Georgeous Oregon Coast....

Many bloggers write about and photograph the Oregon coast and it's always a treat to read about their experiences.  This coast is not new to us.  We've traveled it several times, camped along it, witnessed the harsh winter storms in Canon Beach and enjoyed the numerous small fishing towns and ports along this famous coastline.  

THIS COAST NEVER DISAPPOINTS........

We had a mix of sun, clouds and a wee bit of mist along our route yesterday.  The 101 Highway is in very good condition, with the odd rough spots.  With endless coastal views, one almost starts to take this beauty for granted.

Our day began @ 9:00 am and ended @ 5:00 pm in the little famous town of Tillamook.  Their cheese is world famous.  It is really good.

 Oregon's coastline is dotted with huge rock formations that protrude out of the sea.

To motorcycle along this coast, on dry days, is a gift.  The coastal highway can so often fog in.  Although fog is nice, it's not so nice when one is there to view the scenery.  We hit it right!  No rain and no fog!

We took several short breaks to look out on the Pacific.  Of particular interest to me was to search out the wonderful port town of Bandon.  Not that I wasn't curious about its port history, I was more curious about the famous golf courses that is the rave in golfing circles.  Called Bandon Dunes, I kept mentioning to Jeanette just how important it was for us to ride in and check out the golf courses (three to be exact) and the facilities. She may have rolled her eyes a few times.  She was a good sport though.....!

Stunningly beautiful.....over and over and over.....

The town of Bandon is a delight to visit.  The local politicians and citizens are to be commended for keeping Old Town in pristine condition. 

We lagged about on the dock around Old Town for well over 30 minutes.  It just felt nice to be here.

Several small fish boats were coming back in to shore following a morning out.

We left the port of Bandon and headed north.  Within a few miles, I saw the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort sign.  Making a quick left turn, we rode around part of the resort area.  OMG!!! What a golf resort this is. 

The golf magnet was pulling hard to have me golf but I swallowed hard and kept riding.

Just north of Bandon is the larger port of Coos Bay.  We did not spend any time off the bike here.  It would be, however, a nice place to tour.  A la prochaine!

This is but one of the few bridges we did cross on the 101

As lunchtime approached, we rode past what looked like a really nice bakery/deli.  We turned around and rolled in.  This was a really good decision.  It was fantastic!  The fresh baked breads, combined with fresh produce and deli meats made for tasty sandwiches enjoyed outdoors.  These little gems can be found in any town and village.

We skirted along the famous Oregon Sand Dunes. 

Along our ride north we saw many trucks and sport utility vehicles heading south with sand buggies in tow.  Riding on the sand dunes is a popular activity in these parts.

Just below the rock in this photo is the famous sea lion caves.  In the distance is but a small part of the Oregon sand dunes.

We did stop at the Sea Lion Caves.   Here, tourists can pay to walk down a pathway and then board an elevator that heads into the caves where hundreds of sea lions laze about on the rocks. We hung out there for a bit but chose to ride on.

Jeanette caught the attention of a local woman who spotted us taking this photo.

We needed a little break in the wee little town of Cloverdale, Oregon.  This lady (who claims to have lived in this little town for 30 + years) came up and explained the history about these characters.  Legend has it that new owners of a small grocery store wanted the figurines off the roof.  They were going to trash them.  The town petitioned and the owners agreed to mount the figurines around their store sign.

This is the real tourist information building that also serves as the office of the local Chamber of Commerce.

A bit of trivia is warranted here: This little town is called Cloverdale, Oregon.  We also rode through a larger Cloverdale in California.  One popular little city, in the greater Vancouver, BC, Canada, area is also called Cloverdale.  There are likely many other Cloverdales all over the English speaking world.

With a bolt through his chest, this fella would not engage in conversation......Hmmmm!

Likely a popular stop for local fishers....

We thought about Lincoln City as our overnight spot but, once again, we both felt we could log a few more miles so northward we rode.  We settled into the quaint little town of Tillamook.  

Today - Mothers Day - we continue our journey north.  We'll ride past one of our most favourite and often visited west coast spots. Canon Beach is where we spent many winter holidays there listening and watching the pounding surf.  We would often take a three/four day post Christmas family holiday there.

It is our plan to continue along the 101 Oregon coast, over the Astoria bridge (over the Columbia River) and into Washington State.

We will overnight about an hour or so south of the Canadian border, this late afternoon.  We have to overnight below the border before exporting the motorcycle out of the US of A.   Exports are not allowed on weekends and holidays. That can only be done Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 3:00 pm.  Our paper work was filed before we left home and the US Custom office is aware of our intent to export the Harley Davidson. We received word that our documents were in order.

Till the next writing, thanks for dropping by.  To all the mothers out there in blogland, wishing you a most wonderful day.