Friday, October 5, 2012 Newport to Florence, OR 50 miles

The days are getting somewhat warmer now, although today we rode next to the beach most of the way.  That makes for a cool wind, but delightful biking.  The scenery continues to be one fabulous postcard after another!  We saw cranes (I think), gulls, and seals today.  There were road signs warning drivers of Elk here and there, but I did not see any.  The roads were rolling, but not too steep, so with a short day, the group started arriving in Florence at 1:30 pm.

Dinner was a treat - pork loin, marinated, with mashed sweet potatoes and a huge salad.  The vegetarians had a tofu dish, and we all had salad.  We all certainly eat well on these trips!!

 Breakfast gathering

 

Thursday, October 4, 2012 Newport, OR Rest day

After sleeping in a bit, my roomie, Nancy H, rode one mile to the bike shop where we spent the next two hours!  Nancy had some work done on her gears/derailleur.  Elliot, the owner, was shocked at how low her seat was, which was giving her problems with her knees.  (After raising it, she said she went faster and had less problems with her knees!)  I also had Darin Viar check out my cables to see why I was having problems.  He determined that my cable was frayed, so he replaced it.  We had a great time talking with Daniella, too, who was very enthusiastic about the town and that NEXT time WomanTours rolls through, they would be happy to provide brunch for us all!

From there Nancy and I went to Bayside Avenue for lunch at Ocean Aire, an organic food restaurant right on the bay.

Later I cleaned my bike, gears and chain to be ready for our ride into Florence, OR.