Friday, September 22, "Day 7"

The next morning we woke up to filtered sunshine and packed up.  It is much nicer to put away a dry tent than a wet one! 

It took a while  to load up those of us heading back to the casino as we had more bikes and gear even than people present as some of us were bringing home the gear of others who flew or took other methods home.

Fortunately, it was only an hour back to the casino and mild traffic.  We had a bit of a set back because the battery was dead on Jerry's van, but he was prepared and had a battery charger with him.  So, not much harm done.

Finally, we hit the road some time between 11 and 11:30!  Jerry drove the first shift and I promptly feel asleep.  How great it was to wake up an hour later (give or take) to bright sun.

In order to make as much time as possible and not get home too terribly late, we had a very quick fast food lunch, something I almost never eat.

We had an easy drive home in that there were no traffic or weather problems all the way.  When we reached the town of Corning, I was ready for dinner.  We agreed to just go to the Taco Bell next to the gas station we were at but it turned out that only the drive through was open and cars were backed up on to the road.  I guess that's the place to be on Friday night at 7:30 pm. 

In trying to turn around, we found a taco truck, which was a much better option anyway.  Delicious dinner eaten while Jerry drove.

From there, it really wasn't very far to get home, thank goodness.  I was happy to be back at my house by about 10:30 pm.  What a week!

Thursday, September 21, Day 6

The night before at dinner, we found out there would be some route alterations due to a road being closed and not accessible due to heavy construction work.   As a result, we left camp later than we normally would so that we wouldn't arrive at the closest one while people were going to work.

We also heard that the chance of rain was the lowest it had been since starting day 2.  Some rolled out without rain gear but I had mine ready and wore the booties, the most challenging item to put on on the side of the road.

As our final day, our team, cycling4fun, gathered for a picture.  We were moving slowly, following yesterday's long ride as well as the others.

When I left camp, I was nearly the last one again.  We had a 70 mile day ahead and I was tired, so I planned on taking things slower and taking more pictures.  The picture below is from a dairy just a few miles outside camp.

Our campground is quite close to the nearest town, so we were in it before we knew it.  There was the first of the road construction as we approached town.  They had a flagger out, so it wasn't too bad.

On the edge of town I looked for the alpacas we had seen last year, but they weren't out.

After the detour for closed road, we came back to a more rural area with a lot of vinyards.  It's a great area to ride because there's so much variety: rolling hills, winding road, various kinds of farms, a small lake, and more.

At rest stop #1 I had a hot drink. The temperature was lower than it had been (52 degrees when pulling out our bicycles in the morning).  I also found out that we weren't going to be able to go around Haag Lake.  The road was closed part way around for construction.

I arrived at rest stop #2 which was shortly before the closure.  I took a few pictures and headed back.  A number of people went all the way to the closure, but I didn't feel the need.

We went back just the way we came.  The road around the lake has nice wide shoulders, plenty of trees, ferns and other greenery.

Rest stop #1 was now #3 on the way back.  A whole bunch of people came in just after me, so I just moved on to make space.

It was a fairly quiet ride back, saw the alpacas, and was looking forward to get back to camp.  However, the traffic getting through the road work in town just before was a little hair raising. 

The rest was quiet and the whole day was 100 percent dry!

As we entered the camp, we found it had been decorated to celebrate the completion of the tour and 400 miles.  We had a delicious dinner, some awards, and one last night together around the camp fire before going our separate ways.

Wednesday, September 20, Day 5

Within two short turns of the campground, we had to cross a large busy highway.  There was a left turn lane to help achieve that, but it was hair raising to get there.  But, we were dry.

We wound around through farming areas. Almost no one was out and about on the farms that I could see and traffic was fairly light.

Around mile 20, rain started.  I pulled off the road under a tree to put my gear on and continued.  I did less looking at the scenery with the rain. 

Pulling into rest stop #1, it seemed like the rain was stopping, but it was just a momentary lull.  The rest stop was at a winery that still had grapes on the vine.  Fall is harvest time.

Shortly after leaving the stop, the rain returned and eventually started pouring as we were approaching Salem, Oregon's state capitol.  We were on the Oregon Scenic Byway but it was hard to see a thing.  It would probably seem more scenic on a better weather day.

Once in town, I met up with two other riders at the rest stop.  We proceeded together.  The forecast at the time was for the rain to end in another hour.  The turns were a bit tricky in town and particularly when we came to what seemed like the end of a bike trail.  We missed a turn and went about 2 miles before we realized there was a problem.  With directions over the phone, we returned to the intersection and found our way.

True enough, the rain stopped within the hour.  I continued on while the other two cyclists took a short break.  

With dry roads, mostly free of traffic as we returned to a more rural setting, I turned it up to a high gear and booked for the campground.  

Including the detour, it was an 80 mile day!  It was great to finally arrive.  Our afternoon "snack" was some delicious cheese from Rogue Creamery.  Delicious.  We got to enjoy it at a winery just a 1/4 mile away, Lady Hill, where tastings were available.

By the time we returned, dinner was being served.

The picture is of a sign I have seen just here and there in people's yards, like an election sign.  I like the message and will see if I can get one.

Tuesday, September 19, Day 4

There were predictions of serious rain for today, but for the most part we only got a glancing blow.

I headed out of camp, practically the last one and in full rain gear.  We took Peoria Road to Harrisburg.  It was mostly a long, straight road through a farming area.  Much of the ride was flat, including this section of about 23 miles, but there was a strong head wind. 

Head wind is like a climb that never ends.  All I can do is put my head down and pedal on.  I stopped at about mile 15 and took off the rain pants.  There wasn't any rain and I was getting overheated.

I was never so happy to reach a rest stop!  Our stop was sponsored by Mo's, a famous chowder place here.  They didn't have a way to keep the chowder warm, so brought other goodies instead.

What a relief to ride out in a different direction and have no head wind!  It was fabulous and I felt lighter, not having to struggle against the wind.  I finally decided that it was  safe to take the rain jacket off around mile 35.  We traveled through a lovely section with rolling hills, trees, and farms.  This was a favorite section of mine from our rides so far.

Without the wind, I arrived at stop #2 fairly quickly.  The stop was in Browsville where much of the movie Stand by Me was filmed.  It seems like a town worth checking out, including a large synagogue with stained glass windows.

Not far beyond the rest stop, I started feeling a little drizzle and thought of how lucky we were to only have drizzle on a day when serious rain was predicted.

Maybe you have already guessed where this story is going.  As I rode further, the size of the drops increased and then so did the speed at which they came.  I was hoping to ride past the clouds because I could see better skies ahead.

Unfortunately, the rain got down to business while I was going up a hill without much shoulder. At the top of the hill, I got out the jacket and started for the pants as well but it seemed to be stopping, so I left the pants in my bag and continued.   After a turn at the bottom of the descent, the rain poured full force, in fact, seemed to be flying sideways right at me. Well, too late for the rain pants now!  I was in the thick of it.  Not only was there no place to pull over and put them on, there was no use, I was already soaked.

I still had the booties on, but the force of the rain meant that the water ran inside them anyway.  Fortunately, the cloud burst was short lived.  I dried out pretty quickly except for the shoes and socks which staying sopping wet.

I continued along great terrain, saw some sheep and ducks and enjoying myself again.

Somewhere around mile 57, I made a turn and went smack into another terrible head wind.  It was taking a lot of effort to make any progress, but at least the drizzling had stopped and the sun was out.  I pulled into a driveway of sorts and took off the rain jacket and booties.  I was hoping that the strong winds would dry my sodden socks and shoes.  That was not wholly a success, but they did get drier.

At that point, all I could do was put my head down and turn the pedals and hopefully the next turn in the road would get me out of the wind. 

At the last turn, my wish was granted and it was like the wind didn't exist!  I cranked up the gears and sped down the road to camp.  I got up to 24 MPH at one point, which leads me to believe that I had a tail wind.

After the ride, I stopped by the massage therapist's tent for a massage.  My neck was quite sore and tight, which typically happens after multiple days of riding.  One's position on a bike isn't natural and it will get to you.  For me the neck can be much more uncomfortable than the legs.

Rain returned while I was getting a massage.  I'm thankful to the person who brought in the towel that I had put out to dry.

The picture is of rest stop #1.  Old fashioned gazebo next to a river.

Day 3 picture

The campground turned out to be right next to a pot farm.

Monday, September 18, Day 3

I woke up earlier than expected when the caterer cranked  up her generator to start breakfast.  I tried going back to sleep,now but it wasn't working.

After it poured on us most of yesterday and overnight, everyone geared up in all the rain wear; there were coats, jackets, pants, hats, booties and more.  We gathered around the camp fire to warm up and dry out.

My shoes were almost totally dry, which was the most important thing for me.  We put them around the fire last night.  The heel of one of my shoes got somewhat melted but it is still functional since the clip-in part is the most important part.  Mine was not the only one that got a little melty.

As we ate breakfast, the rain stopped for a bit and some wondered if we might be avoiding the rain.  About 9 miles along, I took off my jacket because I was feeling overheated and there was no rain yet, but I probably didn't even go a mile when the rain started.

With my jacket back on, I continued along the route.  There were some small family farms, plenty of trees, and a great quiet road.  It was a surprise when I rode past an area that was clear cut.  There weren't large swaths cut, but a section here and there.

After a while, I came to a mostly dirt road.  It had some gravel and a small amount of very bad asphalt.  Not counting a few areas where the mud was mushy and sucked the tires a bit, it wasn't bad at all.  I was cautious with the speed downhill and only one car came along.

After the dirt road, we continued on some tree lined roads that were lovely and green.  We passed through the tiny town of Nashville and did some climbing and rolling hills up to the town of Summit.

The rain was light and, coming off and on, so very manageable, but I was glad to keep my gear on the rest of the day.

At mile 26 we were shuttled 10 miles due to the bad condition of the road from a construction project.  As we set out from there, we were immdiately hit by a very strong rain cell, but fortunately it didn't last that long.  We rolled through farming areas until the outskirts of Corvallis where we got on a local bike path. We wound through town and had our second rest stop right in downtown just next to Oregon State University.

We took a break for lunch then rode the last 10 miles to camp, just barely beating another heavy cell.

Rain had continued on and off, sometimes pouring for long periods as we sat around the camp fire.

Weather report for tomorrow is rain overnight and through much of the day.

Day 1 picture

I had to remove this picture before the text would post for my day 1 entry.  Now, I'm posting the picture separately.  I took this between Lincoln City and Depoe Bay.

When I return home, I will add the other pictures with the text.