Netarts Bay
30 September 2011
I woke up late and feeling exhausted, for some reason.
It was cloudy out. The day's ride started along Netarts Bay. You could see people looking for shellfish in the sand, while huge rocks loomed in the distance.
I took a quick stop at Cape Lookout State Park. Then there was a sustained climb over the cape, which eventually led to a vista point.
On the other side, there was a recreational area for ATVs and such where the sand dunes had reached very far inland. It was rather disorienting to see what was basically giant lake of sand, or a beach without the water.
I bought a box of donuts in Sandlake, for lack of any better forms of sustenance.
I continued on to Cape Kiwanda, where I ate more donuts and watched kids sliding down a massive sand dune. Despite the clouds, the place was still quite pretty.
I stopped in Neskowin for a light lunch, where I ran into a trio of cycle tourists.
The big climb of the afternoon was along Slab Creek Rd, which diverged from 101.
At some point close to Lincoln City I passed the 45th parallel. Returning to Hwy 101, the road into Lincoln City was quite busy. However, I found a nice motel for pretty cheap ($59). It was the Lincoln City Inn, and it was right along the D River, supposedly the shortest river in the world. (The river is the channel by which Devils Lake empties into the Pacific Ocean.)
Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant. As usual, a plate of pork hits the spot after a day of riding.
Up | Next: Lincoln City to Yachats