behind me.
When I started seeing very tall trees I did not yet ealize I was entering the area of the Pacific redwoods. They were impessive because of their size, growing straight up to almost 100 ft.
At Lincoln City, I finally reached the Pacific Ocean. It was a moment to remember, I had come all the way to the end of the ride across America. No further to go! From now on, I would go South along the coast.
I got on to the coastal road 101 which I would be following through Oregon all the way to California. It is a great road, winding along the coast, going up and down over the rugged coastal landscape and presenting continuous spectacular views of the Pacific.
Many pople travel this road by bicycle, motorbike, ar and even on foot, from the Canadian border to San Diego. I spoke with several travelers who were doing just that on bicycles and it was quite a challenge!
At Newport in Yaquina Bay, there is a plaque commemorating the first landfall of Captain Cook. There is also a historic lighthouse at this place.
In 1778, when the United States was declaring its independence, no visitors had recorded contact with what is now the central Oregon coast. Captain James Cook passed by the southern coast, naming Cape Perpetua, and then landed at Yaquina Bay.
He continued north, naming Cape Foulweather, reflecting the rough weather he encountered. Through the mid-1800s trappers ventured south from the Hudson Bay Company, headquartered at Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River.
The history of the central coast was changed forever in 1855 when the United States established a 1.3 million-acre Reservation. More than 4,000 people from 20 different tribes were resettled on this Reservation. Though the government deemed the area unfit for farming and inaccessible, there were other resources.
In 1861, two events again changed the course of history. A sea captain was shown beds of rare, delicate oysters in Yaquina Bay. Companies from San Francisco came to harvest the oysters, creating conflicts with payment to Reservation Indians and depleting the supply within a few years.
I continued down the coast until I reachd the town of Bandon. The ride was slow, because of the winding road and the fequent stops I made to take pictures.
At Bandon, I decided to try the famous crab cakes made of Dungeness crabs at the Sportmen's Cannery in the little harbor. They were delicious!
It was very cold, low 60s and it was getting late. So I decided to stay in Bandon and found a small hotel overlooking the harbor. But first I walked along the old fishing boats, smelling the salt air and the typical tar smell of old boats.
When I turned my computer on, it did not boot. I tried everything I could but nothing worked. A lady gave me directions of a computer repair shop, which I will try tomorrow.
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