Sometime before the start of summer a friend of mine, Jim suggested that we ride down the coast. His reason for going was the wedding of an aunt in Primeville, located in central Oregon. After talking it over with Jim and taking a look at the route he was going to ride I decided to go via the coast instead. The conversation went something like this - Jim: "Dude, it won't be that bad, though the first day we may have to cover 170 miles - but don't worry, some of it's downhill!". Me; "errr..?" We agreed to meet in Crescent City, which is in the north-most part of California. At that point our friend Rudy would meet us and we would all ride down the California coast to LA.

One of my main fears for this leg of the trip was rain. Before leaving, I had run around Los Angeles looking for and finally finding fenders for the bike. But, except for crossing the coastal mountains on the first day there was almost none, and even that was fairly light. Ironically, the first night in California it poured. Looking back on it I would have to say that Oregon to the California border was my favorite part of the trip; the weather was great, I met a bunch of interesting people and because I was solo I was able to stop and start when I pleased.

At the start of the trip I had the idea in my head that touring would be like "backpacking with a bike"--I found this to be wrong for the most part. While you are carrying all of your gear, the need for self-sufficiency is not so great. While I didn't pass though any big cities on this part of the trip there was almost always some type of town every 30 miles or so. Also, I was very surprised to see that almost all the other people I saw were carrying MUCH more weight than I was. While my gear was around 30 pounds some that I met were carrying near a 100 if not more. Obviously, weight was not a major concern. Still, I couldn't quite abandon "going light" and even mailed some gear back home when I found I wasn't using it.

	Jim and our two bikes before the trip. A good friend of mine had talked me into buying a real touring bike instead of trying to use my hybrid - this turned out to be a very good idea.		We stepped outside the train to get a bit of air--I think this is San Luis Obispo station. This was near the start of a 23 hour trip ride to Portland.
	Jim mugs for the camera in the Portland train station. We were both happy to finally be there.		We stopped for a quick picture outside the station and then rode to a hotel to get a bit of sleep before the first day of real riding.
	Some cows I passed on the way to the coast on hwy. 6. Though the day started out overcast and I got a little rain, it cleared up as I got closer to the coast.		This is my first camp (Cape Lookout). I was fairly tired after the 89 mile ride and very happy to be there (though it may not look it, from the picture). I was amazed at how nice the Oregon hiker/biker camps were; unlimited hot showers, great locations for the camps and nice personnel--all for only $4/night!
	The first person met when I rolled into camp turn out to be something of a con-man. His name is Ian and I lent him $40 bucks--this after a story about him losing his passport and all his money the day before. But, as I made my way down coast I met others that had heard the same story from him--the year before!. Still, sort of any interesting guy--I'll know better next time. Note the happening buckets for front panniers.		The next day I rode over a little hill and found this country store at Sand River. The weather was great and there was very little traffic on the road. This is also the last I saw of Ian.
	Another great Hiker/biker site in Oregon. Though I didn't know it, I was becoming spoiled by these wonderful spots. You can see my small one man tent--though I thought it might be too small it work out.		After I made camp I took a quick run to the beach. Here is some wild wheat(?) I passed on the way.
	Looking down the Oregon Coast in the morning.		One of several lighthouses I checked out. This one is the Yaquina Lighthouse. While I was there I saw some whales.
	Another shot of the lighthouse.		I had heard quite a bit about the tunnels on the route and was fairly apprehensive by the time I finally got to this one. But it wasn't nearly a bad I as I thought. There's even a warning light to let the drivers know that there's a bicyclist in the tunnel. I just waited for a break in traffic, pushed the button and pedaled like mad.
	Another section of the Oregon Coast. This was an older section of the highway that was closed to cars.		The only other obstacle (other than the tunnels) on the Oregon Coast are the bridges. Since the sideway as only 18 inches wide and there was no shoulder I decided to walk this one even though it was nearly a mile long.
	One of the beaches near a hiker/biker camp.
	This is James, one of the bike tourists I met in Harris Beach--the last hiker/biker camp in Oregon. Although I bumped into many of the same people on the way down the coast--James was not to be one of them--His plan was to do at least a 100 miles per day all the way to LA.		The Oregon/California border! I had quite a sense of accomplishment when I got here--'till I realized that I wasn't even a 1/3 of the way home. Still, Oregon proved to be a great way to get into shape for the days ahead--especially since the daily mileage was going to be going up in California.