Sunday, August 2, 2009

Day 64 - 080309 Finish Line!

Junction City, OR to Florence, OR - 65.77 miles - Trip Grand Total: 4343.77 miles






It was tough to leave the campsite this morning as it would be our last as a group. I was excited to finish and accomplish our goal but sad at the same time. Finishing will be bittersweet. Don's diner once again whipped up a delicious banana and chocolate chip pancake feast. This part of Oregon is beautiful but surprisingly cold for this time of year. Our first stop was at the Deadwood County Market in Deadwood, OR. They were unfortunately out of Umpqua chocolate milk so of course I went with a root beer. The majority of us rode as a group. Kevin and Chris however left a bit before us as Kevin's rear wheel was in pretty bad shape and he was in for a tough last ride. Our second stop was at Randy's Riverview Market in Mapleton, OR to meet up and prepare for our final 14 miles into Florence. As we rode in on 126 I slammed into a road construction cone. Luckily the collision didn't cause a spill but the contents of my handlebar bag did explode out onto the busy roadway. We finally arrived in Florence and headed for the beach for the Pacific Ocean tire dip. Geoff's parents met us at the beach with celebratory champagne and snacks. Thanks again! Most of us were so excited we sprinted into the waves for a skin tingling, breathe taking swim in the cold Oregon ocean. I then rode to the Heceta Mini Mart for some soda as Don and company headed to the store for feast goodies. We played trip trivia and celebrated into the night at the Lane County Parks Harbor Vista Campground on the Siuslaw River.




Day 63 - 080209

McKenzie Bridge, OR to Junction City, OR - 78 miles




Great day for riding and we were excited to visit Eugene, the largest city on our cross country journey. Our first stop today was at the Leaburg Store in Leaburg, OR. I rode with Bret most of today and we stopped to enjoy some of Oregon's famous wild blackberries. Apparently Oregon is the leading blackberry producer in the world! Yummy! We rode into Eugene and stopped to eat at the Steelhead Brewing Co. Leaving Eugene was nice as the city is extremely bike friendly and has a trail system for cyclists. After arriving at the campsite Don Kristen, and I went to the Fern Ridge Market to buy goodies to cook for dinner. We camped for the night at the Lane County Park Richardson Park Campground on the Fern Ridge Lake.


Day 62 - 080109

Sisters, OR to McKenzie Bridge, OR - 61.57 miles





Today we started by climbing to the top of our final pass. We stopped at the summit of the Santiam Pass - elevation 4817ft to celebrate! We exchanged high fives and posed for a few pictures as we would only be declining in elevation for the remainder of our trip. The descent was sweet yet tricky with fallen rocks littering the shoulder. As we turned onto 126 we noticed strange terrain possibly igneous rock. We reached the McKenzie Bridge Willamette National Forest Campground but continued a few miles past to the Rustic Skillet Restaurant for some food. We returned to the campsite which was on the McKenzie River and a few of us enjoyed a very very cold but refreshing swim.