Today’s Date: September 20, 2025
Today’s Start Point: Pacific City, Oregon
Today’s End Point: Yachats, Oregon
Today’s Miles: 76.8 Miles
Cumulative Miles: 410 Miles
The National Weather Service had issued dense fog advisory until 11:00 am. With the upcoming twisting roads that rose and fell, I thought it best to leave a little later (yippee I get to sleep in). Once I hit the road at 9:00 am, the visibility on the road did not seem bad, but the beachfronts were hard to see.
Today I would head due south down through the beachfront towns of Neskowin, Otis, Lincoln City, Lincoln Beach, Depoe Bay, Otter Rock, Newport and Seal Rock, finally ending in Yachats, Oregon (pronounced “YAH-hots”, yeah, I don’t get why the “c” is hanging out there either). Leslie would follow the same route, hopefully finding whales to see. The route provided numerous scenic viewpoints so Les would be able to take in the sights.
When I left, the fog had not completely lifted but the visibility was fine. I have some very bright front and rear flashing lights (although I wear dark colors for the “cool” factor; for the record I have never been cool but dammit I keep chasing the dream).
Although visibility was good, the air was heavy with moisture and after about a half hour it began to mist a little bit more. The wet roads were fine but things did get a bit chilly on the downhills.
I thought I would be taking Highway 101 all the way but after about ten miles just south of Nescowin, the route took me off of the Highway and onto a small two lane road for about nine miles, aptly named Old Scenic Highway 101. The detour was unexpected and magical. I rode through a rain forest, incredibly thick with trees. After having cars constantly pass me at 60 miles per hour, I only saw one car for the entire nine miles. It was so quiet and with the misty weather it seemed like I had gone back in time.
Adding to the quiet mood, I climbed 600 feet for four of the nine miles. It was so quiet the only thing I heard was an old man rasping for breath (strange since when I would look around I was the only one there). The climb was hard in spots but generally a gentle upward slope, you could get into a rhythm and be alone with your thoughts. These are the times you remember why you ride a bike.
The less meditative part of the ride was the three mile descent after the climb (that whole what goes up must come down thing). I rode with white knuckles since the roads were wet and twisty and I still keep thinking in the back of my head that a tire is going to blow.
Once the beautiful detour was complete, I was back on Highway 101. All along the route were gorgeous views of sandy beaches with huge rocky outcroppings.
As I headed down the coast I stopped at Boiler Bay (Les had already stopped there and told me to be sure to see it). The viewpoint sits on the edge of a point with the bay to the right and the Ocean on the left.
Boiler Bay looks like the travel pictures that Oregon’s tourism bureau uses to show off its assets. Rocky cliffs with a pounding surf carving gashes into the sides. When I looked out into the bay, I saw a huge group of things floating in the water. I thought it was seaweed but a gentlemen by my side informed me that they were a huge bunch of sea otters.
I then went to the other side of the point to look at the ocean. This area is known for whale watching, as over 25,000 gray whales migrate from the summer and winter homes. Although prime whale watching season is mid-December to mid-January (when migrating south) and late-March through the end of May (when migrating north), some whales just don’t want the hassle of traveling so they stay around the area all year round.
I stood with a group of people scanning the sea when someone shouted that they saw a whale spout. Sure enough, soon all of us saw two whales out amongst the fishing boats. Soon we would also see the large curving back of the whale break the water. Mission accomplished. I should not take such glee in seeing the whale since by the end of the day Leslie had not seen one, and she really really wants to see a whale.
Depoe Bay was next and it too provided that same stunning coastline. I could have stopped every 100 yards for scenic opportunities. Depoe Bay is the home of the Whale Watching Center (I did not stop since I was an experienced whale watcher at this point).
The fog had thinned for the last couple of hours so that I was able to see the coastline under different light conditions. I am not sure which is better. In full sunlight the shadows and high definition of the rocks is remarkable. But oh the fog-it adds a brooding melancholy vibe, which although sounds dark, is actual beautiful in its way.
The next two highlights were Seal Beach and South Beach State Park. Seal Beach contained more sand and rock, with a line of boulders heading out to sea in a somewhat straight line.
Further on, I got off Highway 101 for a brief respite on a dedicated path through South Beach State Park. At the trailhead, a sign stated that a cougar had been spotted on the trail on September 16 (four days ago). Remembering my bear training, I started singing “hey cougar” while pedaling along. My fears disappeared when I saw a mother pushing a stroller down the trail with her baby inside. I knew I was faster than the baby so I figured there was nothing to worry about.
I now had about 20 miles to go and since it was getting late, I wanted to get to the hotel and relax. About halfway to the hotel I came up behind another bike traveler with tons of gear on his bike like I lugged around last year. I stopped to talk and he told me that his name was RJ and she was from Madison, Wisconsin (coincidently both my daughter and son-in-law went to University of Wisconsin in Madison). RJ started his trip in Astoria, Oregon and was traveling to San Francisco to see his new two month old grandson. We both agreed that our kids picked interesting places for us to bike to. He said he was completing 40 to 50 miles a day and was primarily camping, although he was staying in a hotel in Yachats because of the poor weather forecast for tonight. We wished each other luck and I was off, pedaling off quickly since he was, like I did last year, lugging an assortment of REI equipment on his bike (thank you Les).
I arrived at the hotel around 4:00 pm and Leslie was already there. Again, the room was ten levels above the shacks I stayed in last year, with a room overlooking the ocean and a fireplace. The only problem is I am in the room for only a few hours and then whoosh I am gone. Les seems to like it though.
We walked down to the rocky shoreline to explore the multitude of tide pools. Ok, I must be honest, I looked at a few and then sat on a bench and left most of the exploring to Les.
At night, we went into town to a great little rustic place for fish and chips and tacos. Amazingly at the next table was RJ, the biker from Madison. We talked a little and he has a loose schedule so he is taking it easy when it comes to logistics (again, very similar to my style from last year). We finished our meal, said goodbye and good luck to RJ and I broke down and went next door for some ice cream (with hot fudge topping). It was NOT Dairy Queen (I am sure their stock price is plummeting).
Tomorrow morning is supposed to be wet so I will have to see if it is an early ride or not.
Jimmy and Leslie’s Mini-Adventure 
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