November 15: Bakery, Beach, Bay, and Backroads
Heading out this morning for a several hundred-mile loop to my favorite bakery, the beach, Yaquina Bay, and back I had no idea the weather would be so delightfully sunny and balmy. Other than arriving home in the dark after traversing some delightful backroads, it almost seemed like a warm summer’s day.
After picking up three loaves of freshly baked, sliced, multigrain sourdough bread at the Creswell Bakery and enjoying every gooey bite of my buttery bacon ciabatta breakfast sandwich with a runny yolk, warm cheese, and homemade bacon, I headed west on Camas Swale Road.
Zigging and zagging up and over the hilly terrain I followed the Siuslaw River into Florence and followed highway 101 north past the Heceta Head Lighthouse. Twisting and turning with the road as it wound its way through tall strands of grey trees along the shoreline, I pulled into a small parking lot on the beach just south of Yachats.
Walking along the shoreline it seemed like the stresses of the week just melted away as I listened to the seagulls squawking, the breeze blowing, and the waves rolling in. Reveling in the warm sun on my face, I admired the reflection it made on the wet sand at my feet and along the damp shoreline. Streaks of shimmering white clouds highlighted the blue sky above while mist rose off the rocky hillside.
Getting back on the bike, I continued north to Newport and then headed east on Yaquina Bay Road, one of my favorite stretches of pavement on the Pacific. Riding along this curvy route situated right at water level and hugging the shore of the bay, it is easy to feel like a bird skimming along the surface of the glassy water. Myriad potholes and cracks in the road only added to the fun, popping me up off my seat as I rounded the corners.
Turning on highway 20 east and then along 223 north, I followed a series of beautiful backroads through Airlie and Monmouth. At one particularly delightful juncture, I was treated to a postcard perfect view of an old red barn nestled in rolling green hills beneath the towering white peaks of Mount Hood. What an amazing day on the bike!
