Bandon, OR
Above: The Bandon Harbor Harbor at about 9pm on Sunday.
Above: A pier in the Bandon Harbor.
Monday, 6/5 9am
Location: Bandon, OR
Coordinates:
43.1195 N
124.4114 W
Yesterday’s mileage: about 60
Today’s destination: Reedsport, OR
As has happened several times now, it rained/drizzled until about 1pm yesterday. I finally got out of Gold Beach at about 1:45pm. I made it to Bandon at about 6pm, which was super fast by my standards. I had a tailwind, which makes all the difference in the world. Along the way, I ran into a kid going south who said that there were a few bikers in front of me also going to Bandon. Since I haven’t really hung out with anyone since Tori went back to SF, I decided to push ahead and see if I could catch up with the others.
When I arrived in Bandon, I called the local hostel to see if they had space. As I was pulling out my phone and my map, a girl walked by and asked if I was looking for the hostel. It turned out that she was one of the cyclists in front of me, and she was also staying at the hostel. I also ran into two guys on bikes, but they stayed at a campsite, so I didn’t really have a chance to chat with them much.
Bandon turned out to be a pretty cool little town. It has a picturesque harbor adjacent to the main downtown area. Most of the buildings are small, wooden, and two stories. Very quaint.
It’s been nice to stay in a hostel… I got to sleep in a bed (albeit, a bunk bed), and it was fun chatting with the other cyclist here (Belinda). We sat in the commons room swapping biking stories, which must have sounded super boring to anyone listening. However, when you’re on the road ALL day long, things like which towns to stop in, how many flats you’ve gotten, and how terrible the Dairy Queen in Brookings is, are all terribly interesting (and useful). Plus, Belinda is pretty much a career traveler, so she has a lot of fascinating stories to relate. I’m pretty sure that this just scratches the surface, but she has (not in any order):
-worked in Japan for 3 years, teaching English
-worked on diving boats in Australia, and in hostels, for 13 months
-lived in England (not sure what she was doing there)
-rode her bicycle around Cuba
-worked on cruise ships in the Pacific islands, doing various jobs
-traveled throughout Asia, on numerous occasions
-worked as a ski guide in Whistler, Canada (where she lives)
-biked from San Francisco to Whistler (in progress!)
Everyone keeps saying that the rain is behind us now. I sure hope they’re right!
Tags: Travel
daviddmcmillan