Derek and I still have a lot of exploring to do around Rockaway Beach and for this ride we did a reverse route of one we rode previously, and added on a new section. I think I liked this direction better.
Our ride was just about 12 miles with 1,619′ of climbing so not overly long our hard, just a nice coastal ride before the forecasted rain came. It was a chilly start and but I dressed warmly and was actually to hot until the downhill at the end. I’d rather be hot than cold though. After a short road section through the east side of town to get to the gravel, our climb was on. The gravel on this road is all gated to cars except logging trucks. This is one of the things I’ve never really like about road riding…all the cars. I think that’s why gravel cycling has exploded in popularity.
Anyway, we climbed up the gravel road and got nice and warmed up. The forest always smells so good after rain and it felt pretty jungly. Even though it had rained the day before and there were puddles here and there, it’s a gravel road so it drains pretty good and doesn’t turn to mud like most mountain bike trails would. We took a couple turns and kept climbing up through the recently logged section. Up here there are good views of the city and coastline spread out below. It gives a great sense of accomplishment to be able to look down and see where you started!
After we topped out at the ridgeline, we didn’t have far to traverse before we started the descent. Of course, the descent is always over so fast and this was no exception. Back down at the bottom, we rode a very short section of Highway 101 before turn onto back gravel roads and making our way back through town. This loop is a keeper! There are still more options up there but this one is good for a nice under two hour ride.
