Day Two Hundred Forty-seven, Date Monday, November 2, 2009
Time in Saddle: 5:28
Distance for the Day: 47.84 miles From Port Orford To Brookings, OR
Accumulated Trip Distance: 12,192 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 408’/148’, Highest: 708’ Accumulated: 2940’
Speeds: Avg: 8.7 mph, Max: mph
Weather: 39° mostly clear and cool, warming to the mid 50s during the day
Expenditures: $25
To see the full Moon set on the ocean, I woke up at 5am and got up at 5:39am. The sky was clear, so I broke down and packed away my gear, and was ready to roll by 6:25am. It was still dark enough to see the beautiful stars and the Spring constellation, Leo, while the Winter constellation Orion was heading into the west, soon to be hidden in the Sun’s glare. It was cold but dry, as I made my way less than a hundred yards up the road to a spot where I could pull off to see the Pacific Ocean’s western horizon. I watched the Moon set on the Pacific, but before it reached the actual ocean edge, it disappeared a thin layer of
mist above the ocean’s surface at 6:57am – the same mist that prevented last night’s green flash. I saw some workers in a couple of trucks drive up the road above the gravel pile site where I was sleeping, so I missed getting caught or disturbed this time around. I knew I wouldn’t be hitting any towns or services for a while this morning, so I had a quickie breakfast of meat stick, breakfast bar and Pay Day bar, before continuing south along Oregon coast heading for California;
I stopped in at a café in Gold Beach from 10:20am to 11:45am to get a mini mart breakfast of hot cocoa, blackberry tart, and bagel with cream cheese ($5), whilst charging my iPod, notebook, camera, and cell phone batteries. They had wi-fi, so I went online to handle email, and also bought a couple of Judy Collins’ first albums from Apple’s iPod Store (Maid of Constant Sorrow, and Golden Apples of the Sun - $9 for both), and loaded them onto my iPod. Riding down the Oregon coast today was nice – great
weather, and gorgeous views of the coastline; I stopped fairly often to take lots of pictures.
I hit Brookings at 4:20pm and stopped at a mini mart to get a quickie hot dog dinner and food supplies ($7). This was the last town before getting to the California border, and my last chance for finding a Joby tripod, which I didn’t. But, I did find a small tripod with slightly bendable metal legs ($4) at a Fred Meyer store (kind of like Wal Mart – sells everything from groceries and clothing to food and electronics – I’ve been seeing them through several of the mid-to-northwestern states). It wasn’t a Joby, but would have to do, as I definitely needed to do a self-portrait at the “welcome to California” sign. The Sun set at 5:09pm, and I set out to go look for some stealth camping.
Time in Saddle: 5:28
Distance for the Day: 47.84 miles From Port Orford To Brookings, OR
Accumulated Trip Distance: 12,192 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 408’/148’, Highest: 708’ Accumulated: 2940’
Speeds: Avg: 8.7 mph, Max: mph
Weather: 39° mostly clear and cool, warming to the mid 50s during the day
Expenditures: $25
To see the full Moon set on the ocean, I woke up at 5am and got up at 5:39am. The sky was clear, so I broke down and packed away my gear, and was ready to roll by 6:25am. It was still dark enough to see the beautiful stars and the Spring constellation, Leo, while the Winter constellation Orion was heading into the west, soon to be hidden in the Sun’s glare. It was cold but dry, as I made my way less than a hundred yards up the road to a spot where I could pull off to see the Pacific Ocean’s western horizon. I watched the Moon set on the Pacific, but before it reached the actual ocean edge, it disappeared a thin layer of
mist above the ocean’s surface at 6:57am – the same mist that prevented last night’s green flash. I saw some workers in a couple of trucks drive up the road above the gravel pile site where I was sleeping, so I missed getting caught or disturbed this time around. I knew I wouldn’t be hitting any towns or services for a while this morning, so I had a quickie breakfast of meat stick, breakfast bar and Pay Day bar, before continuing south along Oregon coast heading for California;I stopped in at a café in Gold Beach from 10:20am to 11:45am to get a mini mart breakfast of hot cocoa, blackberry tart, and bagel with cream cheese ($5), whilst charging my iPod, notebook, camera, and cell phone batteries. They had wi-fi, so I went online to handle email, and also bought a couple of Judy Collins’ first albums from Apple’s iPod Store (Maid of Constant Sorrow, and Golden Apples of the Sun - $9 for both), and loaded them onto my iPod. Riding down the Oregon coast today was nice – great
weather, and gorgeous views of the coastline; I stopped fairly often to take lots of pictures.I hit Brookings at 4:20pm and stopped at a mini mart to get a quickie hot dog dinner and food supplies ($7). This was the last town before getting to the California border, and my last chance for finding a Joby tripod, which I didn’t. But, I did find a small tripod with slightly bendable metal legs ($4) at a Fred Meyer store (kind of like Wal Mart – sells everything from groceries and clothing to food and electronics – I’ve been seeing them through several of the mid-to-northwestern states). It wasn’t a Joby, but would have to do, as I definitely needed to do a self-portrait at the “welcome to California” sign. The Sun set at 5:09pm, and I set out to go look for some stealth camping.
Just at the outskirts of town, I found a short, somewhat steep road that went up to a dirt road about a hundred yards behind some houses. I was able to pass under a chain across
the way, and found a spot behind a length of bushes that hid me from the backs of the row of houses (N42 3.195’ W124 15.968’). It was around 5:40pm, well after sunset, and getting darker, but I hung out for a bit to check the site’s suitability. I could hear kids running around and playing over by the houses, and there were dogs, too. I’d have to be extra quiet to keep from disturbing the dogs. I started setting up my tent around 6pm, and by 6:36pm I got inside, and was ready to eat, drink soda, and read, which I did until about 9pm. It got windy during the night, and that woke up several times, but other than that, I got plenty of rest to recharge the batteries.
the way, and found a spot behind a length of bushes that hid me from the backs of the row of houses (N42 3.195’ W124 15.968’). It was around 5:40pm, well after sunset, and getting darker, but I hung out for a bit to check the site’s suitability. I could hear kids running around and playing over by the houses, and there were dogs, too. I’d have to be extra quiet to keep from disturbing the dogs. I started setting up my tent around 6pm, and by 6:36pm I got inside, and was ready to eat, drink soda, and read, which I did until about 9pm. It got windy during the night, and that woke up several times, but other than that, I got plenty of rest to recharge the batteries.
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