The idea for a bike tour was sort of last minute, although Geoff has been wanting to go on one since we got our road bikes last fall. About 10 days before our planned Taeya kidnapping we decided to tag on a bike trip down the Oregon coast. Beauty, relatively beginner stretches, Tennie about to return to Provo and Geoff potentially starting a new job that would keep us local for awhile all contributed to the decision. Why not? Tennie got to work planning the easiest route and places to stay. Adele was in charge of places we could eat in each town. Ceci was in charge of sites to see along the way. Adele and Ceci bought road bikes at a pawn shop and we got them tuned up. Geoff and I began to research gear. That was our biggest challenge, because many stores aren't open and shipping items wouldn't get to us in time. It was a bit of whirlwind getting set up, but we were off.
Our girls haven't been to Oregon since they were small kids, so this was all new for them. We stopped in Portland to explore that beautiful city for a few hours, but the entire place was empty and boarded up due to riots the previous couple days. It was an eerie end-of-world kind of feeling. We got to visit with TK, who was working there for a couple weeks, and talk all about his mission to Paris!
A lot of Oregon was still closed due to the virus, which we somehow didn't think about too much. We had brought enough freeze-dried meals to eat on our own, but we ended up finding enough restaurants that were providing take out that we didn't have to rely on those. Any activities that Ceci found, such as the Tillamook Cheese Factory, were closed. But the amazing thing was, in most towns we had the place to ourselves. So forests and beaches were ours to explore, and the scenery along that coast was so absolutely spell-binding that it was all we needed. Riding along the coast and seeing it at about 13 MPH was a new experience. Wild flowers and ferns I may not have noticed were part of the experience. Bird song and waves were our surround-sound music. Thick, lush forests lined our way (and were our bathrooms!) Rain and wind and the cool air gave each ride its own personality. We all loved it.
We actually had dry weather three out of the five days. The fifth day we got rained out, but once we got settled into our Airbnb Geoff went out and braved a ride on his own. We had our car with us the whole time, someone taking it for a leg and then switching off each day. Four of the five days we biked around 25 miles, and that fifth day we biked 50. There were some bigger hills than we anticipated. Adele and Ceci, who were brand new to road biking, tackled some of the biggest their very first day. Their perseverance and determination were amazing!
Geoff insisted that someone wear a fluorescent vest as the trail rider to make sure cars saw us. It became quite a joke, although there was great wisdom in it.
We started in Cannon Beach, which is an adorable and quiet little seaside town. Some friends from our church (the Crittendens) have a home there, and we were able to see them for a short while, which was fun. From there we went to Rockaway Beach. Then on to Pacific City, Lincoln City, Newport, and we ended up in Yachets, which might have been our favorite spot.
The beaches were soft and expansive. We found some hidden gems too!
We worked for every view we got! And they were always worth it.
Tennie bought a pair of scissors and cut Ceci's hair on the beach.
Our girls haven't been to Oregon since they were small kids, so this was all new for them. We stopped in Portland to explore that beautiful city for a few hours, but the entire place was empty and boarded up due to riots the previous couple days. It was an eerie end-of-world kind of feeling. We got to visit with TK, who was working there for a couple weeks, and talk all about his mission to Paris!
A lot of Oregon was still closed due to the virus, which we somehow didn't think about too much. We had brought enough freeze-dried meals to eat on our own, but we ended up finding enough restaurants that were providing take out that we didn't have to rely on those. Any activities that Ceci found, such as the Tillamook Cheese Factory, were closed. But the amazing thing was, in most towns we had the place to ourselves. So forests and beaches were ours to explore, and the scenery along that coast was so absolutely spell-binding that it was all we needed. Riding along the coast and seeing it at about 13 MPH was a new experience. Wild flowers and ferns I may not have noticed were part of the experience. Bird song and waves were our surround-sound music. Thick, lush forests lined our way (and were our bathrooms!) Rain and wind and the cool air gave each ride its own personality. We all loved it.
We actually had dry weather three out of the five days. The fifth day we got rained out, but once we got settled into our Airbnb Geoff went out and braved a ride on his own. We had our car with us the whole time, someone taking it for a leg and then switching off each day. Four of the five days we biked around 25 miles, and that fifth day we biked 50. There were some bigger hills than we anticipated. Adele and Ceci, who were brand new to road biking, tackled some of the biggest their very first day. Their perseverance and determination were amazing!
Geoff insisted that someone wear a fluorescent vest as the trail rider to make sure cars saw us. It became quite a joke, although there was great wisdom in it.
We started in Cannon Beach, which is an adorable and quiet little seaside town. Some friends from our church (the Crittendens) have a home there, and we were able to see them for a short while, which was fun. From there we went to Rockaway Beach. Then on to Pacific City, Lincoln City, Newport, and we ended up in Yachets, which might have been our favorite spot.
We worked for every view we got! And they were always worth it.
Tennie bought a pair of scissors and cut Ceci's hair on the beach.
Ceci performed some incredible feats along the way...
We stayed at an old little motel right on the beach just outside of Newport, Oregon that was so cozy and had gorgeous views. We extended our stay a day just to enjoy it. Tennie and Ceci slept out on the balcony, snuggled right up next to the window to stay out of the rain.
And lastly, in an effort to invite a peaceful family trip during a somewhat tumultuous time, we bought a little kiwi while at Fish Lake, and it became our mascot, named Emu. Whenever we ordered food Geoff gave the name, "Emu, the love kiwi." And he would tell the restaurant not to give the food unless the person picking it up said it. Emu sits on our dashboard still.
Overall it was an amazing family adventure; the first of many bike trips to come.
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