I made reservations for a 9 day bike tour in September. The tour is close to home, my first time since 2011 to pedal the Pacific coast. 

The route starts and finishes in Philomath, on the western edge of the Willamette valley. The route threads through the Coast Range, slowly travels a mere 70 miles down Oregon's central coast, then threads through the Coast Range again.

Scenic highlights include 2 lonely forested routes in the Coast Range, countless Pacific Ocean views, 2 lighthouses, 3 historic concrete arch bridges, 4 covered bridges, 5 little-known Coast Range rivers, and a hike to Cape Perpetua where 140 miles of coastline is visible. 

Lodging is truly special, a 33 foot yacht in Toledo and 6 nights in ocean view suites. 2 nights each in Depoe Bay, Newport, and Yachats. The final night is in a remote creekside cabin in the Coast Range near Alsea.

I pedaled the Oregon coast previously in 1989, 2005, 2008, and 2011. The experience was very different then because I mostly camped at State Park hiker/biker sites which made the tours cheap and flexible. Now I'm returning to the coast for the first time since I quit camping, and I decided to pay a premium for lodging with Pacific Ocean views. I want to experience some coastal lodges before they are destroyed by the next Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and tsunami.