Part 5: Ocean, Sky, Freedom: West Coast Bicycle Adventure—Canada to Mexico—Lewis & Clark

By Frosty Wooldridge

Part 5: Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery, Oregon  coast, Fort Clatsop, Hay Stack Rock

“What causes all this beauty we cycle through?  What creates the energy of trees, rocks and that eternal ocean off to our right as we pedal south?  What makes that sky above us change so often in only an hour?   What creates the magnificent rivers we cross on our two-wheeled journey?  I contemplate  deeply while pedaling my bicycle.  I feel the essence of the creative energy of the universe pulsing through everything around me.  It pulses through rocks, plants, birds, wind, fire, water and animals.  It vibrates through me.  On my bicycle, I recognize an enormous amount of energy coursing through all the cells in my body.  It’s a wondrous feeling.”  FHW,  West Coast Ride

(Haystack Rock, Pacific Coast Highway Route 101 through Oregon.)

We stopped at Fort Clatsop, sight of the 1805-1806 winter quarters of Lewis & Clark’s Corps of Discover Expedition.  They endured a harsh winter before marching back up the Columbia River, across the mountains and back to St. Louis, Missouri. Ironically, the Indians who kept them from starving to death became enslaved in internment camps 90 years later.  The Native Americans lost their lives, their freedom, their languages, their ways of life, religions and cultures.

After the Corps returned, Meriwether Lewis committed suicide.  Sgt. Ordway wrote an excellent journal about the entire journey. Most Americans cannot conceive the enormity of the expanse and breadth of the trip.  They paddled oar boats, walked, rode horseback and canoed over 3,000 miles at a pace of five miles per hour or less. If you ever visit, Great Falls, Montana, please check out the “Lewis & Clark Interpretative Center” for a firsthand experience of their extraordinary adventure.

After we spent time at the fort, we curled along Route 101 through Gearheart, Seaside and on to Cannon Beach. Dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean mesmerized us.

At Cannon Beach, we stopped in that captivating town of art shops, kite shops, deli’s, chocolate shops and restaurants.  We frolicked on the beach.  We enjoyed a lazy day filled with fun people on their own adventures. 

Near sundown, we pedaled out of town until we saw Haystack Rock rise dramatically out of the ocean to a height of 254 feet within 100 yards of the beach.  Birds flew all around it as the sun set.  Tufted puffins flew everywhere.  Seagulls, ducks, pelicans and other birds skimmed the waves, flew in groups, fluttered wildly and caused the air to become a wild display of airborne magic.

We discovered a hidden nook in the forest on the edge of town to bed down for the night.

In the morning, we awoke to squawking seagulls and crashing beach waves. 

The road led us through Arch Cape, Manzanita and Wheeler on Route 101.  In the last town, we rode up on 15—1929 Ford cars in all sorts of colors.

(Sandi in front of the 1920s Ford cars.)

“This looks like a collection right out of the 1920s,” said Sandi.  “I feel like Henry Ford might walk out of the restaurant to greet us.”

“Let’s go talk to all the folks who drive these cars,” I said.  “Plus, I’m hungry for a big fat bowl of oatmeal.”

Inside, we introduced ourselves to the folks driving the old Fords. They dressed the part in their costumes.  We enjoyed a great deal of banter about bicycles and horseless carriages.

“Just remember this,” one fellow said.  “Henry Ford said, ‘If you think you can or you think you can’t; you’re right.”

Sandi said, “I’ve always figured I can and I have!”

“Life is good,” the older man said.

We continued our trek south until we reached Garibaldi where we ate dinner.  Later, we found a quiet campsite deep within a blackberry patch.  Nothing like stuffing our faces full of delicious, ripe blackberries surrounding us.

In the morning, we returned to another restaurant in town.  A museum showed us pictures of what the town looked like at the turn of the century.  A huge hotel and docking area located near the water once helped manage logs waiting to be processed. The only thing left from that era: a huge 200-foot high chimney stood over the town.

In the Garibaldi Maritime Museum, we discovered Captain Gray, the first American to sail around the world.  He sailed his ship, the Columbia Ridiviva, a short distance up the river, which ultimately became its name.   

After a superb visit to the museum, we pedaled our way 12 miles to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  We savored some of the most delicious ice cream on the planet.   The factory showed the early beginnings of cheese making in the area. Today, it’s world famous.

After our fill of cheese covered French-fries and ice cream, we headed out on Route 131 to Cape Meares Lighthouse.  Later, we camped in a clear-cut part of the forest near the lighthouse as night fell quickly.

(Sandi stretching her wings by the Tillamook Cheese Factory.)

We awoke to mist, trees and sublime silence. The road led to the coast and breakfast at a seaside restaurant.  We gobbled tasty pancakes, maple syrup and scrambled eggs.

John Muir said, “The air is distinctly fragrant with balsam and resin and mint,  every breath of it a gift we may well thank  the Creator. Who could ever guess that so rough a wilderness should yet be so fine, so full of good things. One seems to be in a majestic domed pavilion in which a grand play is being acted with scenery and music and incense. All the furniture and action is so interesting we are in no danger of being called on to endure one dull moment. God himself seems to be always doing his best here, working like a man in a glow of enthusiasm.”

After stuffing ourselves, we pedaled along an estuary where hundreds of Chinese, Vietnamese and Americans dug for shellfish, oysters and crabs in the low tide pools.

(Sandi and Frosty taking a break along Route 101 of the Pacific Coast Highway.)

Soon, we climbed for three miles to Cape Lookout for fabulous views of the Pacific Ocean.  We rode through dense old growth forests with light spraying through the leaves for dramatic light columns playing on the forest floor.

Soon, we reached Cape (which means ‘jut of land’) with a large bar and restaurant. One hundred cars parked on the beach, but few people ventured into the surf because of the freezing cold North Pacific water.  Most enjoyed the beach with sweatshirts, hoodies and nylon jacks.

Later in the day, we reached Neskowin (place of many fish) to bed down in the local motel.  We ate a fabulous dinner at the “Creek Café” along a small river flowing out of the mountains to the ocean. Dessert?  Yes! Cheesecake with strawberry sauce dripping down the sides!  As the old man said, “Life is good!”

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Frosty Wooldridge
Golden, CO

Population-Immigration-Environmental specialist: speaker at colleges, civic clubs, high schools and conferences

Www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com

Www.frostywooldridge.com

Six continent world bicycle traveler

Speaker/writer/adventurer

Adventure book: How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World

Latest book:  How to Deal with 21st Century American Women: Co-creating a successful relationship

Frosty Wooldridge, six continent world bicycle traveler, Canada to Mexico summer 2014, 2,200 miles, 100,000 vertical feet of climbing: