DownTheTrail.com

hiking guides, gear, and journals

  • LATEST
  • GUIDES
    • COLORADO TRAIL
    • THE LONG TRAIL
      • LONG TRAIL SHELTERS
    • ARIZONA
    • UTAH
    • CALIFORNIA
    • HAWAII
    • ALASKA
  • GEAR
    • MY GEAR LIST
  • JOURNALS
    • GRAND CANYON
    • COLORADO TRAIL
    • LONG TRAIL
    • BICYCLING ACROSS AMERICA
    • APPALACHIAN TRAIL
    • DENALI
  • MORE
  • ABOUT

West Coast Day 19 – Port Orford, OR to Brookings, OR

updated: November 17, 2018

62 miles
October 27, 2006

I’m packed and riding just after dawn on this cool, cloudy morning. Here toward the southern end of the Oregon Coast, I assumed I’d already seen the best that it had to offer, but today’s stretch will prove me wrong.

The opening 17 miles hug the shoreline with dramatic rocky viewpoints, and early-morning mist creates a great effect for the first hour or so. The road bends for two miles around the 1,756 foot Humburg Mountain, which is a essentially a huge block of rock that sits on the edge of the sea.

I turn inland along Cedar Creek, winding through yet another tranquil valley. The road is all mine along an empty golf course, small farms, and quiet wooded properties. There’s a short hill, then a fun, curving descent to The Rogue River, and Gold Beach. I hunt down the library, but no dice on uploading pictures.

Out of Gold Beach I pass a young guy with a backpack on the side of the road, holding a piece of cardboard that says “Crescent City” in black marker. Behind sunglasses I throw him a bearded smile, and flash a gloved peace sign as I pedal by.

There’s a steep climb, and at the top somebody’s painted “Nice Warm Up” on the shoulder. I’ve been seeing a few clever little messages like this for cyclists all along the Oregon Coast. Another one I remember is “Let the fun begin!” at the beginning of a descent south of Astoria. This message I see today is my favorite so far, and yields a chuckle.

On the way down the hill, all of a sudden I turn a bend to see the ocean and more beautiful rocky scenery in plain view again. The coast stays like this for 25 miles all the way to Brookings. I spend so much time today stopping along the road for pictures.

In Brookings I check into a motel, calling it an early day at something like four or five o’clock. There’s a library practically next door, but this one won’t let me upload pictures either. The room has a refrigerator and microwave, so I go to the Fred Meyer store in town (Like a Target) and pick up all sorts of good treats for mass consumption in bed in front of the TV. Life is good.


Humburg Mountain

The Rogue RIver


View Larger Map

<— West Coast Day 18 (PREVIOUS)

West Coast Day 20 (NEXT) —>

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

About Jamie Compos

I'm the guy behind DownTheTrail.com. I love the outdoors, and the Grand Canyon is my favorite destination. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter (at the bottom of the page), or else I'll slip a rock into your backpack when you're not looking.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Best Gear for 2023

Backpack

Day Pack

1-Person Tent

2-Person Tent

Sleeping Bag
(3 season)

Sleeping Bag
(summer)

Sleeping Pad
(inflatable)

Sleeping Pad
(foam)

Camp Pillow

Thru-Hiking Shoes

Sturdy Shoes
(Rugged/Off Trail)

Trail Running
(minimalist shoes)

Road Running
(minimalist shoes)

Socks

Water Filter

Water Treatment

Backpacking Stove

Headlamp

Power Bank

911 calls via GPS

Thru-Hiking App

Packraft

SEE MORE DETAILS
(my ultimate gear list)

 

(purchases through affiliate links earn commission)

 

chart your course

Copyright © 2023 Down The Trail - All Rights Reserved - legal statements - contact

This site feeds you cookies and is peppered with affiliate links. Recreating outdoors can be dangerous. Links to e-commerce sites earn commission. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT