March 23 - Stayton to Creswell to Florence to Lincoln City
What a glorious sunny day! I wanted to do a pre-ride for a trip to the coast I will be taking my women’s group on in September and a few other friends on in a few weeks. After leading my first ride ten days ago I realized there was a lot I had to learn. So this time I wanted to check out in advance where to get gas, pull over for pictures, and eat. Given how much I love food, I decided the route needed to have two food stops, the first being at one of my two favorite bakeries in the country.
I started out at Latus, taking highway 213 south to Stayton and then backroads to Albany for a brief pit stop at Mr. Ed’s moto. When I lead the ride later, I think I will switch routes on this segment to another one I have taken in the past (along S. Kropf Road) that has a little less traffic and is slightly more scenic. It was great to touch bases with Don Webber at Mr. Ed’s as well as a few friendly riders from the Salem Riders Group. From Mr. Ed’s I went south to the Creswell Bakery and ordered the ciabatta bacon breakfast sandwich. The freshly made ciabatta bun, house cured bacon, Tillamook cheddar, and over-easy egg provided a wonderful mouth-watering medley of tastes and textures. It was heavenly to enjoy eating the yolk-soaked bread in the sun as well as talking with several other customers eating outside who were curious about my travels.
From the bakery I headed west on Camas Swale Road, north on Territorial Highway, and then left on highway 126 to Florence. I love the tight twists and turns in the middle of the forest followed by the curves along the Siuslaw River. After gassing up in Florence I headed north along highway 101 through Waldport and Newport to Otter Crest Loop. This loop is one of my very favorite sections of Oregon Coast because of the fantastic ocean views from the narrow, winding road at the top of the sheer cliffs. After completing Otter Crest Loop, I continued north on highway 101 to Pig N Pancake in Lincoln City where I ordered fresh strawberry crepes with a side of bacon. From Lincoln City I took highway 18 East to home. I feel so blessed to have had so much time on my bike in the sun today and to be able to look forward to sharing this route with others later. Thanks also to Grant Myers for helping me pick out a new tripod — it worked great!
