Just Another Day at the Beach

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GPS tracker: will update on the ride
Total distance: 257 miles
Cumulative elevation gain: 10,750 feet

Tomorrow's Route Profile: click HERE:

It is a bit peculiar that we are taking the Pacific Coast bicycle route and today is the first time in 250 miles that we have actually seen the coastline.  We have passed by bays and inlets, rivers and estuaries, but there is something different about seeing actual waves lapping up against the beach. Welcome to Seaside!

This morning we slept in.  Yesterday's ride was hard and we needed the break.  Last night we went down and soaked in the hot tub for a little bit before realizing that the only place we wanted/needed to be was upstairs in bed.  That is actually the one unfortunate thing about having to rush through this bike trip.  There is an incredible amount to do and see in each of these towns we visit, but I feel as if our finite amount of energy has to be channeled so we have to suffice with taking notes and hoping that we can come back and visit by car sometime to hit what we have had to miss.  Our adage for the trip: "If it ain't on the 101, it ain't gettin' done!" 

Packing up, we headed on the bikes to Seaside.  The wind, while now blowing out of the WNW, was not hurting us, it didn't really seem to help that much either.  Still, the route was flat and the weather was warm enough that we didn't need jackets or pants for the ride.  We arrived in just over an hour and dropped off our stuff at our first Warm Showers stopover.  The house belonged to Neil Branson, a man who hosts over 150 travelers a year.  He isn't even home this month but he had his daughter let us in and give us a room.  Next door there is a couple from Germany that is also staying here a couple nights.  Just a great example of the trust in the goodness of others.

After ditching the bikes, we went to play.  (VLOG post click HERE). We were only blocks from the beach so we walked over and played down in the water.  Surprisingly, the water was not that cold!  I was expecting it to be colder than SF beaches but this was actually nice enough where you could walk in it and felt just fine.  Katelyn hunted for sand crabs and I just enjoyed watching her do it.  Between that and people watching, Seaside beach was a really fun place to hang out.  After time in the sand, we found a small cafe and had lunch and then snacked on some "sea foam chocolate" which is what the locals told us we had to try--and it didn't disappoint!  Then we wrapped up the afternoon by meeting a couple new friends from the local church.  One was a 13 year old girl that Katelyn went and hung out with.  There was an arcade and bumper cars and other fun attractions so they went and did that while the dads hung out and talked.  Overall, a great day to relax and forget about the miles we pedal this coming week.

So, tomorrow:  going to church in the morning and then we will be battling a little rain on the way to Tillamook.  42 miles is the distance but there are couple nasty hills in between.  We won't leave until around 3:00 to hopefully let most of the weather pass by before starting out.  

Enjoy the weekend!

Flying high in Seaside

Walk to our room?  Way too slow!

Seaside is a popular tourist destination on the Oregon coast, unlike the small sleepy towns we have seen so far. 

The Lewis and Clark monument marking where they made it to the Pacific Ocean. 

We met some new friends in Seaside and stopped for a little Gelato  with them.

Apparently, sunny days like this happen rarely in Seaside.  Glad we caught one of them!