50 States, Day 360

Eureka, CA to Bandon, Oregon, 202 Miles "Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on sunglasses." ~Lady Gaga The temperatures vacillated wildly from seaside to inland, and today we enjoyed mid eighties to high fifties, depending on our location. We took many stops to either gear up or down, and it seemed like we spent the lion's share of the ride wearing gear for the hour before. But Mr. Sun stuck with us all day, and we kept reminding ourselves that we traveled in the North, and clear, whether warm or a bit cool, would work just fine. We stopped at the Redwood National and State Forest, and I saved a bear's life. The sign said I could, and there were a LOT of rules, but basically I needed to keep my food, deodorant, lip balm and dishes in the bike. I did. And another bear lives on. It didn't feel as good as saving the PLANET, by letting the sheets stay on the motel's bed one more day, but a bear's life is still pretty cool. You're welcome, Smokey. After entering Oregon, we once again followed the coast, but for Quilter girl it worked just fine, as the road didn't hang onto the sides of mountains by it's fingernails, the guardrails kept a faithful watch, and much of the road wound inland and through dense forests, providing a nice break. She enjoyed the ride. Joyce, the nice lady at the Oregon Welcome Center, steered us to the Azalea Park, just a few miles North. We saw no bloom on most of the azaleas, and most bore young leaves that just now popped out. But the flowering cherries, rhododendrons and andromedas bore bright colored blossoms. Joyce said some of the azaleas, 200 years old, could have been seen by Lewis and Clark. We struggled to make time, as it seemed like every time we got going we got stopped: Gas, food, the Post Office, and a one hour layover for an interview on James Kelly's 'Aspects of Writing' radio show. I spoke on a panel for the entire hour. If you write, you could check it out at www.aspectsofwriting.com, and look for rebroadcasts. Late in the afternoon, we prowled Port Orford in search of a motel. the first one bore a sign: "Back in a few minutes." How long had the sign been there? We waited quite a while, and after twelve seconds searched for another. At the next candidate I hit the buzzer. No one showed for an eternity, perhaps fifteen seconds. We resumed the search and found another, and I called a pass on it. If you've followed us, our standards lie pretty low, but this couldn't clear that low bar. Fine, we rode onward to Bandon. We stumbled upon 'The Shooting Star' motel, an old motor lodge that we'd stayed at a few years back. It featured carports, fridge, mircro, wifi, two beds, and very friendly people. Now if the radiant heater would just radiate with a bit more enthusiasm. And now, my fellow bear saver, Quilter girl! Today's lunner was a lucky find. We were in Gold Beach feeling hungry when we spotted a pizza place. Not our first choice, but the best we could see. Then I spotted the Barnacle Bistro just down the road, I am so glad I did. We ate outside in a sheltered patio where the sun filtered in. Kevin had fish and chips while I had a turkey, jack and cranberry panini with garlic fries. It was heaven! The fries were super crispy on the outside with soft centers and the sandwich had lots of cranberry sauce smooshed in with the turkey and melted jack. Have I made you hungry yet? I recommend this small place highly. While we were outside, the cook came out and sprayed stuff in a metal box, then got a hose out and put water in the bottom. When asked, he said it was a smoker and he had pork shoulder cooking away. He sprays it every hour and keeps the bottom filled with water, cooking it all day. It smelled great. QG More Oregon Coast tomorrow. Thanks for following! Sorry for no pictures. Death to the iPad.