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

The route starts and finishes in Philomath, on the western edge of the Willamette valley. Only 105 miles from my home. For the first time in 3 years, the bike tour is longer than the drive to and from the tour.

The schedule allows plenty of time and energy to explore things along the way. Scenic highlights include 2 lonely forested routes in the Coast Range, countless Pacific Ocean views, 2 lighthouses, 3 historic concrete arch bridges, 3 wood covered bridges, 5 little-known Coast Range rivers, beach walks, 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.

In the Coast Range I have to pedal long distances between services. On the coast I have the luxury of frequent services. I will spend 6 nights on the coast to explore only 70 miles of coastline. 

The Oregon coast is too crowded for me during the summer. Hopefully this early September tour will have summer weather without the summer traffic. 

Early September is usually peak season for wildfire smoke. But the Oregon Coast range is a good place to be. Wildfires are rare in the Coast Range because it's cooler, more humid, and has less lightning than the Cascade Range. The wind almost always blows from the northwest, so the Coast Range is upwind from wildfires in the Cascade Range.

I pedaled the coastal part twice before but have never hiked to Cape Perpetua. The inland routes are all new to me.

It should be fun, almost easy, and very scenic. Stay tuned...