Fatbiking- Manzanita, Oregon

It doesn't always rain here. In fact, the weather gods often smile upon us, even in the dead of winter. Penny the dog and I squeezed in 4 rides in three days around the Manzanita, Oregon area.

Ride GPS profiles here:
Day 1
Day 2- ride 1
Day 2- ride 2
Day 3

Day 1- Beach ride south to the Nehalem River to see how far upstream we could ride at low tide

Tree debris makes for a tough hike-a-bike

Around the Nehalem River wash at low tide 

We were trying to make it all the way around the Nehalem River wash, but hit this significant section of mud. Where my tracks end is where I started sinking deeper, like quicksand

Pretty much awesome

Day 2- After the beach ride yesterday, I headed inland a bit to find a route up near Neahkahnie Mountain, 1,700 feet above the beach. There were several promising roads on the map that turned into dead ends or private property. 

It was sunny, nearing 60F degrees and perfect for a lunch stop on this road

After running into some locals, they directed me back towards Highway 101 to find a route up Neahkahnie Mt. Photos never really capture steepness, but some sections of this gravel road were better for walking than riding

Finally at the top of Neahkahnie, the view was well worth the effort. You can see the Nehalem River flowing into the Pacific, where I had ridden yesterday

Full moon rising over the dunes

Despite Penny's spirited efforts, no buried treasures were found

Day 3- We headed back into the Nehalem River/Bay park to explore more of the Peninsula between the river and the ocean

Back to the south end of the beach at Nehalem river, we did a little more 'schwacking through the logs

Dead sea lion. It didn't stink yet, so I was able to get a close up. 

The beach was practically empty, with exception of these horseback riders

I'm still puzzled how this massive redwood stump got here. Did it wash ashore, or did the shoreline where it once grew deteriorate and just leave it behind?

Another shot of the stump to capture it's size

A campfire on the beach under a full moon topped off this fantastic weekend