Hello All:
Just circling back after 10 days in Watercolor/Seaside. For those who look up cycling info in this forum, here is my report ...
* I biked 30A four days (Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday), about 20-35 miles from Watercolor. I mainly stayed on the road as the bike paths are full of walkers, joggers, and leisure riders, and most of the time.
* I found that vehicular traffic roughly doubles every half hour from 5:54-6:00 a.m. forward. There were few vehicles on the road that early, and quite a few cyclists.
* The route going east from Seaside through Rosemary) is about 8-9 miles. At least to me, there seemed to be more traffic (and more big contractor pickup trucks) along this route, and it is particular congested in Rosemary..
* The route going west from Seaside through Blue Mountain Beach to the end of Route 30A was more enjoyable to me ... less cars, better views of the ocean, fewer "tight spots."
* I found nearly all of the drivers to be courteous and patient. I was kind of expecting a battle zone out there, after reading through this issue in another posting, and it was just not the case. The only time that I had any issues was generally late morning morning (closer to 9 a.m.), with way more vehicles and, in particular, oversized contractor style pickup trucks with less patients with cyclists and slow moving traffic. I jumped on the bike path a couple times, especially on the final approach to Seaside.
* Cycling on SR 98 would be like ride your bike on an Interstate Highway (or worse). I saw one cyclist on the 98 "bike lane," with cars and trucks whizzing by, less than 5 feet away, at 65+ mph! Terrible suggestion.
* I did visit Big Daddy's Bike Shop in Blue Mountain Beach and, as noted, it is an awesome bike shop for everything you may need, whether you are buying or renting, need accessories, or looking for a cruiser or road bike. My brother purchased a new bike. The sales staff was knowledgeable, personable, and clearly enjoyed what they do. Great suggestion.
My family and I had a great week, biking, hitting the restaurants (Cafe 30A and Watercolor Inn were awesome, but so were Bud & Ally's and the BBQ shack) and hanging out on the beach. So thanks.