Day 5 Humbug Mountain to Harris Beach 52 miles (total miles 215)

Today was our longest and toughest day yet so we got a relatively early start, breaking camp at 8:30 am and had a nice morning ride of 23 miles into the little town of Gold Beach.   We had sun and rolling hills and unlike yesterday we were following the shoreline so we had lots of nice views.  Here we are taking a mid-morning breakfast of fruit and granola bars as all we had for breakfast was coffee and hot chocolate and some morning views of the coastline. 

We had lunch in Gold Beach which is the only town we passed through in our 52 miles of riding today. Most of the terrain was wilderness parks with scattered small farms wherever the terrain flattened enough.   Crossing the Rogue River into Gold Beach was a bit stressful as we had a narrow sidewalk to navigate over a long bridge, but we made it in time for lunch.  Hey! They have wifi!

First thing after lunch we encountered a steep mountain climb over Cape Sebastian.  The road wound straight up for over 3 miles and when you are grinding along at 3-4 mph that amounts to about an hour of chugging up hill with a 50 lb. trailer and 80 lb. girl on the back.  Hop on a stairmaster for an hour after riding 30 miles and you'll get the same effect.   The plunge back down to sea level after cresting the 1000 ft summit was a screamer.  My hands got numb from the constant braking and the disc rotors on the tandem got red hot to the point that the metal is now discolored.  With all that weight in back the bike really wants to go on downhills. 

The last 20 miles or so into Harris Beach State Park were just one up and down after another.  No sooner would we make it down one hill then the next would start.  No really high passes but just constant hills.  And the afternoon fog had rolled in so we couldn't see much.  We could hear the ocean crashing on the rocks below for most of the ride and we passed a dozen scenic viewpoints but all was shrouded in fog.   Yes there is an ocean down there!

Finally in camp, and this is a very nice campground by the way, after a dinner of instant potato soup, cheese, crackers, and baby carrots it is time to crash and read.  On this trip we seem to be climbing into our tents at 9 pm and waking up with the birds at dawn around 5:30 am.  Except for Catalina who usually crawls out around 8 when breakfast is ready.