tonight (hurray, hurray, hurray!).  I reluctantly agreed ha ha. 
A lovely couple we met whilst waving our tent in the wind had recommended a motel in Brookings so, exhausted, we checked in there, only to find Giles and his wife ( the aforementioned lovely couple) staying in the room next door.  Rob chatted to Giles which resulted in an invitation from them for us to stay with them in San Diego when we get there!  The friendliness and generosity of the American people we have met here is unbelievable!
Tomorrow we will cross over into the state of California so of course it will be sun sun sun all the way from there!

Day 28 Bandon to Humbug Mountain State Park 37 miles

Easy cycling day today with only a few short hills. Cold start but warmed up in the afternoon.  Fairly remote campsite so dined on pot noodles (me) and cold pizza (Rob).  I'd sneaked in a carton of Californian merlot though so we sipped that in our plastic tea mugs as it got dark.  Lovely site again although there was a notice on the campsite notice board of a bear siting here 2 days ago.  So wore my bear whistle round my neck all evening and was especially wary on my trip to the toilet block before bed.  Pitch dark now and early start tomorrow as long ride so tucked in at 8.30!
Last day in Oregon tomorrow before we hit the alleged sunshine in California - might even be able to wear my shorts and t - shirt! Think there's even a bikini lurking at the bottom of one of my paniers somewhere!

Day 27 Umpqua Lighthouse to Bandon 48 miles

Up early this morning - it was still dark but Rob said we had to be 'up and off by 8am at the very latest'.  So we were.  We said our farewells to Stanley and Barbara who are going back to work next week, and to young Matt who is cycling down to San Diego but much faster than us I suspect! 
It was very chilly and quite foggy so we were wrapped up well with all our lights on.  We stopped for a quick breakfast after 20 miles and then started on the 7 Devils Road - a 15 mile stretch with 7 hills of varying severity in between.  I had to laugh at the various comments painted on the road at intervals along the way - see photo about not  cheating if you push your bike!
We camped at another 'value for money' state park (Bullard's Beach), which, to Rob's delight, only cost $5 per person including hot showers!
He really knows how to treat a woman ha ha!
To celebrate, we rode into town (3 miles and back) and had the most delicious Mexican meal ever - and it was another bargain!
Being serious, to give Rob his due, he is doing a fantastic job in sorting out where we are going each day, navigating the route and finding (mostly good) campsites - not an easy task in a foreign country when we are cycling to somewhere different every day and the schedule is pretty tight.  All quite a responsibility I know.
So, it's now 8.15pm, pitch black and I'm tucked into my duck down sleeping bag with socks on ( it's very chilly tonight).  What more to life is there..........

Day 26 Florence to Umpqua Lighthouse 27 miles

Easy day today - only 27 miles - a day of rest really - I needed it!  And only nearly killed by one logging truck all day!
We had a lie in today (8am), got up slowly, chatted to our fellow camping cyclists and went into Florence for coffee and croissants - this is more like it!
We then continued on US 101 for a leisurely 27 miles in glorious sunshine and a tail wind and arrived at Umpqua Lighthouse state park.  The hiker/biker site was small with 3 tents already in situ but everyone was very friendly so we pitched near Matt, a young guy from New Hampshire who is cycling down to the Mexican border like us.  We were soon joined by Stanley and Barbara, one of the couples on our campsite from last night.  We spent a very pleasant evening eating basic food and chatting together about life in general.  All very convivial - good company indeed.  Another early night (it's pitch dark by 7pm and we're in the middle of a wood) as we're planning to cycle 52 miles tomorrow so need to be up and off pronto in the morning.  Rob is fully prepared for a nocturnal racoon attack although I've stored all our food supplies in the special campsite wildlife locker!

Newport to Florence 57 miles

Despite cycling a similar distance to yesterday, today's route included fewer hills (a big factor when you're loaded up) so was somewhat easier.  After 12 miles we stopped for a delicious breakfast and were talking about the fundraising total so far (which now includes a generous £30 donation from Annie - thank you Annie!).  We were sitting next to an American couple who must have been listening to our conversation and looking at our Unicef cycling tops.  Just as we were about to leave they said they would like to support our fundraising by picking up our breakfast tab (about $30)!   That's typical of our experience of the people here - very friendly and supportive.  So, thank you Mike and Kathy - I will put the $30 onto my Justgiving site as soon as I can get a good connection.  And thank you also to Steve and Bob for their $25 donation. We met them at the ferry terminal at Sydney Harbour as we were waiting for the ferry to San Juan Island. They were on a cycling trip too.
We camped at another state park in Florence last night with hot showers  (again! I'm getting spoiled!).  The Adventure Cycling group we met last night were there too and we all ended up eating in the same restaurant in the town which served delicious fish. We also met two other couples (one British couple from Cornwall) camping next to us in the hiker/biker section so we swapped cycling stories.
Having a lie in tomorrow  (8am!) and an easier day - my legs need to recover if I'm going to complete this trip!

Day 24 Tillamook to Beverly Beach State Park near Newport 56 miles

After a tussle during the night with some racoons who were trying to break into our paniers to steal food, we made an early start in fresh but beautiful weather.  The first 3 miles were really tough - a long steep climb but after 10 miles we found a roadside shack serving grim coffee.  The owners were on the porch - apparently they'd lived at that same place all their life and remembered back to the war in 1945.
2 further long hills and heavy traffic in parts made the day quite a slog but the best part was meeting up along the way with a group of Adventure Cyclists.  Rob chatted briefly to the leader and mentioned he'd done 2 other trips with Adventure Cycling.  It turned iut we were hesding for the same campsite so we were invited to join them for supper that evening - what a treat after a hard day.

Day 23 Seaside to Cape Lookout State Park near Tillamook 61 miles

What a transformation!  Today has been the best day of the holiday so far for cycling.  We got up early and were on our bikes by 8am.  The weather was chilly to start but by 11am the sun was shining and the sky was clear blue.  The route was predominantly still on US 101 with quite a few hills but the traffic was much lighter and the coastal views magnificent.  Even though we covered 61 miles, it was much more enjoyable than the 20 difficult miles yesterday.  And Rob was less grumpy - conclusive proof that things are picking up!
We stopped en - route at Rockaway Beach where we had prawn teryaki from a roadside shack - delicious.
Unfortunately the campsite where we had planned to stay after 43 miles seemed to have disappeared.  Rob said there was 'absolutely no way' we were paying for a third night in a motel so we pressed on for a further 18 miles to Cape Lookout State campsite.  But what a find!  $12 for a fantastic site right by the beach.  (Ok the showers were about half a mile away through the forest......)  And there were actually several other hiker bikers camping too so we had some company.  All very friendly here - it makes a real difference.

Day 22 Astoria to Seaside 20 miles

The weather forecast today was dire. And it was. We woke up to heavy rain so we lingered at the motel over free coffee and cakes until we could delay no longer. After negotiating another bridge to get out of Astoria we set off on the Lewis and Clark trail in the direction of San Diego. After 20 miles of hills, driving rain and a full on 20mph  headwind we could go no further. Nicola will now take over. 
Rob has omitted to say that after the first ten miles I was sent to knock on the door of a remote farmhouse with 2 vicious dogs snarling inside to ask for directions as we had moved onto maps with a more interesting but complicated route!
After completing several circuits of the town of Seaside in the pouring rain looking for a reasonably priced motel, we finally found something suitable.  We checked in, changed and ventured out for a walk along the beach only to find a complete transformation in weather conditions - sun and warmth had returned!  So, we could have camped as originally planned after all.  Never mind, upwards and onwards as they say.
We shared the large can of lager I had been carrying in my panier for 150 miles (why - we have passed loads of shops?) then had a delicious Lebanese meal in the town before collapsing into bed in preparation for a catch up cycling day tomorrow - yes Rob I'm pedalling as fast as I can!

The Atomic Retro Motel Astoria