Traveling Through Oregon (And Making Friends)

Life on the road has been good to us. Today is day 11 of the tour and we are in Sisters, Oregon, which is as small town nestled on the eastern side of the Cascade Range. Going up and over the Cascade Range was awesome. It was a long uphill climb, twenty two miles to the top of the pass, and this occupied us for all of yesterday. A lot has happened since my last post, and there is no way for me to tell you everything. So I will use my best judgment and pick a few moments that I think you will enjoy.

Day 5: A Rest Day along the coast. When we rolled into Pacific City, Oregon we knew we had to stop and have an afternoon along the beach. It was our last chance to enjoy the Pacific because our route was about to take us east. So we sat on the beach at Pacific City and enjoyed a cool, sunny afternoon. Janice had her usual drink, a cup of tea, and I opened a bottle of beer--my first beer of the tour. I walked in the ocean until my feet were two blocks of ice. Our campground that night was full of rabbits, and we were the only people camping there.

Day 6: Another good day of riding. We went up and over the Coastal Range. We found a good site to sample trees and spent about 2 hours sampling trees. (I guess I'll explain more about the tree project in another post.) Then it was onward into the town of Corvallis, Oregon, where Janice and I both bought tickets for the opening day showing of Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End.

Day 7: Was a rest day, and the day we watched Pirates III. I wonder if Walt Disney ever imagined that Keith Richards would be playing the blues in a movie about the Pirates of the Caribbean. Rest days are good.

Day 8: Took us down into Eugene, Oregon, which is a place I must give some attention to.

So we rolled into Eugene and went to the post office. We had some burritos for lunch, and then we went on over to REI. We spent a good hour or so just hanging outside the REI (Janice and I took turns going in the store because we heard how easily bikes get stolen in Eugene). Standing in front of REI turned out to be a very good idea for us, because it was at that exact location that Mark White, one of the good people of Eugene, rescued us from a night of homelessness and mediocrity. By his friendliness and goodwill, Mark transformed our evening into the brightest star of our tour. Mark, who seemed to be about the same age as me, saw that we were touring and started talking to us. We told him we were trying to find a place to camp and it was then that he said seven of the most hallowed words a traveler can hear: "You guys can stay at my place."

Before long we were back at Mark's house meeting his three roommates: Basho, Jordin, and Heidi. Mark, Jordin, Basho, and Heidi were excited about our trip, and they were also excited about sharing their love of Oregon with us. We talked about Oregon and about Eugene. We talked about Steve Prefontaine, a running legend who was from Oregon. The happy living room sparkled with conversation and laughter as we talked on into the night. Bottles of Chilean wine were opened and shared. Tennis balls were located and then juggled and then stolen by Stanly and Worthington, the two dogs that lived in the house. It was fine night, and a night that Janice and I were very thankful for. So thanks again Mark, Heidi, Jordin, and Basho! We will never forget you all.