Day 3- Zero Days are the Best (Christi)

 September 11th, 2020

    This day we slept in a little bit (0730), knowing that we would be driving around Lincoln City. Let the sand dollar hunt begin! Brandon and I walked nearly 2 miles before I found one. Picking up trash off the beach rewarded me with the only sand dollar we found. For a secluded/nearly-private beach, there was plenty of garbage to find. Didn’t run into anyone else, but we did find a rotten deer rib cage and a small hut made of drift wood (pictured above). 

    While walking on the beach I discovered the news that Highway 101 South had been opened up through Lincoln City. This wouldn’t be changing our plans to skip riding that day, but it did save us an extra hour or two of driving. We only saw a few areas with proof of the fire that had moved towards town; luckily the fire was held outside Neotsu and did not proceed into Lincoln City proper. The air quality here was extremely unhealthy, which was also a reason not to ride today. 

    Newport exploring began with grabbing lunch at Local Ocean in the pier district. Great food, but I did not pack clothes to look presentable in a fancy restaurant. Hannah ordered ceviche and chips (mouth-watering good), I ordered a spicy shrimp noodle salad, and Brandon ordered fish and chips. 

Brandon’s grumpy expression after looking at the food prices (photo credit: Hannah)

My Spicy Shrimp Noodle Salad

    Shopped for a few “essentials” at Fred Meyer’s, and then headed to a dive bar on the pier. Hannah was insistent that we see the seals. Her dog Carson had a great time barking back at them 😂.

These guys bully any newcomers off their platforms

Photo Credit: Hannah

    Headed to South Beach State Park to set up camp. We got there early enough we had time to walk out onto the beach and explore the south jetty before it got dark outside. No campfires leads to an early bedtime. Next day will be a 50 mile ride!

Hannah and I on the South Jetty...Couldn’t see much!