{"id":28610,"date":"2014-01-01T14:47:55","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T19:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/?p=28610"},"modified":"2020-04-07T12:11:47","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T16:11:47","slug":"oregon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/2014\/01\/oregon\/","title":{"rendered":"A Coastal State of Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"
Twisty roads, natural beauty, crashing ocean waves and awe-inspiring views kept Liz Jansen rapt on the Oregon coast<\/p>\n
Poised between forest and sea, the road in front of me cut through a dense canopy of Sitka spruce, while to my right, the Pacific thundered and roiled, carrying off whatever stood in its way. Alternately fierce and serene, the ocean is never predictable.<\/p>\n
Riding all the way to the Pacific wasn\u2019t part of my original plan. When I decided to try a six-week experiment of working from the road, Lake Tahoe was as far west as I thought I\u2019d get. However, when friends come calling, plans change. That\u2019s how I ended up spending five days riding 500 kilometres along Oregon\u2019s Highway 101.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d entered Oregon through the side door. After heading west from Montana and south through desert-like Washington, Highway 14 carried me 300 kilometres along the Columbia River\u2019s north shore, a much preferable alternative to Interstate 84 on the Oregon side. I crossed into Portland, getting through the metropolis as quickly as possible. Temperatures had remained in the mid-30s for much of my trip, and I was eager to feel the cool ocean breezes and to wipe salt spray from my visor.<\/p>\n
As I turned west onto Highway 6 from 26, I\u2019m sure the drivers around me heard the audible sigh of relief through their rolled-up windows and air-conditioning fans. I was back in paradise, riding the curves through Tillamook State Forest up and over the Cascade Mountains. I\u2019d been invited to camp near Tillamook with friends who were participating in a dual-sport ride. The visit was great \u2013 and the Pacific Ocean was only one sleep and 20 kilometres away.<\/p>\n