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.