Day Two

September 12, 2010
In the morning we drove down 101 in search of coffee. Dunes, Oregon is beautiful with pines holding up bright manilla sand dunes. Coffee was found near a Safeway somewhere near Bandon. I was excited to go to Coos Bay because part of the book I'm reading, "Go Ask Alice", was set there. We didn't see a lot of Coos Bay, it was quiet, near the water, and probably rainy most of the time. In Bandon, I get the feeling that there are a lot of runaways around here. Some teens were crowded around a pay phone and looked adventurously distressed (been there, done that). There were also a few missing signs with teenager's faces on them.
Orphir Beach, Oregon: Finally, my feet are ankle deep in warm sand as I watch waves roll in and out. I feel at home near the Pacific Ocean and will probably always cherish any moment spent at a beach. The sand is good to our feet and supports them in some spots but mostly crumbles under our weight. The ocean is cold, I think I'll stay on the sand. It's sunny.
At Meyer's Creek Beach we meet a guy from Florida who was riding his bike from Port Angeles, Washington to San Francisco. He was by himself and asked us to take his picture. I was thoroughly impressed with the idea of riding a bike along the coast for days on end and wished I could have talked to him more. He seemed disinterested in chit chat and I suspect being on the road like that might make you feel blissfully isolated. As we drove, we ran into another coastal bicyclist, a girl who reminded me of Stargirl from the Jerry Spinelli book of the same name. She had little felt pieces on her baby blue helmet and jacket that looked like a cute blue bird costume.
Finally we come to a dirt road in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California. After six miles through dense redwoods, we are at our next resting spot, Gold Bluffs Beach Campground. This campground is on the beach, they have hot water and showers, it's a steep $35/night, still worth it. A herd of elk host the campground and make noises like a train screeching in the distance. These beautiful creatures walked through the cite several times and came frighteningly close to our tent. For the second time this summer, I'm lulled to sleep by the crashing of waves on the Pacific Ocean.