The KOA has a pancake breakfast every morning - 1 huge pancake, sausage, and coffee for $2.25. It's nice to have someone else cook breakfast once in a while.
I'm glad I stopped at the KOA last night. It turns out that Cape Blanco where I was considering staying wouldn't have shortened today any for me. It's 5 miles south of where I stayed, but there is an additional 5 miles out to the tip of the cape.
It was an unbelievable day - bright sunshine all day long. In fact, there were stars out last night when I got up for my at least once a night trip to the bathroom!
It was quite hilly today, as expected. But not as expected - the big hill was after Gold Beach, not before. I met 2 riders from Switzerland before the hills and leapfrogged with them several times. Another rider from Europe caught up with me on a later hill. I had seen him several days earlier at a rest stop - riding with no helmet and very little gear. He scared the shit out of me - snuck up on me, but didn't pass, and was riding close enough to cause both of us to crash if I had to stop unexpectedly. I don't mind drafting if the other rider is a good rider, but I had my doubts about him. I finally pulled out into the driving lane and he pulled up next to me. He was making me nervous because he was swerving and trying to talk. I think he was tired of riding alone. But at that point in the day (60 miles in) I needed my concentration on the road. I stopped to rest at the top of the hill, and he continued on with the couple from Switzerland. I was actually relieved that he didn't stop at the same campground - the first rider I've met who I didn't want to spend the evening with! I would have enjoyed talking with the Swiss couple some more though. They started riding in New York, and are heading for San Francisco.
It was another very windy day. The wind hit at Gold Beach, and I was very happy to be heading south. I had a hard time just standing up when I wasn't riding - I think I could have been pedaling hard and standing still if I'd been headed north. The tailwind gave me a welcome push.
I stopped to watch some windsurfers for a while.
Ended the day at the state park in Brookings. Another tree-covered site, and again in walking distance to the beach. This time the beach was more rocky, with lots of folks climbing on the rocks.
