Hiding Out At Whiskey Run
After fleeing from the smoke that inundated most of the Mountain West, we found ourselves on the Oregon Coast. The coast was one of the only places in the Western USA where we could entirely leave the smoke behind. Thankfully, it worked fairly well into the planned route that we had to follow for the upcoming month.
We first landed in Tillamook for a few days but soon began working our way south, tagging a few hikes and mountain bike trails along the way. Our objective, as much as we had one, was Whiskey Run—a purpose-built mountain bike trail system just a few miles from the coast.
Initially, our plan was to camp as close to Whiskey Run as possible, but a proliferation of bright, bold "NO CAMPING" signs made that problematic. Still, we were able to find a decent spot nearby and enjoy a few days of riding at this increasingly-popular trail system.
This portion of the Coast Range doesn't boast massive elevation change, but the builders are making the most of the short, steep hills. At Whiskey Run, the builders have constructed a whole slew of short, steep lines. The trails run from the top of the ridge near the road into the bottom of the valley just below. With only a few hundred feet of elevation loss, it's easy to pedal right back up to the top and shred laps on laps on laps!
The runs are packed with massive berms and spectacular flow! Some trails provide an old-school flow feel, with booters and natural root drop features. Others are true new school flow trails, complete with absolutely gigantic berms, tabletop jumps, rollers, side hits, and more. And of course, there's a little something for everyone, from intermediate to expert.
On the opposite side of the paved road, the terrain is much mellower. This zone offers pedal-friendly cross-country trails that bob and weave through the lush rainforest, breaking out into the sunlight where the trail passes through an old logging cut. A few of these trails offer true beginner singletrack, making Whiskey Run a fantastic place to help a newbie cut their teeth.
From Singletrack to Beach
While the purpose-built flow trails at Whiskey Run are downright fantastic and are helping this intricate network make a name for itself, in my book, one of the truly unique features of the area is how incredibly close to the coast this trail system is located. On both days, we wrapped up our rides and then hopped in the van to drive a mere 3 miles down to Whiskey Run Beach to enjoy post-ride beers on the sand.
Happy hour on the beach became an every-day occurrence
Whiskey Run Beach appears to be a popular kiteboarding spot, and we spotted a few shredders pulling multi-sport days: mountain biking in the morning and then catching some wind and waves on the ocean in the afternoon.
The beach is also open to dispersed camping, but the short descent from the parking lot to the beach level was much too rough for our van to brave. During the two days we spent hanging out on the beach post-ride, our chief entertainment was watching kiteboarders wipe out and vehicles that had no business on the beach getting stuck in the sand or trying to negotiate the bomb holes in the access road.
Word to the wise: just because you bought a Subaru with all-wheel-drive for the first time this year doesn't mean you can drive anywhere on planet Earth with reckless abandon. Shit, same goes for you first-time pickup truck owners. Oh, you have an F-150 now? Tell me more about how well those stock highway tires are handling the three feet of sugar sand...
The schadenfreude provided gripping entertainment, but we did manage to tear ourselves away from the spectacle to explore further down the coast near Bandon. One afternoon, we enjoyed our happy hour drinks with views of the Coquille River Lighthouse at the river entrance.
Downtown Bandon also offers plenty of touristy shops and restaurants to commandeer an entire afternoon. Bandon Brewing Company serves tasty brews and fantastic wood-fired pizza, but it appears to be constantly inundated with traffic from the endless streams of tourists, of which we contributed to. Plan accordingly.
Bandon proved to be the perfect place to hide out from the smoke! In fact, we got so overconfident after about a week and a half on the coast that we headed toward the interior, back toward the Rogue Valley, a day early. Mistakes were made: within a half-hour of heading inland from the coast, we started seeing the first signs of smoke in the air. After an hour or so of driving, the mountains were once again hidden in the pervasive gray haze that had been our constant companion all summer long.
Having a break from the smoke was just what we needed, giving us the fortitude to dive back into the rest of our summer travels.
