tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65563837845569980642024-03-19T01:48:24.474-07:00LOOKING OUT ACROSS AMERICAErica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-40846953463383102462014-03-16T10:00:00.000-07:002014-03-16T10:00:09.323-07:00Looking Back on Looking Out Across America<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had an absolutely amazing journey last summer, and it is
extremely difficult to put words to all that we experienced over our 3
months bicycling across this beautiful and crazy country that we’re lucky enough
to call home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our language just isn’t
sufficient for summing up a life-changing summer spent chasing down a crazy
dream together, but we’ll give it a shot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We wish there was some way to capture the entire trip on
video, so we could relive all the experiences we had – good and bad, major and
minor – along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hell, I wish we
had even thought or had the time to take really one meaningful video, but life
on a bicycle isn’t all dandelions and rainbows – who knew?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even now, less than 6 months out from our
last day on the bikes, we’re starting to forget things, glossing over the worst
of our experiences while letting the best of them shine through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the major things we’ll take with us throughout our
lives from Looking Out Across America is that (the huge majority of) people are
kind, generous, and genuinely good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
lesson transcends geographic locations, economic conditions, and any other
demographic qualifier you can come up with that we generally think divides
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had people offer to pay for
meals for us, put us up for the night, give us rides, but shirts to support our
personal expenses, purchase gear we needed, donate to the Looking Out
Foundation, and even on the smallest of levels, wish us the best of luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though the majority of our interactions with
strangers on this trip lasted less than a few minutes, those wishes of good
luck meant so much to us along the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Along those same lines, we’ve learned that bicycles are the
ultimate conversation starter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How often
do you end up talking to every stranger walking into the gas station when
you’re there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably never.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How often did we do this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost each and every time we stopped at a
store for a Gatorade or another greasy pizza that had been warming under the
lamps all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People cannot resist
asking questions of people who arrive at destinations sometimes out in the
middle of nowhere under their own power on bikes that are loaded down like pack
animals with brightly-colored bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
phenomenon also transcends all of those demographic qualifiers mentioned
above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cyclists aren’t threatening to
anyone, even though we may look like wayward vagabonds who haven’t showered in
a couple of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is opposite of
what we observed with motorcyclists matching our description – people almost go
out of their way to avoid them, thinking they must be rough in some way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this isn’t true most of the time, the
perception is clearly planted in people’s subconscious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just showing up somewhere became our best
impetus to get to know the “locals”, tell them about our journey, and promote
the Looking Out Foundation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another important takeaway from this trip is that America is
painfully beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the places
that you don’t expect to be beautiful because of their starkness, or sameness,
are striking precisely because of those things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Case in point: Kansas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both
have driven through Kansas on a few occasions, and never enjoyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have made that long drive across
Interstate 70, you probably feel our pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cities and towns are few and far between, and, let’s face it; you’re
usually just flying through Kansas to get to something more exciting,
right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, Kansas was its own pain
in our asses during this trip (i.e. high winds, high temps, and long stretches
between service stops), but one day, I clearly remember stopping on the side of
the road to take a panoramic photo of our surroundings – nothing but recently
harvested wheat fields for miles and miles in every direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was stunning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That landscape was accentuated by some of the
bluest skies you’ll ever see, with gorgeous puffy clouds somehow arranged in
rows, mirroring the rows of wheat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This journey was difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Way more difficult physically, emotionally, and mentally than we
anticipated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, that’s to be expected
when we try to take on the Goliath of all bicycle touring adventures while
never having ever done a bicycle overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The best thing we did to ensure that we didn’t give up was to partner
with the Looking Out Foundation, and do our best to promote the hell out of
this thing before we left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
accountability to something greater than ourselves, and we had a huge cheering
section behind us when things got rough!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It doesn’t hurt that we believe in the causes we chose to support, and thinking
of those who will be helped by our adventure is humbling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our advice – if you plan on taking on an
adventure like this, find your own cause to support to make it all the more
meaningful to you, and bigger than you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes just checking an item off your personal bucket list isn’t
enough motivation to push through </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">when things really get
rough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Looking Out Across America also opened our eyes to some of
the major issues facing people in rural communities, even in this “advanced” 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were often cycling through
some of the most rural areas in America, and found it to be constantly
difficult to find nutritious food options in these cities and towns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are probably 100 times more likely to
find a gas station selling “fresh” fried cheese curds than you are to find a
single vegetable that isn’t battered and fried in a good portion of the towns
we rolled through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grocery stores are
very limited in their selection (if the town can even support one), and most of
the people in the community don’t have the time or access to a car required to
drive 30 minutes or more to a larger town with more choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, there’s a constant stream of
people, morning, noon, and night hitting up the local convenience store for
their meals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the main source of
sustenance for these communities, and the lack of options leads to fatty,
non-nutritious diets, which then leads to things like obesity and
diabetes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There really should be a push
to get fresh produce to people in these rural communities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, off of that soapbox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our summer was full of highs and lows, but it all came together to make
up the experience of a lifetime for us – one we couldn’t have had without all
of you reading this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You made it
about more than just us, and for that we thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You donated to the Looking Out Foundation,
shared our blog posts, bought our t-shirts, helped outfit us with the gear we
needed to take on America by bicycle, and offered up your encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to you, we raised over $6,300 for the
Looking Out Foundation!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great job
guys!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t stop following this space yet – we’ve actually begun
writing a book about our experiences with Looking Out Across America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you’re interested in knowing what
we’re up to now, follow our latest blog at </span><a href="http://www.101in1001dayzero.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.101in1001dayzero.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And since we shared this on Facebook, but not on the blog,
here’s the little video we recorded on the very last pedaling day of our
journey, where we dipped our front wheels into the mighty Pacific Ocean.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Bg3JuFGkPns?list=UUnmods44vEOlpDVYGKD1ZPg" width="560"></iframe>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-70558359462969813562013-10-28T18:47:00.000-07:002013-10-28T18:47:15.538-07:00Our Welcome Home from Louie and RudyOne question we've been asked a lot since arriving home is "How did the dogs react when they saw you?" Mel's mom picked us up from the airport when we got home, and we had her walk in the house first and capture their reaction on video...so here it is!
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I think it's safe to say they were happy to see us :) We missed them like crazy!!Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-51412038336415424882013-10-09T13:24:00.002-07:002013-10-09T13:30:03.670-07:00Post Ride Day 9 - September 6, 2013Ahh, the day we've been waiting for - <a href="http://lookingoutfoundation.org/raise-the-roof/" target="_blank">Raise the Roof</a> day! For those of you who aren't familiar with Raise the Roof, it is the annual fundraiser for Brandi Carlile's Looking Out Foundation. The foundation we were raising money for on our trip! Our awesome pals at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1541386929"></span>Again Today<span id="goog_1541386930"></span></a> coordinate the event each year in Seattle, and it brings in a ton of money for the foundation, not to mention the fact that it's a really fun evening of entertainment and education.<br>
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We picked up Erica's parents from the airport in the early afternoon, grabbed lunch at Mel's favorite place (you surely know what that is by now!), and headed to The Triple Door...we hadn't had time yet to prepare any visual aids to go with our short talk about the trip, so we needed at least something for people to look at instead of just us standing awkwardly on stage!<br>
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We threw together a short slide show with some photos from the trip (huge thanks to Susan for letting us use her laptop and flash drive!), then in no time, people were filing in and the event was about to begin. It was so good to see so many friends in one place at one time! It was also satisfying to bring Looking Out Across America full-circle - we had first introduced the trip publicly at the 2012 Raise the Roof, and a year later, we had finally completed the adventure of a lifetime, and got to announce to everyone that we raised over $6,000 for the Looking Out Foundation! Through the generosity of tons of amazing people, we also raised over $2,000 to cover our personal expenses during the journey through t-shirt sales, and had tons of gear purchased for us through Amazon. Thank you all for donating, buying shirts, and helping out with gear and encouragement!!!<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMwQEskJ4CQSwgiP-cNgjzgghSzYu4d7qjBjHjG-F-UlGZZ5Q-tJLnxi6DuO7vuXyjkB3K5gkUMIl-zu_oE8IUnsVAm3-R1UIEXioPOLtgjQdkMoHzAUq0tMAOhhA1kh_YVppz6-p_EKs/s640/blogger-image--1741358645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMwQEskJ4CQSwgiP-cNgjzgghSzYu4d7qjBjHjG-F-UlGZZ5Q-tJLnxi6DuO7vuXyjkB3K5gkUMIl-zu_oE8IUnsVAm3-R1UIEXioPOLtgjQdkMoHzAUq0tMAOhhA1kh_YVppz6-p_EKs/s640/blogger-image--1741358645.jpg"></a></div><br>
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We survived our on-stage time (mostly because I (Erica) made Mel do most of the talking) - then enjoyed the musical entertainment of The Flumps, Jen Hopper and Khaled Tabbara, and Pretty Enemy. There was also time for a Q&A with Brandi Carlile and band, raffle drawings, and then a 90 minute set by Brandi, Tim, Phil and Josh. We had a great night with our families, got to see so many friends that are typically spread across the country, and had a great night celebrating the end of Looking Out Across America! I know there is video of Raise the Roof floating around, and if I can get my hands on a video of our portion I'll post it here.<br>
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We'll stop our daily updates here...we stayed in Seattle until September 15th, spent more time with family and great friends, and fell more in love with the Seattle area. We didn't have much down time - there was sightseeing to be done, tattoos to get (ooh, maybe I'll blog about our LOAA tour memento tattoos...), dinners, breakfasts, and lunches to attend, people to drop off at the airport, and a wedding to attend. We had a blast, and such a great time unwinding from 3 months on bikes! Thanks to everyone who made our stay in Seattle so fantastic!<div><br></div><div>Here are a few photos from the remainder of our stay:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErnSv5seAyqv_h6u87punlTcMeSuXIbAkmx6sV29Koefvtfrx7TdZEndD9FmNGm8kshh2Q3W_YNss5kMdjWKo9RGmgWZMNYJTDHfH89G5fC8TxZjV7pYieXndY939ng6OtdtPudJyrLBp/s640/blogger-image-1830113134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErnSv5seAyqv_h6u87punlTcMeSuXIbAkmx6sV29Koefvtfrx7TdZEndD9FmNGm8kshh2Q3W_YNss5kMdjWKo9RGmgWZMNYJTDHfH89G5fC8TxZjV7pYieXndY939ng6OtdtPudJyrLBp/s640/blogger-image-1830113134.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYycYqx4U2z-bUCzMU01f4ezLtOaZZtOHbzfTiGD82ELlZ8M9fsYEl8-wODY-K6n6VFvd-NolgR0E_5FgwpdFwXlDM5bGVDGL2XP5YwNkSI_VdEgD-mz45ovHScz5jx4RX-eLW4teZMg9/s640/blogger-image-430054174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYycYqx4U2z-bUCzMU01f4ezLtOaZZtOHbzfTiGD82ELlZ8M9fsYEl8-wODY-K6n6VFvd-NolgR0E_5FgwpdFwXlDM5bGVDGL2XP5YwNkSI_VdEgD-mz45ovHScz5jx4RX-eLW4teZMg9/s640/blogger-image-430054174.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVgjplGlNL-yEi1wJyDO9Wz_-CcU_F3RanQVVNsAoqpt6fOc-yDYP9Wgi8pHq8o9umPdsA-kjaHrKi1dEcCpgTXjsqYyi-4DYJrj4C-5WnhXuZikc_7dw11zbCgOSWZGz6pjcJ8VSVTem/s640/blogger-image--589582879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVgjplGlNL-yEi1wJyDO9Wz_-CcU_F3RanQVVNsAoqpt6fOc-yDYP9Wgi8pHq8o9umPdsA-kjaHrKi1dEcCpgTXjsqYyi-4DYJrj4C-5WnhXuZikc_7dw11zbCgOSWZGz6pjcJ8VSVTem/s640/blogger-image--589582879.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DDfRNlCVqo0_D5YXwqUGoP5BxDaT_06XtiE8yFbbuTJW9ezNUT9ozFK29meauHU5wBR3IP5CPQFGr9-wfAzGLHLf6g0AHfZsdOvL1Mw1QNTAuuEOXoo7NKx_4a4g47jbJoISzXbIL7nf/s640/blogger-image-1683214421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DDfRNlCVqo0_D5YXwqUGoP5BxDaT_06XtiE8yFbbuTJW9ezNUT9ozFK29meauHU5wBR3IP5CPQFGr9-wfAzGLHLf6g0AHfZsdOvL1Mw1QNTAuuEOXoo7NKx_4a4g47jbJoISzXbIL7nf/s640/blogger-image-1683214421.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PZSEmr0RgQkNwARL5l4C9v-dTLxh1cqG_688nss1IBlLOT4ia2s-UySvKqoz4D3dY22SuuZpgmCs4qzNZZPRuNmz5P69ox5bvVWeNRoZyYEI9JY2V-qGUXN0GGqsGbeOuKEu2_SUaa82/s640/blogger-image--294366266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PZSEmr0RgQkNwARL5l4C9v-dTLxh1cqG_688nss1IBlLOT4ia2s-UySvKqoz4D3dY22SuuZpgmCs4qzNZZPRuNmz5P69ox5bvVWeNRoZyYEI9JY2V-qGUXN0GGqsGbeOuKEu2_SUaa82/s640/blogger-image--294366266.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZlGP6qp2h8z19yc1gq9_baN5S3qq3uCNh0PbggV6cMsekVWV2kOtuES0FS_Y1UpBQpH6ktwff8M4cRuLqL52DUYQwKyzUxerf1khaoDgFOJYLHYkoiYx8AbJ3HOLMLf8E6cwA0KTFBZl/s640/blogger-image--1358099907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZlGP6qp2h8z19yc1gq9_baN5S3qq3uCNh0PbggV6cMsekVWV2kOtuES0FS_Y1UpBQpH6ktwff8M4cRuLqL52DUYQwKyzUxerf1khaoDgFOJYLHYkoiYx8AbJ3HOLMLf8E6cwA0KTFBZl/s640/blogger-image--1358099907.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtrorcAt8Q243Ue7V86WuvunH-oHRm7Dp8tALdp7PfDYSh5Wt07ogi1ziMa3v3CBVZ33nQo3bRt5Dlh6y7KWTJ32p90rHJ3ijSK0s8B_79DUmWlN_H2wQ9YqnxepRxZv6zoMYH0nw6ODk/s640/blogger-image--742313509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtrorcAt8Q243Ue7V86WuvunH-oHRm7Dp8tALdp7PfDYSh5Wt07ogi1ziMa3v3CBVZ33nQo3bRt5Dlh6y7KWTJ32p90rHJ3ijSK0s8B_79DUmWlN_H2wQ9YqnxepRxZv6zoMYH0nw6ODk/s640/blogger-image--742313509.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhskaFJudV-jXIxV9d8IhF4lOzO6lZFd6qUmFUo_WNaHCwvKj4E1BWMfzmNhWh1nHmHKCWnj8bOfMAoDTCaEZdNJoIdghGkJa8HkxkpoPkw8IK6JXDuAsUuXngjHQD-oyjUOiLpvNqMIZ/s640/blogger-image-93099609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhskaFJudV-jXIxV9d8IhF4lOzO6lZFd6qUmFUo_WNaHCwvKj4E1BWMfzmNhWh1nHmHKCWnj8bOfMAoDTCaEZdNJoIdghGkJa8HkxkpoPkw8IK6JXDuAsUuXngjHQD-oyjUOiLpvNqMIZ/s640/blogger-image-93099609.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-19563949097436682492013-09-23T18:51:00.001-07:002013-09-23T19:03:24.115-07:00Post Ride Day 8 - September 5, 2013We decided to make today a touristy day, since Mel's parents haven't ever been to Seattle. I ran to the grocery store early before everyone was ready, so we had some staples for breakfast.<div><br></div><div>We took off for downtown Seattle, and did the most touristy thing we could think of right off the bat - a Duck tour! In case you don't know what these are, they take these amphibious vehicles from WW2, and created land and water tours around that concept. They are cheesy, of course, but it's a great way to get a good overview of the city without having to drive or walk yourself, and you get a little boat ride on Lake Union.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41rjMlBIgVcCxvXvaTquGCiEEFFlqPhi0IqxZ0aZKf8z2tfHOHwIsB8i_gWzMXg-JDGXqwuf8hom4awRFdAxUeHZzJ3tJvo8rE1qhw3HUpIEWJJFfvVKEi0SWeY66MILU7LkrZnEIiaHR/s640/blogger-image-2138497067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41rjMlBIgVcCxvXvaTquGCiEEFFlqPhi0IqxZ0aZKf8z2tfHOHwIsB8i_gWzMXg-JDGXqwuf8hom4awRFdAxUeHZzJ3tJvo8rE1qhw3HUpIEWJJFfvVKEi0SWeY66MILU7LkrZnEIiaHR/s640/blogger-image-2138497067.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After that, we grabbed a bite to eat at MOD Pizza at the City Center, then headed up to the top of the Space Needle. We had a great time taking in the sweeping views of the city!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaaL8bUZ3VrYSrnObS3tdEs_6BCjAS6b94AIXE0p7VXJZiv0qTKpNW7_OxGd0RpN51RR-2DL-QyOI7j-wL8I4hGol-xh12gCF3b8nqlIC53QawERY0EPeO9i76xiET9p44gP9fCtWmmni/s640/blogger-image--2098220842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaaL8bUZ3VrYSrnObS3tdEs_6BCjAS6b94AIXE0p7VXJZiv0qTKpNW7_OxGd0RpN51RR-2DL-QyOI7j-wL8I4hGol-xh12gCF3b8nqlIC53QawERY0EPeO9i76xiET9p44gP9fCtWmmni/s640/blogger-image--2098220842.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFVcJsRgkVXtZZUQnfFQOeRhSXs_ahG_8AOwFr5XPg7NmvHfnCSYj6tRzdot8fN8Tj1ULMa-_goWPvI5wJ4jufoNfi9Yzlgtpa2NvUkpiKFtj4lvLmhip0WhWD4wlN94_zDFlt1S96Eh3/s640/blogger-image--554180139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFVcJsRgkVXtZZUQnfFQOeRhSXs_ahG_8AOwFr5XPg7NmvHfnCSYj6tRzdot8fN8Tj1ULMa-_goWPvI5wJ4jufoNfi9Yzlgtpa2NvUkpiKFtj4lvLmhip0WhWD4wlN94_zDFlt1S96Eh3/s640/blogger-image--554180139.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After stopping by Target for a few essentials, we enjoyed a lazy evening back at the condo. We had such a good day showing John and Jane one of our favorite cities, and are so glad they could come out and spend time with us here!</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-9200851551398553412013-09-22T09:48:00.001-07:002013-10-04T12:18:39.275-07:00Post Ride Day 7 - September 4, 2013We were pretty lazy again today! We packed our stuff up - Mel's parents are flying in to Seattle tonight, so we are (reluctantly) moving out of Susan and Cathy's guest room and into a rental condo for the next week.<br />
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I took one photo today, of this frog I spotted on the deck:</div>
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We enjoyed an delicious dinner at a Chinese place with Susan and Cathy, then they were awesome enough to give us a ride to the airport to pick up our rental car and Mel's parents. We will see them a ton of other times while we are out here, but we were still sad to go!</div>
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We selected only the most awesome of minivans (leather seats and a DVD player, though we don't have any DVDs with us - a formality), then awaited Mel's parents arrival in the cell phone lot. We picked them up, and headed about 15 min north of Seattle to the condo. It's tough to find a rental place to sleep 6 people!</div>
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Everyone was tired, so we hit the hay.</div>
Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-30984258788414091042013-09-21T20:21:00.001-07:002013-09-21T20:21:09.599-07:00Post Ride Day 6 - September 3, 2013This will be a short one - we didn't leave the company of the couch and tv all day, except to pick up lunch. Susan made some delicious tacos for dinner, and we spoiled this guy a little more:<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9f31I8R54NpvGApKQ1dGBY-0SyVpwAUa2SEdFjEmPgd0DHBSlL5VI9j40a6_oI2QzXWlsjpX2SwzZVpcZxk9YXWAQx5YD4Gz55xXze2ciifoEHcorm3rhTXoZZSWWv6NBBazCjEJi9Bgk/s640/blogger-image--1056403963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9f31I8R54NpvGApKQ1dGBY-0SyVpwAUa2SEdFjEmPgd0DHBSlL5VI9j40a6_oI2QzXWlsjpX2SwzZVpcZxk9YXWAQx5YD4Gz55xXze2ciifoEHcorm3rhTXoZZSWWv6NBBazCjEJi9Bgk/s640/blogger-image--1056403963.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVPTtdYAJNsYJ660uqMA5f33baTPRDObWIjOsumH9RdrVC0wVZehPQcqz0plvo2R8ZKd4IYev9hdtQeE9Bn9gzPrFu_JWTIxPxewPYn8R1-QhT25D_VO_Vc5XCQWGrnNWyy7SY_gPcPr_/s640/blogger-image-1501062490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVPTtdYAJNsYJ660uqMA5f33baTPRDObWIjOsumH9RdrVC0wVZehPQcqz0plvo2R8ZKd4IYev9hdtQeE9Bn9gzPrFu_JWTIxPxewPYn8R1-QhT25D_VO_Vc5XCQWGrnNWyy7SY_gPcPr_/s640/blogger-image-1501062490.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Poor guy had to have his toenail removed all the way to the knuckle. So naturally, he milked it for all it was worth! We were so in need of a rest day, and this one was perfect!</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-61913032923168456932013-09-21T08:00:00.001-07:002013-09-21T08:00:54.210-07:00Post Ride Day 5 - September 2, 2013Another lovely morning complete with sleeping in and enjoying coffee! We could get used to this!<div><br></div><div>Since its Labor Day, Susan and Cathy both had the day off. We ran more errands with them, and then had conveyor belt sushi for dinner! We love conveyor belt sushi, and have only found it in Chicago so far. Wish Indy had one!</div><div><br></div><div>Other than that, all we did was hang out with these guys:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKPPTAwLLcLg1dC3LiSUpC-woZTXPkSJhemIYl3XeYpoOfYQLWLkmHZtDGN42oW6u8tU1jtJ8tP3HWh3iWllQNaqYcRgcQfNH8Icmle-F2B_-2VzazL2KMA9Mq5JB4mcj4GsyGPxhaxkx/s640/blogger-image--403560737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKPPTAwLLcLg1dC3LiSUpC-woZTXPkSJhemIYl3XeYpoOfYQLWLkmHZtDGN42oW6u8tU1jtJ8tP3HWh3iWllQNaqYcRgcQfNH8Icmle-F2B_-2VzazL2KMA9Mq5JB4mcj4GsyGPxhaxkx/s640/blogger-image--403560737.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIhN8GaXz-NCHdfJoeb3CB7bPRpO98MqS1e5GG3t5HGUvEGSJPJOPlOCjqf0bQHQdjWyZHyR53IBLlEK55pbEE5hqhEYSP8jfKdcJYl8hMlOY8rlrD_oiuwS1nuo-XahescjgJm6mDQuR/s640/blogger-image-518934259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIhN8GaXz-NCHdfJoeb3CB7bPRpO98MqS1e5GG3t5HGUvEGSJPJOPlOCjqf0bQHQdjWyZHyR53IBLlEK55pbEE5hqhEYSP8jfKdcJYl8hMlOY8rlrD_oiuwS1nuo-XahescjgJm6mDQuR/s640/blogger-image-518934259.jpg"></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvuV1DuJUg6Tko0A2PZWZbObr_UdPlN6o3I_wfsdO7tqZ_JH0G5LMQJxnIoAAq6PhULGqoqL01KApuYEZV9zvqjRvrANj7Lt1YlROfkRUu2sgf55CT6YaWTrjJtW7XW3RNXeJ41LOyOVI/s640/blogger-image--933149521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvuV1DuJUg6Tko0A2PZWZbObr_UdPlN6o3I_wfsdO7tqZ_JH0G5LMQJxnIoAAq6PhULGqoqL01KApuYEZV9zvqjRvrANj7Lt1YlROfkRUu2sgf55CT6YaWTrjJtW7XW3RNXeJ41LOyOVI/s640/blogger-image--933149521.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZX4lvIzqqK9lruQLHx_zzrhnRw9EOqxXEUlHJh6R8B4M0k6Q1yPep0BjKEp549y6KnNm_6nDPYMhdjkZ5uNQMRj-vmkU0KQmPh8CmPz6g24FnqpuCpnJjKthjD9KQadiwWCtr6N7LmJk/s640/blogger-image--1739177235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZX4lvIzqqK9lruQLHx_zzrhnRw9EOqxXEUlHJh6R8B4M0k6Q1yPep0BjKEp549y6KnNm_6nDPYMhdjkZ5uNQMRj-vmkU0KQmPh8CmPz6g24FnqpuCpnJjKthjD9KQadiwWCtr6N7LmJk/s640/blogger-image--1739177235.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It's so nice to be around dogs again - we are missing our boys so much!!! Susan and Cathy's French Bulldog had a toenail injury, so we babied him to the extreme, and he loved it! </div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-24190418866827718822013-09-21T07:51:00.001-07:002013-09-21T07:51:15.664-07:00Post Ride Day 4 - September 1, 2013After an awesome sleep in a comfy bed, we woke up and had coffee here:<div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevd78j-nedMqcPwXVEljvsMB_XBj9CkdWuSFC1rtdMHEjnaB5vKv_vKPnWpssTtvFRuiOhsLD0EGExUwKiA0zBCe-7e-B9r6B9iEsY7I40LzTPcMHuDsPAVJpYvxNnbvOuyesDgbexUL1/s640/blogger-image--1333704801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevd78j-nedMqcPwXVEljvsMB_XBj9CkdWuSFC1rtdMHEjnaB5vKv_vKPnWpssTtvFRuiOhsLD0EGExUwKiA0zBCe-7e-B9r6B9iEsY7I40LzTPcMHuDsPAVJpYvxNnbvOuyesDgbexUL1/s640/blogger-image--1333704801.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Beautiful view huh? After a very laid back morning and early afternoon, we headed out with Susan and Cathy to run some errands. We had dinner out, and that was pretty much the extent of our day. It was nice to do some normal things again!</div></div><div><br></div><div>Ahh, life off of our bikes :) This may be the most uninteresting blog post ever!</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-64304471641328963982013-09-19T10:22:00.000-07:002013-09-19T19:09:36.207-07:00Post Ride Day 3 - August 31, 2013 - Portland, OR to Seattle, WAWe still hadn't found some of the important articles of clothing we needed - specifically shoes - so we spent our day browsing through Nordstrom Rack, Ross, and Target. I'm a sucker for cheap stuff! We wanted to pick up everything we needed in Oregon to avoid paying sales tax in Washington. My score of the day - $14.90 shoes!<br>
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We hit up Chipotle for lunch, which you all know by now is Mel's favorite restaurant in all of creation. There is a running theme on our trip - we get to wherever we are going just in time to miss a huge crowd of people getting in line behind us. This is usually the opposite case in our real lives, as we usually get to the checkout at the grocery store just as everyone else has already jumped in front of us! Just as we were ordering our food at Chipotle, an entire high school girl's soccer team got in line behind us! Madness...<br>
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The biggest excitement of our day was that we were going to take Amtrak for the first time ever! I know this doesn't sound fun to a lot of you, but we were stoked :) We ended up having to walk forever (probably 2 miles, so not really forever) with our bikes, a duffel bag, and rolling carry-on luggage (not an easy task!) from our hotel to the train station. On the way, we passed what we think was a deceased homeless guy sprawled out in the gravel courtyard of an apartment complex. The police were on their way over to go check out the situation...yikes.<br>
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Getting on the train was an experience...we had to get tags for our bikes, but keep them with us. Then, everyone jumps in one long line and gets a seat assignment randomly on the way to board. You just walk right out onto the tracks to get on the train - no security screening or anything! So different from hopping on an airplane! We had to walk our bikes back to the baggage car at the end of the train, lift them up to the attendant on the train, and then they hang them for you in the car. We found our seats, and settled in for a 3.5 hour ride to Seattle. There were actually several other touring cyclists boarding the train with us. A couple of them asked where we had come from, and were impressed when we told them Virginia.<br>
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The scenery on the way up was beautiful - lakes, mountains, and forests the whole way. We dined in the bistro car on the best of expensive microwaveable fare (cheeseburger and cheese pizza). Mel watched Friends on her iPad while I watched Paranormal Activity 3 via Netflix on my phone (she doesn't enjoy scary movies, so I decided to work that one in while I was watching alone!). After several short stops - they barely come to a complete stop in some of the smaller towns along the way - we were unloading in Seattle!<br>
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We have been blessed with some great friends in Seattle, and two of them, Susan and Cathy, were waiting at the station to pick us up! We loaded our bikes and bags into their cars, and headed to a late dinner at Denny's, since it was about the only thing still open at 11pm! Susan and Cathy also graciously let us stay in their guest room for a few days - we couldn't be more thankful!<br>
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We had finally arrived in the city where we would spend our last couple of weeks of this journey. The Seattle area really feels like home to us, so it was comforting to be there after living as nomads for 3 months!Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-80370534910808387872013-09-16T14:02:00.000-07:002013-09-17T07:22:56.675-07:00Post Ride Day 2 - August 30, 2013 - Portland, OR to Astoria, OR and backNever being one to sit still somewhere for too long, I decided we needed to rent a car today and drive out to the coast to check out the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Astoria, OR. We got up early, hopped the Portland Light Rail to the airport, picked up our car and took off! The light rail in Portland is awesome, just in case you've never been on it. Clean, and efficient, and only $2.50 to anywhere you want to go!<br>
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We stopped briefly for lunch at the ever-fancy Taco Bell on the way out of town, and quickly could see the forests and mountains we loved on our journey laid out ahead of us...but with the added bonus that we didn't have to manually get ourselves up those hills today! We both were groaning watching other people struggle up hills on loaded bikes, and commiserated about how bad some of them would be on ours. A sure sign we were in need of a break :)<br>
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After another quick stop at a roadside fruit stand for banana chips and fresh local blueberries, we arrived in Seaside, OR. It was a pea soup fog kinda day there. I hear they have a lovely beach, but we didn't (couldn't) see it through the fog! They have a really lame outlet mall there too - we were hoping for much better since we are in dire need of real clothes - you know, things like pants that extend below the knee, shirts that aren't jerseys, and shoes that aren't sandals. The kind of stuff normal human beings wear...<br>
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The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park was neat - they have a replica fort representing the one that L&C wintered in when they were in the area, and some good information about their journey. Lewis and Clark are like superheroes in these parts - there are tons of things named after them!<br>
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After that, we checked out a bit of Astoria. In case you didn't know, parts of The Goonies were filmed in the town, so we also went to the Oregon Film Museum. It's tiny, and not that impressive, but we love The Goonies, so it was cool to see the jail cell where one of the Fratelli brothers pretended to hang himself to get out of jail, the museum where Mikey's dad worked, and the restaurant where Chunk smashes the milkshake up against the window during the opening car chase scene.<br>
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There was mad traffic going toward the coast on our way back - we then remembered it was the beginning of Labor Day weekend. Looked like all of Portland was headed to the beach for the long weekend - good thing we were headed the other way!<br>
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We hit up a mall in Portland, and bought nearly one of everything that H&M there had. Finally, some normal clothes again! We won't know what to do with ourselves :) After some lovely food court fare, it was getting late and we were getting dirty looks from the food court janitorial staff since it was nearly closing time and we were dirtying up their clean tables, so we headed for the airport to return the car, then hopped back on the light rail for the ride back downtown. Taylor Swift had a concert near the convention center, and at nearly 11pm, tons of teenage girls were hopping on the light rail with their mothers, their new TS shirts, and some with lighted posters they made to try to get Taylor's attention from the stage. Those mothers are saints!Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-46697592956943967802013-09-12T20:50:00.001-07:002013-09-16T13:38:49.556-07:00Post Ride Day 1 - August 29, 2013 - Florence, OR to Portland, ORNo riding at all today - it still hasn't sunk in that this journey that we planned and dreamed of for nearly 5 years is complete.<br />
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Jodi and Milly graciously offered to give us and our bikes a ride to Portland today. They really are the best! It was about a three hour drive, so they really sacrificed a lot of time for us. People just keep renewing our faith in humanity...</div>
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They dropped us off at our hotel in downtown Portland, and we headed out to wander around downtown.</div>
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We ended up having Thai food for dinner, then made the requisite stop at VooDoo Doughnuts for a few delicious treats on our way back to the hotel. We held back this time and only picked out two doughnuts a piece instead of going for the Voodoo Dozen like last time we were here. 2 people cannot (or at least SHOULD not) eat that many doughnuts over the course of a few short days!</div>
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We're still feeling the effects of spending nearly 3 months on bikes...our bodies definitely want some R&R!!</div>
Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-27492536224703006092013-09-04T16:49:00.001-07:002013-09-07T21:30:38.075-07:00Day 86 - August 28, 2013 - Florence, ORMiles - 12<div>Total mileage - 2,322</div><div><br></div><div>We had a glorious night of much needed rest in Jodi's cabin, and didn't even set an alarm! After some cereal, we picked Jodi's brain for a good location to dip our wheels in the ocean without having to haul our bikes over miles of sand. She gave us directions, and we took off down Highway 101.</div><div><br></div><div>We reached the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area after riding across a narrow bridge (yikes), and sailed down to the dunes. There were fine buggies racing around on the sand, they were pretty cool to watch. And we saw the ocean for the first time!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVl2TCSSY-W80lzuJ2eCuzZLwL6PvcmhyphenhyphenZZKwIupXSX-UG2BPecUofPzcNX2OiKkjoNpV55PtD1zmxOzZqXIxAiRtHJQP3X4ayY4BEtUN9o8kR8PxnQf2nIEgf_gfPo8aVTEO6Ahj7iCg/s640/blogger-image--1431880508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVl2TCSSY-W80lzuJ2eCuzZLwL6PvcmhyphenhyphenZZKwIupXSX-UG2BPecUofPzcNX2OiKkjoNpV55PtD1zmxOzZqXIxAiRtHJQP3X4ayY4BEtUN9o8kR8PxnQf2nIEgf_gfPo8aVTEO6Ahj7iCg/s640/blogger-image--1431880508.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We searched for a decent place to cross the dunes to dip our wheels in the ocean, and eventually I got sick of riding and we decided to just shove our bikes over the giant dunes. These things were massive, and extremely steep!!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazBHGgNoLjUHtD7pWUnBs6FfdG_HkNhbOwf3FkNC3ODVwscIRxbge928pkyRdt7ZskgkHHGZVJH9V-_G0Cs8sbQsq8h3dL6gcKJMKDBkdNwCVQi-1aO9O1ggKguK7yRj5uRutVnHqKbUL/s640/blogger-image--1974774230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazBHGgNoLjUHtD7pWUnBs6FfdG_HkNhbOwf3FkNC3ODVwscIRxbge928pkyRdt7ZskgkHHGZVJH9V-_G0Cs8sbQsq8h3dL6gcKJMKDBkdNwCVQi-1aO9O1ggKguK7yRj5uRutVnHqKbUL/s640/blogger-image--1974774230.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zbmGp2dpVC7wO9ulozL1irfgm5cdnhY3lPJ5USZolLxPPiDmlCyUSyMjYfEzZthSo2CEVClQUih_fPRnTh0Mtdt5ZQYZCbH4IEtjRH_T4rLa6aYXACPu6VAAExNHm4W5NhAzONpX0EEY/s640/blogger-image--296021119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zbmGp2dpVC7wO9ulozL1irfgm5cdnhY3lPJ5USZolLxPPiDmlCyUSyMjYfEzZthSo2CEVClQUih_fPRnTh0Mtdt5ZQYZCbH4IEtjRH_T4rLa6aYXACPu6VAAExNHm4W5NhAzONpX0EEY/s640/blogger-image--296021119.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuA0CXxoUWPuMbljluu8l_ege830kvR9twUZMDj2EXHdnpv9YFiu4oqJoRmm2uk_kGTQKFICnS7_wUrodMPOr2PY7l4tWF8GTCBQkx2QtJdaC409eH2Zu1miFvUI9QyPFkzvUaJf0jHY-/s640/blogger-image-1170512349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuA0CXxoUWPuMbljluu8l_ege830kvR9twUZMDj2EXHdnpv9YFiu4oqJoRmm2uk_kGTQKFICnS7_wUrodMPOr2PY7l4tWF8GTCBQkx2QtJdaC409eH2Zu1miFvUI9QyPFkzvUaJf0jHY-/s640/blogger-image-1170512349.jpg"></a></div> </div><div>We finally made it to the other side! And to the ocean!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzomqP1ZrlNVuLVjFTbTRMWj3ZLoo3wEukH4n7pBhws1pBWfMCkVDdt0Jlge0WigDEDQyoVCdT_EUWIvIaGYW5CJM0tn-GLldGY1gVinfPMpcPC3fcAN5AQnAw52pqj0vPrMlbBMa0UJ2/s640/blogger-image-460364077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzomqP1ZrlNVuLVjFTbTRMWj3ZLoo3wEukH4n7pBhws1pBWfMCkVDdt0Jlge0WigDEDQyoVCdT_EUWIvIaGYW5CJM0tn-GLldGY1gVinfPMpcPC3fcAN5AQnAw52pqj0vPrMlbBMa0UJ2/s640/blogger-image-460364077.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZR1XpWcwd2Rx7WeJv8LKGEggSnglJgEr3xXP0ICbevR3gu7_74vrnHf88ePByZ5iM2_1KcedWz6g-BTWEC6BorlTXk7Mo5DxXSl3IgmRu66CPKINRu05j2O9GGD91UiMtC7w1e14cU7Z/s640/blogger-image-1702435765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZR1XpWcwd2Rx7WeJv8LKGEggSnglJgEr3xXP0ICbevR3gu7_74vrnHf88ePByZ5iM2_1KcedWz6g-BTWEC6BorlTXk7Mo5DxXSl3IgmRu66CPKINRu05j2O9GGD91UiMtC7w1e14cU7Z/s640/blogger-image-1702435765.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvN2PAgGCbNT19dALIf-uMMDSFdR46YSPkYpfGxvvIEHpsAHr2vcScjoEd2ur736Vvy5zUf-qpeRnG5hTsZBn3Mb16fwXVnZ7_fIk8v8Ry7_r7XI8ydXYA9bZl8s-tCHE6qrVnQq6KIqO/s640/blogger-image--548592853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvN2PAgGCbNT19dALIf-uMMDSFdR46YSPkYpfGxvvIEHpsAHr2vcScjoEd2ur736Vvy5zUf-qpeRnG5hTsZBn3Mb16fwXVnZ7_fIk8v8Ry7_r7XI8ydXYA9bZl8s-tCHE6qrVnQq6KIqO/s640/blogger-image--548592853.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL5UDSysDNC4IT8AcVukOXN65Av-cDsKwVb9b85_m5uQgt75XgMt4pAMpDP_dSiS3Bz-6sbb8hQbfer7T4yLkRprXYhagt0AbiNg3_1WgHdoIhtgZBZcJGJSVgGaMIZK7k7BP9xP83epu/s640/blogger-image-950841662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL5UDSysDNC4IT8AcVukOXN65Av-cDsKwVb9b85_m5uQgt75XgMt4pAMpDP_dSiS3Bz-6sbb8hQbfer7T4yLkRprXYhagt0AbiNg3_1WgHdoIhtgZBZcJGJSVgGaMIZK7k7BP9xP83epu/s640/blogger-image-950841662.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Shep, Badtz, and Ozzy made it too!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2M7xXxqsSAJdL4lVeXTwtO1cqO6H9kjFfwbu0Ue0kM2O8OKUU2znsgL-TyZ8a0k_2GfvvwWYcpA9fQh9J1BCLo1VAojij1pAiOMMRAM21omSH7E1SsM74DmnGyitpZWIhNSqdjU6lS-ZG/s640/blogger-image--1690702470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2M7xXxqsSAJdL4lVeXTwtO1cqO6H9kjFfwbu0Ue0kM2O8OKUU2znsgL-TyZ8a0k_2GfvvwWYcpA9fQh9J1BCLo1VAojij1pAiOMMRAM21omSH7E1SsM74DmnGyitpZWIhNSqdjU6lS-ZG/s640/blogger-image--1690702470.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfh0dgOY-NSJWPIGpW7rnmZJsLTIhnyPncn4JaJI9tPCqTCZv_DNEXxrr1qCiyoy7MLKZLespI5f1TtOMX6sDD5EdI13PXht6-1mBwgpCMZUMJrlp-xHGeHmM58BabZlmkuXUZ8415OUb/s640/blogger-image-802117836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfh0dgOY-NSJWPIGpW7rnmZJsLTIhnyPncn4JaJI9tPCqTCZv_DNEXxrr1qCiyoy7MLKZLespI5f1TtOMX6sDD5EdI13PXht6-1mBwgpCMZUMJrlp-xHGeHmM58BabZlmkuXUZ8415OUb/s640/blogger-image-802117836.jpg"></a></div><br></div><img src="webkit-fake-url://C6C580A4-4B47-456B-85E3-63249EF0CDC2/imagejpeg"></div><div><br></div><div>We spent a few hours walking around on the beach, and just enjoying the symbolic end of this summer of adventures.</div><div><br></div><div>We really wanted to be able to personally thank everyone who supported and encouraged us during Looking Out Across America, so we recorded this short video. (To be added - you can find it on our Facebook page now if you'd like!)</div><div><br></div><div>Stay tuned - I know we will update everyone on what we have been up to since the end of our trip, and definitely will post a recap of the Raise the Roof annual fundraiser for the Looking Out Foundation, where we present the total funds raised for LOF and the Fight the Fear campaign!!!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-75377374805071587312013-08-31T18:54:00.001-07:002013-09-02T13:57:54.299-07:00Day 85 - August 27, 2013 - Eugene, OR to Florence, ORMiles - 80<div>Total mileage - 2,310</div><div><br></div><div>We originally had talked about splitting this final portion of our trip into two days, stopping about 14 miles short of Florence, camping for the night, and having a short and enjoyable last day's ride to the coast. As we left the hotel this morning, we were still undecided as to whether we would make a run for it all at once, or split it up - as you can see, we went for broke and made it in one day!</div><div><br></div><div>Our hotel was right on the river in Eugene, and also right on the awesome bike path that ran along the river. We hopped on the path and headed north out of town.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ISZtkbVoV-GgKXlL6uqmLOF9jFDwP_qoNN-ew2Ls8LG8yKob54vxaDHU9OkoZeby_OteJZQwhb_rF8_iDCGsBN-wBQTTVzt2eTuBJto441c9zWyKkE5r3iLDDH8uWAmHIfltrN79GzFq/s640/blogger-image--648647606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ISZtkbVoV-GgKXlL6uqmLOF9jFDwP_qoNN-ew2Ls8LG8yKob54vxaDHU9OkoZeby_OteJZQwhb_rF8_iDCGsBN-wBQTTVzt2eTuBJto441c9zWyKkE5r3iLDDH8uWAmHIfltrN79GzFq/s640/blogger-image--648647606.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After a quick stop at Mickey D's for breakfast (we were the only people there on a Tuesday morning who weren't pushing 90!), we were pedaling out of Eugene and past a dam. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb4XpjaMX42oKRkrM5kuTTdOaqJ_nof8D2pMXJn3bzUGb2-GikbfoAvvnEB-6MZI98VBL_0BvkadKV3w7a_vUJSbMYReijaddOWAWZXlqazscEn7k1BkpcXUCeqxxL2kNTNZ89LmzAbAV/s640/blogger-image--1431151889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb4XpjaMX42oKRkrM5kuTTdOaqJ_nof8D2pMXJn3bzUGb2-GikbfoAvvnEB-6MZI98VBL_0BvkadKV3w7a_vUJSbMYReijaddOWAWZXlqazscEn7k1BkpcXUCeqxxL2kNTNZ89LmzAbAV/s640/blogger-image--1431151889.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>There were only 2 noticeable climbs left, and they were tackled before we were even 30 miles in. Shortly after the first one, we came to our first Florence sign!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsdx9QK_09AQVE_iP5rwsyjZPBWEW_tk1P5Rp1SG9gQDRJSd_sP67nN-zU8lnClJCwUtsYae4DXZAF8DBlG7tOn_dtlyFYj3inRIXNG_edo7AgtoAGvWaiyt03wOhcIGiyj8cTwRUMTSG/s640/blogger-image--227756807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsdx9QK_09AQVE_iP5rwsyjZPBWEW_tk1P5Rp1SG9gQDRJSd_sP67nN-zU8lnClJCwUtsYae4DXZAF8DBlG7tOn_dtlyFYj3inRIXNG_edo7AgtoAGvWaiyt03wOhcIGiyj8cTwRUMTSG/s640/blogger-image--227756807.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The last climb was rather sustained, which meant Mel went pedaling on past while I took about 10 breaks on my way to the summit! It was nice at the top to know that we had tackled the last big challenge of this journey :)</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbjag4UrFnYYVv2ZUsG_okroVvyQiN3x3npYDJQwCOUsfUX9KvI8EPDJg_jIMA7PJ2Ygl-2zRLstyfBDX4jKLtnAkenNM4Bl1ueMi1qNFliPxCdLi8VwpTz8a4nMN_scbqVQ0D8FE8uk5/s640/blogger-image-1416756753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbjag4UrFnYYVv2ZUsG_okroVvyQiN3x3npYDJQwCOUsfUX9KvI8EPDJg_jIMA7PJ2Ygl-2zRLstyfBDX4jKLtnAkenNM4Bl1ueMi1qNFliPxCdLi8VwpTz8a4nMN_scbqVQ0D8FE8uk5/s640/blogger-image-1416756753.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We enjoyed the last big downhill to, and continued on past Triangle Lake, and through some beautiful Oregon countryside.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieby6TXxJlQtTU5OQd5a_FXoTbwByP3C7VU2PwLKPpUdwGJf3WuRnZTTCcjnkK8uylz8oeV7xip-hzXLl5IIf5Dy60cnIAwpbxnfEEnug4vEtlzcwgZ1Y4Ir8o-Y5YTckgrUzdYhlI6WKV/s640/blogger-image-433436712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieby6TXxJlQtTU5OQd5a_FXoTbwByP3C7VU2PwLKPpUdwGJf3WuRnZTTCcjnkK8uylz8oeV7xip-hzXLl5IIf5Dy60cnIAwpbxnfEEnug4vEtlzcwgZ1Y4Ir8o-Y5YTckgrUzdYhlI6WKV/s640/blogger-image-433436712.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IdbXty_69c1OGruCfrBdhfV00AtOe0KVkADK7lCqVokYHqopDXXB6TcVVlEg-3dIl64QnBnlssICxZVW_xLNxDEmmDEP97NcphY1c-iWn5iERpgGMnMoRyt9ZEIEnKSR4BKjLGiv4iZ5/s640/blogger-image--1603829358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IdbXty_69c1OGruCfrBdhfV00AtOe0KVkADK7lCqVokYHqopDXXB6TcVVlEg-3dIl64QnBnlssICxZVW_xLNxDEmmDEP97NcphY1c-iWn5iERpgGMnMoRyt9ZEIEnKSR4BKjLGiv4iZ5/s640/blogger-image--1603829358.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We stopped for drinks and a snack at a country store in the tiny hamlet of Deadwood, and took a little break outside on their picnic tables. I (Erica) was pretty tired, and we still had almost 30 miles to go to Florence. We were still undecided about our final destination for the day at this point.</div><div><br></div><div>We pedaled through a few more tiny towns, and finally got to our decision point for how far we would go - Mapleton. This was the last camping option before Florence, and only 14 miles from the coast. We stopped in to another convenience store for our last convenience store snack of the trip!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCRVRmPpAGS1Qfm65x6j24pXKFK8GVJzx9lFxlz6IY3Aecfa9UelfmHNtTKflGb89Hnl4PauS4xCMUCcWflBnTjsYyEb8mIx2Tcdv1kKztLF5nX9XyoVLsOKMXCYA3lGmmKB9PrxZBc9s/s640/blogger-image--253706252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCRVRmPpAGS1Qfm65x6j24pXKFK8GVJzx9lFxlz6IY3Aecfa9UelfmHNtTKflGb89Hnl4PauS4xCMUCcWflBnTjsYyEb8mIx2Tcdv1kKztLF5nX9XyoVLsOKMXCYA3lGmmKB9PrxZBc9s/s640/blogger-image--253706252.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>As we have done so many times this summer, we parked it on the sidewalk in front of the store and took in some fuel. At this point, I had decided that I wanted to press on and get to the coast today, we were ready for the conclusion of the trip, and would rather not drag it out for another day. We still had plenty of daylight, and only 14 miles of gradual downhill to go to Florence!</div><div><br></div><div>It was then that we met Jodi - she pulled up in her car to the market, asked where we were heading for the night, and when we said Florence, she asked if we had a place to stay. We definitely didn't, and had been planning on camping, but Jodi graciously offered us her cabin she built behind her home, and also picked up dinner for us to enjoy once we arrived at her place! With renewed enthusiasm, we pedaled down he river headed to the ocean!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisO-s_U-hl9jZYhXipIT8AHs61u5EefhhUGWtdXxDwt3GTH4eiySYxTzfDIAzIbFWUkk_NBmQ_3hgobEyOAyj20mCvSIBwPGv3PGXqHFm85scbI-I4J-yMmeBx77gI0fILifGYuZ4bLBXo/s640/blogger-image--2026113626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisO-s_U-hl9jZYhXipIT8AHs61u5EefhhUGWtdXxDwt3GTH4eiySYxTzfDIAzIbFWUkk_NBmQ_3hgobEyOAyj20mCvSIBwPGv3PGXqHFm85scbI-I4J-yMmeBx77gI0fILifGYuZ4bLBXo/s640/blogger-image--2026113626.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNJR8Fd0cs8eD_9tHD95ARg8T-DmhheV599DGaQbrput5K_qjQvhZRKwMWc0F2B5cG8xG2H59IUbwz-7JjAcJ1y4fg0aFav3D_FEDQffio7VD6aAAJFczGv_4S1UhBfeh9pRsayKvp-go/s640/blogger-image--358898584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNJR8Fd0cs8eD_9tHD95ARg8T-DmhheV599DGaQbrput5K_qjQvhZRKwMWc0F2B5cG8xG2H59IUbwz-7JjAcJ1y4fg0aFav3D_FEDQffio7VD6aAAJFczGv_4S1UhBfeh9pRsayKvp-go/s640/blogger-image--358898584.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQW6IoNMf-g1kb4rDhjfSBgYWyZ4rRPTSkS3hqsaBIASDlE98FZ5DZ6iPLoxC_GBmML-ElgEkemJxSLd3YUjx_8XDb5SBWAEducZM43IAz3oW2tcxnvtHw6SevrLBmkMEvx89DtKqTUhfm/s640/blogger-image--1555869920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQW6IoNMf-g1kb4rDhjfSBgYWyZ4rRPTSkS3hqsaBIASDlE98FZ5DZ6iPLoxC_GBmML-ElgEkemJxSLd3YUjx_8XDb5SBWAEducZM43IAz3oW2tcxnvtHw6SevrLBmkMEvx89DtKqTUhfm/s640/blogger-image--1555869920.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Finally, we arrived it Florence!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMXcM5pngksYuwZ-bwirkxf8viQwzWQVNG9z9n85xTy69FQaEuzRotMQOSSmnzU982gKQbhUULh9iD8fsr4sfxdOp6mFhsE21IOVWXfxSn_yRkjBP896pGtPxhNIQSKyoQtr1WFkAER6m/s640/blogger-image--1898500275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMXcM5pngksYuwZ-bwirkxf8viQwzWQVNG9z9n85xTy69FQaEuzRotMQOSSmnzU982gKQbhUULh9iD8fsr4sfxdOp6mFhsE21IOVWXfxSn_yRkjBP896pGtPxhNIQSKyoQtr1WFkAER6m/s640/blogger-image--1898500275.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We wanted to try to find a beach to dip our wheels in that night, but the best we could do was a boat ramp on the river. People probably thought we were nuts, but oh well. The picture is on the real camera, so it'll have to come later. We planned to find the real beach tomorrow, after we find a suitable place to get our bikes out to the water.</div><div><br></div><div>We did that, then headed to Jodi's. she welcomed us to the cabin, and invited us in for dinner after we got settled. How nice! Jodi is a retired folk singer, Milly still works in town, and they became friends when they were both correctional officers in Texas. They have traveled all over together, and have such interesting lives!</div><div><br></div><div>We changed clothes and came inside, and met Jodi's friend Milly, who shares the house with her. We enjoyed a lovely meal, followed by ice cream cones, yum! Jodi and Milly both ride recumbent trikes - these things look awesomely comfortable!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIf34-zLwBjNDkfL3ad1Tad15DwSlo9ag5KFy-7SUyGfD0lLHF0n8Miz8uwcCsjajV__aAq6nWkps0XoYncFbte8hNd0Jg3G2PbhypKy8ioGX-QyOQJffU_s0TLZEGhPDzsglV7eNewp_w/s640/blogger-image-1881438250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIf34-zLwBjNDkfL3ad1Tad15DwSlo9ag5KFy-7SUyGfD0lLHF0n8Miz8uwcCsjajV__aAq6nWkps0XoYncFbte8hNd0Jg3G2PbhypKy8ioGX-QyOQJffU_s0TLZEGhPDzsglV7eNewp_w/s640/blogger-image-1881438250.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>We had some good conversation, the retired to the cabin. Jodi made sure to leave the back door open for us in case we needed to use the bathroom during the night. We are continually awed by the generosity and kindness of people!</div><div><br></div><div>We had a great night of much needed sleep in the cabin!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RFhbB7BYZTjQaZsUzbGnLKrIOiFT78Qvp7LPCiEC6FmK1i92FTJjlSXxmSE0U_ujc4Rnl5uu6lGw_1f3zDaG7TBMK8qMC3RL116gv9Q6PBQTT_sAnNoBzsqk7qA39bRjJ3dkZtKnGoDJ/s640/blogger-image--1841630675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RFhbB7BYZTjQaZsUzbGnLKrIOiFT78Qvp7LPCiEC6FmK1i92FTJjlSXxmSE0U_ujc4Rnl5uu6lGw_1f3zDaG7TBMK8qMC3RL116gv9Q6PBQTT_sAnNoBzsqk7qA39bRjJ3dkZtKnGoDJ/s640/blogger-image--1841630675.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We had such an eventful day, and an emotional one knowing that our journey is officially complete, and that we would wake up tomorrow with nowhere to pedal. The rest is welcome, but we will sincerely miss the adventure.</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-32347240325817985432013-08-29T20:59:00.001-07:002013-08-31T18:48:57.796-07:00Day 84 - August 26, 2013 - Springfield, OR to Eugene, ORMiles - 8 ish?<div><br></div><div>Today was another unintended day off. We got ourselves all packed up and ready to go, and were headed down the hall of the hotel...I noticed that rolling my bike down the hallway felt slightly strange, and just thought that maybe it just felt different with all of our gear reconfigured. Then, Erica says "Ummm...your back tire is flat." All I could say was "Ugh." But I wasn't incredibly surprised. As we were riding down Highway 126 a couple of days earlier, I was constantly dodging stuff on the road. At one point, I was pretty sure I ran over a tack on the road. I was pretty bummed about the flat tire for a couple of reasons: I knew we had to find a shop to go get it taken care of (don't judge...back tires are a pain in the arse to fix and in our previous attempt to change a flat on my back tire, we ended up pinching the tube and wasted a bunch of time and a new tube) and this was costing us time on the road. </div><div><br></div><div>But first things first, we stopped in to the post office and sent lots of stuff back home. Erica is quite the master at packing, and she managed to fit tons of our gear into a box to ship home. </div><div>Then, we attempted to inflate my tire just enough to get us to the local Performance Bicycle store. The crew there was really cool and the technician was super fast at changing my tube, making sure to check my tire for any remaining debris. We chatted about bikes and our trip, and he was pretty impressed we didn't have any other mechanical issues. When we went to pay him, he just said "This one is on the house! Have a great rest of your trip!" I continue to be amazed at the kindness of people. </div><div><br></div><div>Now we were approaching lunch time, so we made the decision to stay in town again, this time in Eugene. We hit up Chipotle for lunch again (my wife is so awesome for tolerating my love of this place) and found a room at a nice hotel right along the river, which had a great bike path! </div><div><br></div><div>We wandered over to the shopping mall and decided to catch a movie (Despicable Me 2). Later on, we enjoyed the hot tub at the hotel, followed by a nice dinner at Noodles and Co. We went to bed pretty early in anticipation of our last day of biking ahead of us. </div>Melhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03575872522536576467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-20780331286422115622013-08-29T20:24:00.001-07:002013-08-31T18:49:20.651-07:00Day 83 - August 25, 2013 - Springfield, ORMiles - 0<div><br></div><div>We kept seeing a 30% chance of rain in the forecast for this day and were hoping we could make it out of town, but the rain and storms moved in overnight and we didn't feel like taking the risk. The night before, we had some trouble deciding on a route to take to Florence...we could either continue to ride down 126, a constantly busy road, but less miles, or take 36 out of Eugene and up a small pass, less traffic, but adding a few more miles. We spent a lot of time weighing these options and even considered splitting the ride to Florence over two days. Unable to make a decision meant a rough night of sleep. When we awoke to a rainy day, I think we were both relieved to have another day to make a decision. </div><div><br></div><div>We knew that we could begin the process of sending some of our gear home, so we took some time looking through all of our stuff and deciding what we knew we could live without for the rest of our trip. It still amazes me how much stuff our bikes can carry, and how amazingly light they feel without all of our stuff on them! We decided to go buy a duffel bag to have once we shipped our gear home, so we could consolidate our clothes and necessities down to one bag. Thank goodness it is back to school season, as we found a pretty good deal on a bag! Of course, our mid-day shopping trip would not be complete without a quick lunch stop at the local Chipotle. </div><div><br></div><div>We spent the rest of the day reconfiguring our gear and making a giant pile of stuff to send home. At least the rainy day was a productive one! </div>Melhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03575872522536576467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-33274361862030503522013-08-26T13:12:00.001-07:002013-08-29T20:14:53.290-07:00Day 82 - August 24, 2013 - McKenzie Bridge, OR to Springfield, ORMiles - 52<div>Total mileage - 2,222</div><div><br></div><div>We awoke in our rainforest campsite, ate some nutritious powdered sugar donuts purchased at the country store last evening, packed up camp, and headed out. It was chilly this morning, and we were both in long sleeves when we started pedaling.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-0wE5zpg35_opRcuHLFT52Gs-p8ZX8UjbpZyTnZJX4SKM7ciqm_XU_cXO_SnvrtAgz_sNXkdn_UbauROwSQ5YUMrKjUDE72R0Y0j4axamJ5Rt7RgPkUKH3TOet2uw8TOusL9TWc17apX/s640/blogger-image-289329237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-0wE5zpg35_opRcuHLFT52Gs-p8ZX8UjbpZyTnZJX4SKM7ciqm_XU_cXO_SnvrtAgz_sNXkdn_UbauROwSQ5YUMrKjUDE72R0Y0j4axamJ5Rt7RgPkUKH3TOet2uw8TOusL9TWc17apX/s640/blogger-image-289329237.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Luckily, a few miles down the road we came to a convenience store with hot coffee to warm us up! After a short break, we were back on the road.</div><div><br></div><div>The time we spent on Highway 126 today was mostly a gradual downhill, with a small shoulder to ride on. Traffic wasnt too heavy, but the road is definitely well traveled. We rode past another bicycle traveler who was waiting at a bus stop when we rode by, then he passed us by in not too long. Must have decided to skip the bus!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyLJnTrRgacVxK5r8lKwzR4IzK4TIKOMV4lhIO_8O3mAo6w3X01vDTTjXisRq1MQck7bL2fcPQ2Hv-N7yFIGfYyj9_SqHck_8bWRHc41hBS86IXrDeSpM9vKU_Ibk9mvSdoMzOZ4ET5V-/s640/blogger-image--510635986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyLJnTrRgacVxK5r8lKwzR4IzK4TIKOMV4lhIO_8O3mAo6w3X01vDTTjXisRq1MQck7bL2fcPQ2Hv-N7yFIGfYyj9_SqHck_8bWRHc41hBS86IXrDeSpM9vKU_Ibk9mvSdoMzOZ4ET5V-/s640/blogger-image--510635986.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We stopped for lunch in Vida, at the only restaurant, the Vida Cafe. This place was pretty busy after we sat down! Looked to be a good mix of locals and tourists camping in the area for the weekend.</div><div><br></div><div>We had the McKenzie River on our left for most of the day - our favorite roads are flanked by a river and beautiful forests! We ride through a virtual tunnel of trees at some points today, such a pretty ride!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzmAQBQbzcdcgaTzCFQa6FdOBUAw8nzYnIs4v_k7JpNkKbThWuJ2uiGGBz6oCiAkL-KGBEeuieYVa5XjAawuZrvKvDwupHvtiLbSyu0l3bw62oCedYBLf2ZYcvfsX-LolBtbkA7paustt/s640/blogger-image-991698571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzmAQBQbzcdcgaTzCFQa6FdOBUAw8nzYnIs4v_k7JpNkKbThWuJ2uiGGBz6oCiAkL-KGBEeuieYVa5XjAawuZrvKvDwupHvtiLbSyu0l3bw62oCedYBLf2ZYcvfsX-LolBtbkA7paustt/s640/blogger-image-991698571.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We stopped in another small town for a cold drink, and found a pretty unique art studio across the road - complete with its own Conderella carriage!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mqbXjkxco64TStPiX6w92m9rpeXezow0-iAQ54VJtnVAfnbamRfU4K0URyJYWBh6WKLx6iINiqOV2Jm9dGV5WoREpJy7HFfuYJ3SrAkAQ9KcgQS_PCwlmA_fRNq1MqL7XkglPC6pPZD_/s640/blogger-image-1314768380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mqbXjkxco64TStPiX6w92m9rpeXezow0-iAQ54VJtnVAfnbamRfU4K0URyJYWBh6WKLx6iINiqOV2Jm9dGV5WoREpJy7HFfuYJ3SrAkAQ9KcgQS_PCwlmA_fRNq1MqL7XkglPC6pPZD_/s640/blogger-image-1314768380.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We turned onto a less traveled country road near the end of the day. The scenery changed from forest back to rural farms and ranches as we approached Springfield. On the outskirts of town, we found bike lanes again! Yay! Bicycle friendly cities are the best! The rest of our ride was through busy city streets to our hotel.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TwRqSnOPhbSUdzbtTdT-4OHCNK4Y9nPcmIyZW3aMuZQz4ePNaJBc-EO37tIPi09ebtqxPDwUiszplIjLP7e1ZJzDiTY2C9li-7JfRO5iSAs9yq2STzCZH1Yh-VrpyR7_xETTfqQWfzob/s640/blogger-image-1124678442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TwRqSnOPhbSUdzbtTdT-4OHCNK4Y9nPcmIyZW3aMuZQz4ePNaJBc-EO37tIPi09ebtqxPDwUiszplIjLP7e1ZJzDiTY2C9li-7JfRO5iSAs9yq2STzCZH1Yh-VrpyR7_xETTfqQWfzob/s640/blogger-image-1124678442.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After a quick dinner at Taco Bell (only the best!), we took to going through our stuff and deciding what to send home as we headed out the next day. With only two days of riding left at the most, we wanted to lighten our load a bit. The feeling in our room that night was pretty melancholy - so hard to believe this adventure is nearly over, this thing we planned and looked forward to for so long will soon only be a collection of memories as we get back to reality...</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-1842839963991055272013-08-25T11:52:00.001-07:002013-08-25T20:45:58.181-07:00Day 81 - August 23, 2013 - Sisters, OR to McKenzie Bridge, ORMiles - 42<div>Total mileage - 2,169</div><div><br></div><div>Finally McKenzie Pass day! We were excited to tackle our last mountain pass of the trip, looking forward to the beautiful scenery along the way, but also experiencing a little trepidation - we had 15 miles to the top, and we weren't sure how tough the grade would be.</div><div><br></div><div>We enjoyed some of the berries we got from the fruit stand for breakfast, packed up, and got on the road. It was still a little cool out, but felt nice, and the forest smelled lovely after the rain the orevious day!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHKmYdcksX2MpF_-fy9XbgjXMrsPGMXp62Be44lxxT_CSANvd-YHLR054-Gf73pfwgDvmYFEk9SkHNKVXAp0jC-MsX2Z4RMul023vtcRhohoA1agssa5j4iTHMhlh9YEoc2rLIx9c9i63/s640/blogger-image-1169971670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHKmYdcksX2MpF_-fy9XbgjXMrsPGMXp62Be44lxxT_CSANvd-YHLR054-Gf73pfwgDvmYFEk9SkHNKVXAp0jC-MsX2Z4RMul023vtcRhohoA1agssa5j4iTHMhlh9YEoc2rLIx9c9i63/s640/blogger-image-1169971670.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The first 7 or 8 miles were relatively flat, taking us to the base of the mountains through the Deschutes National Forest.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi611wJhPfdRYs_FTxLc6tAOV4EinWr_0wlaP24AvJK-bYm0wqahL3kODK2YJRixyPx7hAevI4t7Q-L4ezKW1VERdLoDqjIuITyhfN8PyR0UFPBjHQ2GEaBD1LaVyzB35_GpGUMHaCk_P8c/s640/blogger-image--438121918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi611wJhPfdRYs_FTxLc6tAOV4EinWr_0wlaP24AvJK-bYm0wqahL3kODK2YJRixyPx7hAevI4t7Q-L4ezKW1VERdLoDqjIuITyhfN8PyR0UFPBjHQ2GEaBD1LaVyzB35_GpGUMHaCk_P8c/s640/blogger-image--438121918.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We saw this lovely sign:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqLQ0zna3cCoycXsAf1vsbmzEV3NrmjET2y2Rsvjh3yFsUhO9y19PBQ8_K4EhGzGnfI3g3ywdNfYxxC9U_SGJipwHyEZPdN0NW8twUp4ioYeCrmd9zYWSRPyt_dH4_L45Jc3IU9y2EqCM/s640/blogger-image--1340623781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqLQ0zna3cCoycXsAf1vsbmzEV3NrmjET2y2Rsvjh3yFsUhO9y19PBQ8_K4EhGzGnfI3g3ywdNfYxxC9U_SGJipwHyEZPdN0NW8twUp4ioYeCrmd9zYWSRPyt_dH4_L45Jc3IU9y2EqCM/s640/blogger-image--1340623781.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>McKenzie Pass is a big deal for cyclists. In fact, the pass is closed in the winter because it gets so snowy, but they plow one lane through it about a month before it opens to vehicles for cyclists and hikers. Cyclists make treks from all over to ride the road without any car traffic! Google pictures of that if you have time, they are pretty impressive!</div><div><br></div><div>After those initial miles, the grade got steeper rather quickly. Just for a short bit though - we spun away in some of our easier gears and kept at it, taking several breaks. There wasnt much traffic, as promised, and we did see tons of cyclists (all one light road bikes without any other gear) pedal by us on their way up. One guys stopped to chat - he was visiting his mom in the area and came over to do the ride up the pass. Another couple passed us cheering us on...I'm sure we look a sight as we struggle away up the hill with pounds and pounds of stuff on our bikes!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OTwnxwRMDOoydjyIT-xIcIQqOjmmz93bGtS91PNOoUcZDP_j_NWeD2m9jCZNAzMxHW8qBaa_G1RD_VcEvK8dbqJUJQ3Hj0Kyw9gqZGTVTrKpTZAOK6dj5MBPMYkHNSVvMy-r_8Ks9dom/s640/blogger-image--4742377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OTwnxwRMDOoydjyIT-xIcIQqOjmmz93bGtS91PNOoUcZDP_j_NWeD2m9jCZNAzMxHW8qBaa_G1RD_VcEvK8dbqJUJQ3Hj0Kyw9gqZGTVTrKpTZAOK6dj5MBPMYkHNSVvMy-r_8Ks9dom/s640/blogger-image--4742377.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The lava rocks started making their appearance soon enough:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uEH9fcnxYyMc1RtW3SMpQ-RksEMs276GXajAcf2AbAWwoZqlql0n-9mLjdpPHiaWuGf7ABFs9wRX7AgYtAJimAcimjL5dvwNp_euRc0W5frwwusCIMgFaq-ukIbaNwxbE4sUnHDoVdyE/s640/blogger-image-1813874344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uEH9fcnxYyMc1RtW3SMpQ-RksEMs276GXajAcf2AbAWwoZqlql0n-9mLjdpPHiaWuGf7ABFs9wRX7AgYtAJimAcimjL5dvwNp_euRc0W5frwwusCIMgFaq-ukIbaNwxbE4sUnHDoVdyE/s640/blogger-image-1813874344.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Then we got closer to the summit and found this :</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDkVuRrA2KPUKK_rNEJpqaNOVW6nUuLRcHRIhMpNmf6ErmXI2nvYlQE3u-2h40WpV-w6f1ewh0PwbZrhNU_lFh4eqJUeNFzqhlxZRjwWyx8D3Vtjxl1okVnCRgyrn8OOjyG99plnBCrfs/s640/blogger-image-1752144737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDkVuRrA2KPUKK_rNEJpqaNOVW6nUuLRcHRIhMpNmf6ErmXI2nvYlQE3u-2h40WpV-w6f1ewh0PwbZrhNU_lFh4eqJUeNFzqhlxZRjwWyx8D3Vtjxl1okVnCRgyrn8OOjyG99plnBCrfs/s640/blogger-image-1752144737.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Lava flows! Such a night and day difference as you head up this thing! A group of three cyclists passed us on their way back down, and told us the last 3 miles to the top are rolling and not so bad. That was all the motivation we needed...the last 3 miles went by quickly! We met a couple at the top from Canada spending their vacation driving around Oregon doing day trips by bike. Sounds like fun. In fact, their first date was a trip to Africa to climb Kilamanjaro! Cool couple!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9w8pOcGL094w7s22acBgEIYLcqlDm3-jqj-A_qElvcfdJ4g9vzTBOJYDPhSURHBIXi1fPbflconCuHsVFU4Eb5mprqBF357bQ8hY07Y4BcjWVSPJg7TuSw-QWspyVHLXNIH9GpSNZN8I/s640/blogger-image--540776257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9w8pOcGL094w7s22acBgEIYLcqlDm3-jqj-A_qElvcfdJ4g9vzTBOJYDPhSURHBIXi1fPbflconCuHsVFU4Eb5mprqBF357bQ8hY07Y4BcjWVSPJg7TuSw-QWspyVHLXNIH9GpSNZN8I/s640/blogger-image--540776257.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It was windy and cold at the top of the pass, and you could see mountains all around. Some still snow covered, with glaciers that never melt. Very pretty, and interesting see all of the contrasting landscapes.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzQaZG5mTg_SGXOaSJpheLJ8P9Vkyno4NKh_mPrGWO7Z1qKypnZ7T6C8srSJH1X2ZP6fNdxJJ1HC7XCAXBjLfew3FqnjHyaUVpqfMNmazEPmabP7lelQwDM8lsX4vgkLoBz-dZ85u4FiB/s640/blogger-image-1145280360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzQaZG5mTg_SGXOaSJpheLJ8P9Vkyno4NKh_mPrGWO7Z1qKypnZ7T6C8srSJH1X2ZP6fNdxJJ1HC7XCAXBjLfew3FqnjHyaUVpqfMNmazEPmabP7lelQwDM8lsX4vgkLoBz-dZ85u4FiB/s640/blogger-image-1145280360.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The road meanders a bit atop the pass, then finally, graciously, begins the long descent down the opposite side. I'm going out on a limb to call today the best day of the trip. We felt accomplished pedaling the entire pass, then had a spectacular almost 20 miles of beautiful descent. Some of the hairpin turns were tough, and we had to stop a few times to give our hands a rest from braking, but it was fabulous. Surrounded by towering evergreens, cruising through a virtual tunnel of trees, breathing in the fresh mountain air...I'm so glad this day was saved for one of the last of our trip. It doesn't get much better.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnBvPiGfNsGA_rtKo7SmNkaYUk0ieBvSH8dsjVH_k754dyFdNaODEXPGrbQuaEFqElWzi2oyFKXkJ1cfJ3DwRqI0b9fxNfP4tiP97QGke-Cna1TOEU15zx9BoAHbqJLuwsqDek5HAT-4e/s640/blogger-image--1560112423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnBvPiGfNsGA_rtKo7SmNkaYUk0ieBvSH8dsjVH_k754dyFdNaODEXPGrbQuaEFqElWzi2oyFKXkJ1cfJ3DwRqI0b9fxNfP4tiP97QGke-Cna1TOEU15zx9BoAHbqJLuwsqDek5HAT-4e/s640/blogger-image--1560112423.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfKnmrsnEp1znYRAFlK7AmHM8pHbkXZkonQBTxJK29LjMSjsSt47Yg4fcvqEH9Q2kkKa7bIV6ctT26RQyr9wpRS__BSFwQTX-UX8Jd7qdeHGY4i25pl54sK0jfYy1_vEzuYhkyRfiCKYy/s640/blogger-image--1329812549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfKnmrsnEp1znYRAFlK7AmHM8pHbkXZkonQBTxJK29LjMSjsSt47Yg4fcvqEH9Q2kkKa7bIV6ctT26RQyr9wpRS__BSFwQTX-UX8Jd7qdeHGY4i25pl54sK0jfYy1_vEzuYhkyRfiCKYy/s640/blogger-image--1329812549.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi7LTINujdpQ7ZkDXinZQ7Qp4u1wElErXRYOppTo9dyBZJ-GnWmG-BWxH4VLNKV_0A-FbwhSQwqPG41HhcPlZlov87VobksNG_SBBQSARYdhqcIqAH4C4_6-9mpslP6zw2wM7VowVP3xu/s640/blogger-image-1603401278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi7LTINujdpQ7ZkDXinZQ7Qp4u1wElErXRYOppTo9dyBZJ-GnWmG-BWxH4VLNKV_0A-FbwhSQwqPG41HhcPlZlov87VobksNG_SBBQSARYdhqcIqAH4C4_6-9mpslP6zw2wM7VowVP3xu/s640/blogger-image-1603401278.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNIk4thjVBu7JKK5ws10uP8YYHHxqCnt1VcUyRmOiEQPjtnQkG73Yzl-TRJikrhs5iEMzuLAbjqoyQ82TZ39HT0yxRLwzmKJCPmivfsxS-MAbhe_6UARHi2tzRICx-ohkKgmuiXV01Uo1/s640/blogger-image--845203213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNIk4thjVBu7JKK5ws10uP8YYHHxqCnt1VcUyRmOiEQPjtnQkG73Yzl-TRJikrhs5iEMzuLAbjqoyQ82TZ39HT0yxRLwzmKJCPmivfsxS-MAbhe_6UARHi2tzRICx-ohkKgmuiXV01Uo1/s640/blogger-image--845203213.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>We eventually met up with the busier highway, but has a wide shoulder up where we are, and cruised on into the little hamlet of McKenzie Bridge. We arrived at the one small deli in town 10 minutes before they were due to close at 4:30. The lady was gracious enough to serve us a late lunch and tell us she wasn't in any hurry anyway. People are so nice!</div><div><br></div><div>We devoured lunch, headed to the country store for dinner and breakfast snacks, the onto the USFS McKenzie Bridge Campground. There were only a couple of campsites left since it was Friday night, unfortunately the ones right on the river were all occupied, so we picked one and set up camp.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OsMTSifOwbmeXichf42oA3bzVk9oyjEqTbxHtstx1Sdd8jnIC6XL4Jtyh0i9eGlkhQ3cHJj7joNw-P1lKYWnCdd1hVxoOxYd0BgTNBNr8d1gWySecOPhH2TJA770IeHdnatgKCacIDUV/s640/blogger-image--604046062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OsMTSifOwbmeXichf42oA3bzVk9oyjEqTbxHtstx1Sdd8jnIC6XL4Jtyh0i9eGlkhQ3cHJj7joNw-P1lKYWnCdd1hVxoOxYd0BgTNBNr8d1gWySecOPhH2TJA770IeHdnatgKCacIDUV/s640/blogger-image--604046062.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UixbjVZGl_FAaTVnFe7wcERHqM1rGFHrFIr2izhEpsdIIhBAYBWU4qtvr8nXRePQ38FItXHXE5NByhcd1TjnZJWQcSS2D38XiykpmnXJ2E6RmFXTW8SxswFQLdNAEu5LZbtKyd7ABZ5o/s640/blogger-image-1236444206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UixbjVZGl_FAaTVnFe7wcERHqM1rGFHrFIr2izhEpsdIIhBAYBWU4qtvr8nXRePQ38FItXHXE5NByhcd1TjnZJWQcSS2D38XiykpmnXJ2E6RmFXTW8SxswFQLdNAEu5LZbtKyd7ABZ5o/s640/blogger-image-1236444206.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It felt like being in a rainforest...the ferns and trees created a secluded cocoon around us. We took some snacks later on and went to sit at a table by the river and just enjoy nature. This is what I call camping!</div><div><br></div><div>It was not even 7:00 yet, but we were both exhausted. We forced our eyes to stay open long enough to watch a few episodes of Friends, then succumbed to the exhaustion of the day.</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-64614945662662853362013-08-25T08:56:00.001-07:002013-08-25T08:59:38.540-07:00Day 80 - August 22, 2013 - Sisters, OR - Rest DayTaking a rest day today before tackling McKenzie Pass. Our legs desperately need a break!<div><br></div><div>We wandered around town a bit, had lunch in the second oldest building in Sisters, checked out the famous Sisters Bakery, bought some fresh berries and peaches from a fruit stand, and browsed in the local bike shop.</div><div><br></div><div>Then it started raining, complete with thunderstorms, so we hid out in our room and rested with the sound of the rain outside the windows. Always nice when you can stay inside on a rainy day!</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-48183468861357174622013-08-22T11:18:00.001-07:002013-08-25T08:55:28.549-07:00Day 79 - August 21, 2013 - Mitchell, OR to Sisters, ORMiles - 10 by bike, 78 by car<div>Total mileage - 2,127</div><div><br></div><div>We got to enjoy the last little but of downhill out of Mitchell before the climb up to another pass began. The grade wasn't incredibly steep, but we noticed that our legs felt like Jell-o after the last week or so of tough pedaling over several mountain passes. We were out of steam, and had 7 miles of climbing to go before we reached the top of the Ochoco Pass. Neither of us knew how we were going to make it, given our exhaustion!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpg4ZrRacIa6iliTgW8e6Zq8qovnhICDvG0MeebGWFA-DKoLq7VIGACIzte1jhmQUEbZBueE2m7Hc8Mvjd_ewVU3OKUJcFYy_aEYPMwUWhhWyNlcwIS4PGKdtTB4rLag4sC3217P3RYNa/s640/blogger-image--2140726667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpg4ZrRacIa6iliTgW8e6Zq8qovnhICDvG0MeebGWFA-DKoLq7VIGACIzte1jhmQUEbZBueE2m7Hc8Mvjd_ewVU3OKUJcFYy_aEYPMwUWhhWyNlcwIS4PGKdtTB4rLag4sC3217P3RYNa/s640/blogger-image--2140726667.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Secretly, while taking a break from walking my bike uphill, I was wishing for something to help ease our struggles for the day. Not long after that, we noticed an SUV pull over about half a mile up the hill. We pedaled up a little more of the hill, the SUV drove off again, and we settled in for more pedaling.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddaqFAGZksqgIEuUOlxirhBiJN-DTZVNqaNb3MKfgHD49MexgT4r2bovlxE4ihMkgbWaPxztBG0IYvyCsMa-wMUbuIQfoZtnx6zBTmwX6irB532HY6R5_QUndE_ayOGLdcjwT2dEB8zX1/s640/blogger-image-1798716081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddaqFAGZksqgIEuUOlxirhBiJN-DTZVNqaNb3MKfgHD49MexgT4r2bovlxE4ihMkgbWaPxztBG0IYvyCsMa-wMUbuIQfoZtnx6zBTmwX6irB532HY6R5_QUndE_ayOGLdcjwT2dEB8zX1/s640/blogger-image-1798716081.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Not long after that, the same SUV pulled over on the other side of the road, and asked us if we needed help or a ride. The woman said they had been the sag wagon for their kids several times, and hated seeing us walking on such a long climb. We needed this break, so we decided to take them up on their generous offer!</div><div><br></div><div>They had a hitch rack for bikes - we loaded them up and crammed into their car next to their dog, Cody, in his cage. They were packed to the gills because they had been away from home for a month and a half - first in San Diego watching their grand kids, then at their cabin in New Mexico. We were so lucky to be crossing paths with them on their way home!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2azq_6LNBZF4a1ZWlaHY-UCBUftztzOjP3d1jnTxyK7vahbdVm9yBHKeK4yzjQtbzb-ptSyaBn3VSX2CLiibrtrsbnWxmHONp_PLtUnuilU4vGaF-308tkZrJkQ2SGtAWncu57nW4jzs-/s640/blogger-image-1142818560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2azq_6LNBZF4a1ZWlaHY-UCBUftztzOjP3d1jnTxyK7vahbdVm9yBHKeK4yzjQtbzb-ptSyaBn3VSX2CLiibrtrsbnWxmHONp_PLtUnuilU4vGaF-308tkZrJkQ2SGtAWncu57nW4jzs-/s640/blogger-image-1142818560.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>When they heard where we were headed, they offered to take us all the way to Sisters instead of Prineville, and we took them up on it, planning to take a rest day in Sisters before climbing our last mountain pass of the trip, the challenging but beautiful Mackenzie Pass.</div><div><br></div><div>They dropped us in the middle of Sisters, we thanked them for their generosity, and they headed for home in Bend, just 20 miles from Sisters. We grabbed lunch, and decided to check into a motel in town. Unfortunately Sisters is another tourist town, and everything is pricey!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDT-i5VqbYW-mRN2y3ZZn5Um-3rbLXxLmU0AzO2ELunxMm3Ue26QbWfQsIFUpI7ttYEJfX9m-ovnZM3kT3B2b5KcuCKE_7975lZPSlI-odFkDPX334WUyf5wZh7altCQiG9elPxUwF4mi/s640/blogger-image-1162087127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDT-i5VqbYW-mRN2y3ZZn5Um-3rbLXxLmU0AzO2ELunxMm3Ue26QbWfQsIFUpI7ttYEJfX9m-ovnZM3kT3B2b5KcuCKE_7975lZPSlI-odFkDPX334WUyf5wZh7altCQiG9elPxUwF4mi/s640/blogger-image-1162087127.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It's cute though. We checked in, and relaxed for a bit, had pizza for dinner, relaxed a little more, and slept.</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-7856638354952006252013-08-22T09:35:00.001-07:002013-08-22T11:47:53.082-07:00Day 78 - August 20, 2013 - Dayville, OR to Mitchell, ORMiles - 40<div>Total mileage - 2,117</div><div><br></div><div>We started today by making pancakes at the church. They generously provide pancake mix for cyclists! We were looking at another mountain pass today, so we headed out soon after breakfast.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qV592i9RARGZqoTN3eFVqlZmt3vxHQIcSqjMCwxvx01PhsBXk-Z-Upj6i0uwjp6daXk5f0Bbi4waNMaSFa1mRBFN6fRjq98qz5tv2cHguBlCGh_CtYG811ZCarKXXdkb5jgkMvn6OFHx/s640/blogger-image-76870354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qV592i9RARGZqoTN3eFVqlZmt3vxHQIcSqjMCwxvx01PhsBXk-Z-Upj6i0uwjp6daXk5f0Bbi4waNMaSFa1mRBFN6fRjq98qz5tv2cHguBlCGh_CtYG811ZCarKXXdkb5jgkMvn6OFHx/s640/blogger-image-76870354.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>In just a few short miles, we approached the entrance to picture gorge, part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The ride through here was really pretty, with very little traffic early in the morning!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgR4Lh2ba6hs4ytFtZhQ-pBiJ19bBhx3MveU_T2_SUkwmX9xr38wd7lWM6LuxT8c7aC4tE3duoYKBtKzwilfn-xnh1sWES4d4xyRU3-toMGoU-1CENq1khEDkO0ff57XHXrLipQLHs1Ed/s640/blogger-image-317055464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgR4Lh2ba6hs4ytFtZhQ-pBiJ19bBhx3MveU_T2_SUkwmX9xr38wd7lWM6LuxT8c7aC4tE3duoYKBtKzwilfn-xnh1sWES4d4xyRU3-toMGoU-1CENq1khEDkO0ff57XHXrLipQLHs1Ed/s640/blogger-image-317055464.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After the gorge, we had about 25 miles of gradual climbing to do before reaching the pass. The high desert scenery was beautiful. We noticed that the area must have gotten a lot of rain recently because a lot of the ditches on the side of the road had been washed out. There were trucks full of rock passing us all day headed out there to repair the damage.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6YBrm0gx4NqOIAAYTA1W5enPH8PaJLvPydopGkMTZUEXKA_zBFsLqGeIoO5jB4AKoN-U9uYVQgWUt41sxSR8JhA57I4iwnCKLQf7lbuNIugVJRzrAYvU6AmthZLG6WQDXey4Px-W-oft/s640/blogger-image--71785073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6YBrm0gx4NqOIAAYTA1W5enPH8PaJLvPydopGkMTZUEXKA_zBFsLqGeIoO5jB4AKoN-U9uYVQgWUt41sxSR8JhA57I4iwnCKLQf7lbuNIugVJRzrAYvU6AmthZLG6WQDXey4Px-W-oft/s640/blogger-image--71785073.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We also rode past what us known as the "pair tree". Basically a tree that people toss pairs of shoes into. Interesting.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFio-xDMBgWE7_6_zK8F8EyFzqmC6ms-TFwCQUzMQyu8xrS8SCCb3jB1sZaMwP_-8Koc5wZoImd0BrU4iJTYb1yvMu14zShqxozsvoDOZoweP2viGYGm8XZpP6xjhdRVKvJJywVD2oF4m-/s640/blogger-image--1200983965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFio-xDMBgWE7_6_zK8F8EyFzqmC6ms-TFwCQUzMQyu8xrS8SCCb3jB1sZaMwP_-8Koc5wZoImd0BrU4iJTYb1yvMu14zShqxozsvoDOZoweP2viGYGm8XZpP6xjhdRVKvJJywVD2oF4m-/s640/blogger-image--1200983965.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>We passed through a wide valley just before the final climb to the pass, and had a chat with some friendly local cows. I never tire of the looks these guys give us - they are so curious!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYg32CTEalJyFMh86m2ZnIatQglIzKrjnEhnQ0oFAtQ11DSwlQ65AuFvWnkMfUL2ABf6z2eZ1ZySlS8E9xs1-ixRhlXpQFRu2OFuGwIkPaL5V86XyrnRfOguf2y7sXLVb0DhzcgXjQSRQD/s640/blogger-image-1015203011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYg32CTEalJyFMh86m2ZnIatQglIzKrjnEhnQ0oFAtQ11DSwlQ65AuFvWnkMfUL2ABf6z2eZ1ZySlS8E9xs1-ixRhlXpQFRu2OFuGwIkPaL5V86XyrnRfOguf2y7sXLVb0DhzcgXjQSRQD/s640/blogger-image-1015203011.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Our personal little curse of the headwind struck us then as well just to make the last tough part of the day a little tougher. We made it to the top of the pass though, and couldn't wait for the downhill coast!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5Pzgs6a4wtdYsdCWWdSLMtQc9Kvdduun-IiOuERsB44xGkyWHg4aw5d-WUOI0r1cNjI27vJqBybYn_iMMvaJwaw6qtaoAgA-RQX5kahAG0XhsdL6k3DpWuGwIFppr6lT0-wOG9DhEi8K/s640/blogger-image-2041576871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5Pzgs6a4wtdYsdCWWdSLMtQc9Kvdduun-IiOuERsB44xGkyWHg4aw5d-WUOI0r1cNjI27vJqBybYn_iMMvaJwaw6qtaoAgA-RQX5kahAG0XhsdL6k3DpWuGwIFppr6lT0-wOG9DhEi8K/s640/blogger-image-2041576871.jpg"></a></div><br></div>We stopped into the cafe in Mitchell, a really small town, and then to the hotel next door. It was set up like a bed and breakfast, very quirky indeed. On my way out of checking us in, two gentlemen on the porch asked where we had ridden from, and invited us to share their microbrew beer after we got settled.</div><div><br></div><div>We headed back out to the porch to join them for snacks and delicious Mt. Hood Brewery IPA. Turns out, they met in third grade in a town about 47 miles away, and come back to the area every year for a class picnic. Then they take 3 days at this hotel and use it as their home base for fishing together. Al and Stan were 75 and 76 years old respectively - they have been friends for nearly 70 years!</div><div><br></div><div>We had some great conversation about religion, politics, and all of those fantastic topics :) We helped them finish off their beer, delicious French cheese and crackers, and a bottle of wine, so they didn't have to take all of that home. Just trying to help!</div><div><br></div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-57276144652028881082013-08-21T20:23:00.001-07:002013-08-22T00:34:50.951-07:00Day 77 - August 19, 2013 - Prairie City, OR to Dayville, ORMiles - 45<div>Total mileage - 2,077</div><div><br></div><div>One of those lovely camping phenomenons...one minute, you're wrapped comfortably in your sleeping bag as the sun rises, the next minute you can't unzip yourself from that thing quick enough to get out before you sweat to death. That's how we awoke this morning, and quickly opened up the tent to let the cool morning breeze in as we packed up the sleeping bags and mats.</div><div><br></div><div>We stopped for breakfast at a local coffee shop, then headed on down the road. Today's elevation profile showed a gradual downhill all the way to Dayville. The scenery was more of the same - we were in a valley in the high desert - dry hills with sometimes lush farm or range nestled between them.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih432Di8qA6EgSQvksqUIl0pveZW9CojDppVVg77j4yS2umn9vwWR60TD64ulAm7w2_HNXEtS-0Iq600raHwKQkoqlfCEs6ayqj2rMjxM-VeEn7oXpqjeU_AX6DcpCAaspCtGfGNKjJeSB/s640/blogger-image--1656107138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih432Di8qA6EgSQvksqUIl0pveZW9CojDppVVg77j4yS2umn9vwWR60TD64ulAm7w2_HNXEtS-0Iq600raHwKQkoqlfCEs6ayqj2rMjxM-VeEn7oXpqjeU_AX6DcpCAaspCtGfGNKjJeSB/s640/blogger-image--1656107138.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We had heard from several people weeks ago that the town of John Day had experienced a big wildfire recently - and we certainly saw the remnants of it as we approached the town. Burned hillsides with the ring of red fire retardant dropped by helicopters marked both sides of the valley. The fire came dangerously close to nearby homes.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwdUiXz8CXQJRso7YOMXJEkZVMMD45upuBSVssP4FSJA8VEMMbty5JmRp-RxMp8wdBh23NFjvo6aPhdPErSA-1AW28DW3wGx0AdAOoc3GKYXN-vblOQH5QAWvodgfGCskgkjHcL8UlyBK/s640/blogger-image--1749531651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwdUiXz8CXQJRso7YOMXJEkZVMMD45upuBSVssP4FSJA8VEMMbty5JmRp-RxMp8wdBh23NFjvo6aPhdPErSA-1AW28DW3wGx0AdAOoc3GKYXN-vblOQH5QAWvodgfGCskgkjHcL8UlyBK/s640/blogger-image--1749531651.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We stopped in John Day for a bathroom and snack break at Dairy Queen, and there were many firefighters there grabbing lunch before heading to more hotspots in the area. Summer sure keeps them busy around here.</div><div><br></div><div>We rolled through the town of Mount Vernon, eager to reach our destination. And wouldn't you know it, about 10 miles out of Dayville, our pleasant day of riding is smashed with a strong headwind! We took a lot of breaks, and powered on through, finally reaching Dayville and were greeted by this amusing sign</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTeR3o3_4b4dL-7Bn5k5Yx1AB66ezzMaKeYVjv8cW2ujjeXkkQDn-21WaBsts5E1VLquOQHg1U_MR8dCBVfg_SBvH0dj9W99s_Rulp5v9sZdxdU2u0OoHu_H12qS7K-XANVznBYVvO-UF/s640/blogger-image-2059809437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTeR3o3_4b4dL-7Bn5k5Yx1AB66ezzMaKeYVjv8cW2ujjeXkkQDn-21WaBsts5E1VLquOQHg1U_MR8dCBVfg_SBvH0dj9W99s_Rulp5v9sZdxdU2u0OoHu_H12qS7K-XANVznBYVvO-UF/s640/blogger-image-2059809437.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Dayville is close to the John Day Fossil Beds...haha. We had a cold drink at the one gas station in town, had lunch at the one cafe, picked up a few drinks for the evening at the mercantile, and headed to the Dayville Presbyterian Church, which provides a hostel for cyclists, and has done so since the 70's.</div><div><br></div><div>We called Rose, as the sign in the church instructed us to do...she walked down from her house just next door to tell us about all the amenities they had for cyclists, all paid for by donations from cyclists (a shower, washer and dryer, fridge, full kitchen). She welcomed us, had us put a pin in the map indicating our hometown, and told us we were welcome to sleep in the sanctuary.</div><div><br></div><div>Not too long after Rose left, a guy came in and let us know that he was teaching a hunter safety course in the sanctuary, but that they would clear out by 9. Fine by us, we took showers, did laundry, made grilled cheese sandwiches from the leftovers in the fridge, and watched the first part of Ken Burns' documentary on The Dust Bowl. The things history nuts do to wind down after a day of cycling...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigue6yQRR7Iwg-PxIYGglvpKn-fLqzaCk2Zn4jm76iSSaSpk5kM6-OjXfbqJL_iLIb-6GQ4EyP2RlITXBj65ks3i531PGULb2wDskAWKGbMNVY_3PLpKqdjYONEt9vOx3IOMtCWy1DJnny/s640/blogger-image--1390934892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigue6yQRR7Iwg-PxIYGglvpKn-fLqzaCk2Zn4jm76iSSaSpk5kM6-OjXfbqJL_iLIb-6GQ4EyP2RlITXBj65ks3i531PGULb2wDskAWKGbMNVY_3PLpKqdjYONEt9vOx3IOMtCWy1DJnny/s640/blogger-image--1390934892.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy2Rh7ras8Cx0IXzQ4GOit0PqfKSwBhIdSAyjZlnOSPCQp3gq5lebqXJ4mPeURPbi2ILs1rnA0B0kkhyfq7FCOp1l3JGRcWnlE95gPxf62xMwBp5GxSQ884RPHVwW4h10cPBRmFX-Im1z/s640/blogger-image--1756310687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy2Rh7ras8Cx0IXzQ4GOit0PqfKSwBhIdSAyjZlnOSPCQp3gq5lebqXJ4mPeURPbi2ILs1rnA0B0kkhyfq7FCOp1l3JGRcWnlE95gPxf62xMwBp5GxSQ884RPHVwW4h10cPBRmFX-Im1z/s640/blogger-image--1756310687.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Can you see the Shep silhouette in there?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I also had a tiny piece of what may have been the largest cake ever, leftover from a party for a local teacher who celebrated 30 years as an educator. That's dedication!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNYVOutk_pJhCZClo4tYy3jbzitDo1TwWLJT8x7aU6PRyHAPFbm32nRjsiCcQMwoUZIedb-NJABxXRa1IABuyHX-OWc4CorB7cUi7YsdPfqFxFImXxMcNalG64KWrIPP4mFqhCWQiWGB3/s640/blogger-image-2089354496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNYVOutk_pJhCZClo4tYy3jbzitDo1TwWLJT8x7aU6PRyHAPFbm32nRjsiCcQMwoUZIedb-NJABxXRa1IABuyHX-OWc4CorB7cUi7YsdPfqFxFImXxMcNalG64KWrIPP4mFqhCWQiWGB3/s640/blogger-image-2089354496.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">The sanctuary was nice, but it took me forever to fall asleep - sleeping pads are much more comfortable on grass rather than a hard floor!</span></div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-31132479946792274772013-08-20T21:06:00.001-07:002013-08-21T08:01:24.976-07:00Day 76 - August 18, 2013 - Sumpter, OR to Prairie City, ORMiles - 45<div>Total mileage - 2,032</div><div><br></div><div>We are ready for these mountain passes today! Had a good breakfast at the cafe in town, and got on the road at a fairly decent time.</div><div><br></div><div>We hit the start of the climb to Sumpter Pass just out of town. It wasnt all that steep to begin with, and wound through some beautiful pine forest.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSlKC3p4HmY8dHJK-PX7jMb3jkKQMgL-zOriSGVlwci1h0YEGb6Q0UgchPZRsbCHwXfK_eEJAehWBpeeNb0Epn4I2UhowJTppaXfMCKPIqDoxcdWtZSH_v44szUmeKjswfiIcEtozQ8Sv/s640/blogger-image-655247606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSlKC3p4HmY8dHJK-PX7jMb3jkKQMgL-zOriSGVlwci1h0YEGb6Q0UgchPZRsbCHwXfK_eEJAehWBpeeNb0Epn4I2UhowJTppaXfMCKPIqDoxcdWtZSH_v44szUmeKjswfiIcEtozQ8Sv/s640/blogger-image-655247606.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Certainly not the worst way to start a morning. It got steeper here and there, but we pedaled all the way up, with plenty of breaks, and made it to the top of number one - two to go!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc61leub-6TwAyeLcfbbfq8f47cfDoCFS4S6pcoBa7PqNEo1X4nY7V1W8X7CyGxZ9_oVeFo1nz_ka4XCoy86htQdngpyv3v7MYisvpwzoNO3lBbw7Iw-iVA4Y8mCOkLgwZE1rxJst5eB-/s640/blogger-image-1243002453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc61leub-6TwAyeLcfbbfq8f47cfDoCFS4S6pcoBa7PqNEo1X4nY7V1W8X7CyGxZ9_oVeFo1nz_ka4XCoy86htQdngpyv3v7MYisvpwzoNO3lBbw7Iw-iVA4Y8mCOkLgwZE1rxJst5eB-/s640/blogger-image-1243002453.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The downhill was fun, but it's slightly depressing to lose all the altitude it took you a couple of hours to gain in a matter of minutes! Someone needs to build a bridge from the first to the third do you only have to climb once!</div><div><br></div><div>We had a long flat valley to pedal through before the start of cling number two. 14 miles I think of rolling hills. We kept anticipating the start to the climb at each little hill, but they let us down!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUp4QX0YRvCCvFlHLV8QPpUc31BqiWyw-x5S3BPmsK93ZSF6uddDy7uVrNAku8_BnzlVa-xKM87QtCNfJ7TWDC7t1QU7_y0ZHmRtAuFMt6a3ba2aaVf1exo_bo46p3sC6RF__8RKZxSvz/s640/blogger-image-28012643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUp4QX0YRvCCvFlHLV8QPpUc31BqiWyw-x5S3BPmsK93ZSF6uddDy7uVrNAku8_BnzlVa-xKM87QtCNfJ7TWDC7t1QU7_y0ZHmRtAuFMt6a3ba2aaVf1exo_bo46p3sC6RF__8RKZxSvz/s640/blogger-image-28012643.jpg"></a></div>We passed a place offering rest and water for cyclists - I didn't go seek it out, but that person is awesome for doing that!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGA64TAfUHIoPJXg3IVvsTgdYrHkSINBuBa_dsKWfTRbQwjIv8cUJQnvOrt6TpsM3wNgrm0rVDhPbn9ZLbzLxutG11fdVyOCnuGy-8luN9SOyO9bNeeP953rN5lGIXgcMQpUb23CNulhYK/s640/blogger-image-1685559307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGA64TAfUHIoPJXg3IVvsTgdYrHkSINBuBa_dsKWfTRbQwjIv8cUJQnvOrt6TpsM3wNgrm0rVDhPbn9ZLbzLxutG11fdVyOCnuGy-8luN9SOyO9bNeeP953rN5lGIXgcMQpUb23CNulhYK/s640/blogger-image-1685559307.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We finally found it, and the first part was steep! We walked it, but were soon back in the saddle, pedaling away. After the first part, the climb wasn't as steep as the first, and we made decent time to the top. The bonus was that we knew there was a cafe in between this one and the start of the third!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgOpG6biFh6SmkzVoDNyhtKZ-IQngpriMC6ZLIWziTGOmii8u3fZ1NstkA6-eLFeqwp2-NyGnE8yhXbZgKjphf7kJs9nNV5UEn2-xYZ8sNa3b5AdXaRbapW2oqmPv6ov_e6RKSNtYt7On/s640/blogger-image--1146345531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgOpG6biFh6SmkzVoDNyhtKZ-IQngpriMC6ZLIWziTGOmii8u3fZ1NstkA6-eLFeqwp2-NyGnE8yhXbZgKjphf7kJs9nNV5UEn2-xYZ8sNa3b5AdXaRbapW2oqmPv6ov_e6RKSNtYt7On/s640/blogger-image--1146345531.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXWBKLkZgWSlXGrqKINqsHdSWs5krTlc7yrOAwj0OSVc6bCGCwpX_0lfdqcnijK3rEZvpmEH88G2Rz3v7GZ2BqVBD8eGLmt5PYVkucQf0y5UHLB25BpDmYPLo3c-OAuADwgrNXLYjWM9K/s640/blogger-image-423077347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXWBKLkZgWSlXGrqKINqsHdSWs5krTlc7yrOAwj0OSVc6bCGCwpX_0lfdqcnijK3rEZvpmEH88G2Rz3v7GZ2BqVBD8eGLmt5PYVkucQf0y5UHLB25BpDmYPLo3c-OAuADwgrNXLYjWM9K/s640/blogger-image-423077347.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>We sailed down the hill, pedaled through a little more flatland before we found the cafe, and had a good lunch, including some ice cream for me!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VPBbN42ZMWngee7akUvwgymFXCkJi82NR9Uz-m5jaxZzhcxQ561RZoy7ELqhaCd3qrkhcm5h_LsPSZDQ5sdaiF9LqZKF1F4PDyitJvTJIWNSu4UR_AMDCUnji6ygPBs_6pL_a1Huj3UW/s640/blogger-image--610224868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VPBbN42ZMWngee7akUvwgymFXCkJi82NR9Uz-m5jaxZzhcxQ561RZoy7ELqhaCd3qrkhcm5h_LsPSZDQ5sdaiF9LqZKF1F4PDyitJvTJIWNSu4UR_AMDCUnji6ygPBs_6pL_a1Huj3UW/s640/blogger-image--610224868.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Time for the final pass...this one was not nearly as steep as the first two, and we managed to pedal most of it, even though we were pretty darn exhausted by this point.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMIuvLb-FDJ_LNsYwIEm6cJVbRiKROR-kBjTIc8BBWQZaNPolaV06JIgcvu4_R6ypfOIEInKYkhJMNdEmKg1FbOeu0R8_jWwc42Ru9xSBgdNoFKyokxX2aNItpJupS_4OC5VmvVV1T-5e/s640/blogger-image--994226074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMIuvLb-FDJ_LNsYwIEm6cJVbRiKROR-kBjTIc8BBWQZaNPolaV06JIgcvu4_R6ypfOIEInKYkhJMNdEmKg1FbOeu0R8_jWwc42Ru9xSBgdNoFKyokxX2aNItpJupS_4OC5VmvVV1T-5e/s640/blogger-image--994226074.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Now, nothing but downhill to Prairie City! It was a fast one, 6% or so grade, and beautiful views of the valley below.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ-wQfy0B40qZZUUucEjMdUkg0CPC8wMB7CFWe-yRys4hKC5f-eb0fiUsPgElRHreLtIg30aVCvAhC1YYAXbkKc0a4M5uTxL_2o13fiDSoiaUUGlbNFIwLFTswR2zYUYbI9VP5RYLFMWT/s640/blogger-image-2013506473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ-wQfy0B40qZZUUucEjMdUkg0CPC8wMB7CFWe-yRys4hKC5f-eb0fiUsPgElRHreLtIg30aVCvAhC1YYAXbkKc0a4M5uTxL_2o13fiDSoiaUUGlbNFIwLFTswR2zYUYbI9VP5RYLFMWT/s640/blogger-image-2013506473.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIRGBMTIaEG_GTUD_y8nSn-Oy8s9MlaIq7UDQSbPH2BNeBmR6XzJ0V8Qj71YIAXkwie8O4Mv_YAzPIyrdaPm9dqt7CSFrKcqi7XUuTHXiAa_eWlJ-uPiUjUIXOK7-7uaoHa5siYbDwXON/s640/blogger-image-1210246236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIRGBMTIaEG_GTUD_y8nSn-Oy8s9MlaIq7UDQSbPH2BNeBmR6XzJ0V8Qj71YIAXkwie8O4Mv_YAzPIyrdaPm9dqt7CSFrKcqi7XUuTHXiAa_eWlJ-uPiUjUIXOK7-7uaoHa5siYbDwXON/s640/blogger-image-1210246236.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>There was a giant wagon thing halfway down the hill that we paused to take a photo on, then continued down. We were going to go the extra 13 miles to John Day, but they had no camping options, it was getting late, and the dreaded headwind had found us again.</div><div><br></div><div>We grabbed drinks and rode to the local RV park to camp. We couldn't find a camp host, so we didn't end up having to pay...they had really low cyclist rates anyway. I pedaled back to town and visited the good old convenience store again for dinner snacks. If I never eat another convenience store dinner, it'll be too soon! We used the pay showers at the place, enjoyed our convenience store snack dinner, I made a cow friend in the field next door, watched some episodes of Friends, and drifted off to sleep.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUHvl7m5zT897ZuunM1PyHDzoIeX0fjs-BxP1W6K3zqx_9hkKYW-9vcRr028dqALFcfh78LFCUSDHx9whnFpHjf3X45E22qOZVcqvoDBiwPnAjgxwHRxH86ZCEtVWarf44-wGfkL4W7es/s640/blogger-image-1067183243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUHvl7m5zT897ZuunM1PyHDzoIeX0fjs-BxP1W6K3zqx_9hkKYW-9vcRr028dqALFcfh78LFCUSDHx9whnFpHjf3X45E22qOZVcqvoDBiwPnAjgxwHRxH86ZCEtVWarf44-wGfkL4W7es/s640/blogger-image-1067183243.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gSoTJxvYwOxnSJTS7b4IWw0Nfbs99Kq6O7k8J1txK7UAqr1tVp2AfjaEi0STuuIkCcbJ-69a85f9VdNJEiUYher7H5Ho0t7lCLDbA2ALr5951OpdbTfWmZG0qiJKszEllt8UyZ3FNHGi/s640/blogger-image-1393888006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gSoTJxvYwOxnSJTS7b4IWw0Nfbs99Kq6O7k8J1txK7UAqr1tVp2AfjaEi0STuuIkCcbJ-69a85f9VdNJEiUYher7H5Ho0t7lCLDbA2ALr5951OpdbTfWmZG0qiJKszEllt8UyZ3FNHGi/s640/blogger-image-1393888006.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>She licked my hand, and probably loved it because I was still covered in salt at that point! I've been whistling at and talking to cows in fields all across the country...they are all very curious, but this is the only one who wanted to actually come over and chat!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5KkcyUjpjryGH_fFdiiynIOj6V9Tpz7tAtkbREm95yvjZT_1IDF0cHwkoNWQ1J24adKKlprmte4c8Agav5_r5iZiAktsOnP_iYA_cyXXk5G0GkpXo-5EoqHYKAU0MBVv0FeJAX8L_P77/s640/blogger-image-1753058042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5KkcyUjpjryGH_fFdiiynIOj6V9Tpz7tAtkbREm95yvjZT_1IDF0cHwkoNWQ1J24adKKlprmte4c8Agav5_r5iZiAktsOnP_iYA_cyXXk5G0GkpXo-5EoqHYKAU0MBVv0FeJAX8L_P77/s640/blogger-image-1753058042.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLYYqSBMblB81TOVfo1ZQZ_PyT-HmLUv7HMsm-NUFxFjx9nRqtEVV-BeNXzvN667K2pK_ktMqAWB9Tk3NeRUvafkL9FsGvzwRW886Syuyu-3BOFWwnuSgDDW7liy9IJk4VTrcFLTp1zsY/s640/blogger-image-220940314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLYYqSBMblB81TOVfo1ZQZ_PyT-HmLUv7HMsm-NUFxFjx9nRqtEVV-BeNXzvN667K2pK_ktMqAWB9Tk3NeRUvafkL9FsGvzwRW886Syuyu-3BOFWwnuSgDDW7liy9IJk4VTrcFLTp1zsY/s640/blogger-image-220940314.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-37852256939035859462013-08-20T20:40:00.001-07:002013-08-20T21:03:31.295-07:00Day 75 - August 17, 2013 - Baker City, OR to Sumpter, ORMiles - 30<div>Total mileage - 1,987</div><div><br></div><div>It was a beautiful morning for biking - we actually got a good night of sleep, the temps were mild, and we had plenty of time off the bikes to rest our legs. The terrain is still hanging in the "high desert" theme - lots of brown, craggy rock formations, and some ranching or farming thrown in for good measure. We spotted three male antelope hanging out in a field as we rode through the canyon that leads out of Baker City...we are used to only seeing females and babies in groups together. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYDmb7KHAEiFa5etkcYVFoun3N9FvnMZIxqDn3qiTiika6I4qK93FajRMDajb8owpXS9KgP4v4Z3AiwDlS-ST3WyiySq8UUVJwJ-xEdyniVlhASo741vFVXMmuoKFTQN6Q5sKTMcXM7H5/s640/blogger-image--604499704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYDmb7KHAEiFa5etkcYVFoun3N9FvnMZIxqDn3qiTiika6I4qK93FajRMDajb8owpXS9KgP4v4Z3AiwDlS-ST3WyiySq8UUVJwJ-xEdyniVlhASo741vFVXMmuoKFTQN6Q5sKTMcXM7H5/s640/blogger-image--604499704.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>We were planning on a long 70 miles today, including 3 mountain passes near the end. The first part was mainly flat or rolling - we climbed our first little bit to be greeted by a beautiful view of Phillips Lake.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2Y16Ib_QIDAEF5TT0SKT4VzBRu7GOmmF_5NWnvVe1W9PDJZt8wiPApHeUA7bL3G-Ka_o_8dAfhSEvFwoiADrRH4dOhgiqgdIoya0Fp5NawkSP6cWqMx_AspCOBPNVXEBLkJ1vR58tYZW/s640/blogger-image--1980533661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2Y16Ib_QIDAEF5TT0SKT4VzBRu7GOmmF_5NWnvVe1W9PDJZt8wiPApHeUA7bL3G-Ka_o_8dAfhSEvFwoiADrRH4dOhgiqgdIoya0Fp5NawkSP6cWqMx_AspCOBPNVXEBLkJ1vR58tYZW/s640/blogger-image--1980533661.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We passed and interesting overlook...it was actually just a lake overlook in a state park...nice name :)</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqKsHQcZQj1ECZXWqo7KkMvl2hPXe06vvvwYnEpY723ZD-PC5byewTj82Uo35BZeV1oGmXKHSFqFzKUJKqUrbbF2BtbHAE_xAsBTEWtF6G01xXJl0ND87QBl5UDdlKbct5jKUDgKi34HA/s640/blogger-image--2114160808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqKsHQcZQj1ECZXWqo7KkMvl2hPXe06vvvwYnEpY723ZD-PC5byewTj82Uo35BZeV1oGmXKHSFqFzKUJKqUrbbF2BtbHAE_xAsBTEWtF6G01xXJl0ND87QBl5UDdlKbct5jKUDgKi34HA/s640/blogger-image--2114160808.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We were about 20 miles into our day when Mel's shoulder started hurting. She tore her Labrum in her left shoulder during a fall during a bike ride last October (the Beer Ride in Columbus...but no beer had been consumed yet!), and had to go through physical therapy just before we left. It's been painful here and there, but today was pretty bad.</div><div><br></div><div>We stopped for a rest and lunch at a narrow gauge railway station, and shortly after that, decided her shoulder was in too much pain to tackle mountains today. We rode the three miles off-route to the small town of Sumpter to get a room and get some ice on her shoulder. We stayed in a place called the Sumpter Stockade - there actually was a stockade built around the thing!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJAZkcxBh8oTibsLWZqbyZUUJa1mGcRWxb2Sx6g-yfEtZh7kB5wyOueM2tL0Mc1URrUq1Oorx6dhLURZzpy7-c8ovBdlAez0cU6LEolaDukren43uPZRHHXJf2o5H7Q2WrERVYAns2AfT/s640/blogger-image-32812313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJAZkcxBh8oTibsLWZqbyZUUJa1mGcRWxb2Sx6g-yfEtZh7kB5wyOueM2tL0Mc1URrUq1Oorx6dhLURZzpy7-c8ovBdlAez0cU6LEolaDukren43uPZRHHXJf2o5H7Q2WrERVYAns2AfT/s640/blogger-image-32812313.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We stopped by a state park with an old gold dredge and checked it out - this thing was massive, and pretty much tore up the entire meadow in Sumpter around the 40's digging for gold. Neat machine, but there are still rows of rock covering the valley from these things.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02szDr7JM8UfOjHTtY5G_5f1O6nRFyEpRYzvopz0e7tg_D16e4TkHH0-_N98iS6XsOAAg81PET1kHDhaZbefSpTtlLsKWKI6KjlhIaMLQ7H2sbH_ql0gcQ6P51ZI_tGJByJlHjFQVd830/s640/blogger-image-237071201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02szDr7JM8UfOjHTtY5G_5f1O6nRFyEpRYzvopz0e7tg_D16e4TkHH0-_N98iS6XsOAAg81PET1kHDhaZbefSpTtlLsKWKI6KjlhIaMLQ7H2sbH_ql0gcQ6P51ZI_tGJByJlHjFQVd830/s640/blogger-image-237071201.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCtu87gmG5EVLUeYrhBgzhzA3UosPpAge5FMlVdIG93KKycRwhHdJO9w6oz7FD6HaNVQ4zFg4EblhzoSX5ViuuopOSeBIPTb_Csu2mJo7dOaH-M6grd1uE15-xNOwyEhOXbrkb6wfEq62/s640/blogger-image-1832783349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCtu87gmG5EVLUeYrhBgzhzA3UosPpAge5FMlVdIG93KKycRwhHdJO9w6oz7FD6HaNVQ4zFg4EblhzoSX5ViuuopOSeBIPTb_Csu2mJo7dOaH-M6grd1uE15-xNOwyEhOXbrkb6wfEq62/s640/blogger-image-1832783349.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We hit up the grocery store for an ice pack and some snacks, relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-43702712181193177672013-08-19T22:03:00.001-07:002013-08-19T22:03:28.255-07:00Day 74 - August 16, 2013 - Baker City, OR - Rest DayWell, we got virtually no sleep last night, so we stayed in Baker City again. Didn't do much outside of eating and resting. Annoyed to not be moving forward!<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaVTbD9bqG3YPmzMeAtalqiK_IIh9cTNNsfkxKfNnNPNoiiIqCwRnVSotRqzPJluftIGO4rFR-PtI13uN0BsVHtgPAQQ9emdeiq-wN0aO58Obr7Q9Vu5N_om4P5VVaJGSzRkC6l9opV5g/s640/blogger-image-35225056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaVTbD9bqG3YPmzMeAtalqiK_IIh9cTNNsfkxKfNnNPNoiiIqCwRnVSotRqzPJluftIGO4rFR-PtI13uN0BsVHtgPAQQ9emdeiq-wN0aO58Obr7Q9Vu5N_om4P5VVaJGSzRkC6l9opV5g/s640/blogger-image-35225056.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div> Found beanie baby Badtz at the local grocery store!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheHfd08XAGywoi4nd4kCAaf0Z1uSHWDVBxWx5Iq6ou5If1DCHRQ4uR9H3JQ2ArNCI566O8SIyXqu4sdh7SWpKGptNLIZzbg6jok6DjB69HTSKmtFGUlzR6pdwxd1ZfKpUuGge0STxVJwc/s640/blogger-image--1073716890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheHfd08XAGywoi4nd4kCAaf0Z1uSHWDVBxWx5Iq6ou5If1DCHRQ4uR9H3JQ2ArNCI566O8SIyXqu4sdh7SWpKGptNLIZzbg6jok6DjB69HTSKmtFGUlzR6pdwxd1ZfKpUuGge0STxVJwc/s640/blogger-image--1073716890.jpg"></a></div> </div><div>No idea what these articles are about...</div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556383784556998064.post-60739251393973463182013-08-16T01:51:00.001-07:002013-08-16T01:51:01.071-07:00Day 73 - August 15, 2013 - Baker City, OR Rest DayAfter 6 days back in the saddle, and before a tough 70 mile day with three mountain passes to climb, we determined that a rest day was in order. Sleeping in, even until 8:30, was a great luxury!<div><br></div><div>We had a leisurely breakfast at the cafe attached to the hotel, vegged out to the History Channel, then got ready to hit the Baker Heritage Museum. We briefly contemplated unloading our bikes to get there, but chose to walk instead. It was a hot one again - surprise, surprise. </div><div><br></div><div>The museum was neat, very well done, especially for a local museum, and they have an impressive rock collection, donated by a couple of sisters who devoted their lives to collecting them. The museum is housed in what used to be a natatorium before World War 2, when the pool was filled in and the building converted to a factory creating vehicle trailers for the war effort. Most of the folks on the museum board happened to show up, and we had a good chat with a few of them about our trip. Nice people. I bought a diary of a young man who traveled on the Oregon Trail to read in the gift shop...I've been missing a good book, and the entries are short so I might have time to actually read it in the coming week or so.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5I-SWGyKIzOZss_DumxCi4Dmx6_URxyZSr3M1S8yHjdTDoky-QFvspON30fcT1y5EJQqPSlMzlmPnt7m6ID4UpAEGT6uhw7bN7tZwtGER77zB-YHcl7-ewV2Dy6rQdLNGkDY7mmqU-9E/s640/blogger-image--158542822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5I-SWGyKIzOZss_DumxCi4Dmx6_URxyZSr3M1S8yHjdTDoky-QFvspON30fcT1y5EJQqPSlMzlmPnt7m6ID4UpAEGT6uhw7bN7tZwtGER77zB-YHcl7-ewV2Dy6rQdLNGkDY7mmqU-9E/s640/blogger-image--158542822.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We decided to hit up historic downtown Baker City afterwards, and enjoyed the walk past the pretty city park, with the Powder River running alongside it. The city has a nice feel to it. We found a Chinese restaurant for lunch, and followed that up with a stop in at a cute ice cream parlor.</div><div><br></div><div>After a toasty walk back to the hotel, we lounged a bit more, I took a dip in the hot tub, and we started to settle in for an early night, in preparation for getting up early to tackle those mountain passes.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course, what we can only imagine are a herd of elephants has checked into the room upstairs, and they wanted to see just how squeaky every square inch of floor is. Then a large and loud family arrives in the parking lot just outside our window, chats for an hour, and is, naturally, staying just steps away from our room. They continued to have a loud, seemingly hilarious conversation in the hallway before retiring to their respective rooms, ensuring that they slammed their doors no fewer than 5 times each.</div><div><br></div><div>So it's nearly 2am Pacific time, I need to be up in about 4.5 hours, but sleep eludes me. I'm not so sure those passes will be tackled tomorrow after all...</div><div><br></div><div>Here is the only other photo I took today - a creative bike rack downtown, if you can make it out.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58lasXP4Sp0r8GKToyt5tsO9cPZHpcVmscjjpIlg8UNjK-RcROKh2D2auqElvQb0TrHFb7JBCZyKfVAhw5Menxw2A1-1lGqTp4HihfZRQJeSI2lSnDxJl-DtJPlMsj-6Pe5vP98M-RC5M/s640/blogger-image--982280207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58lasXP4Sp0r8GKToyt5tsO9cPZHpcVmscjjpIlg8UNjK-RcROKh2D2auqElvQb0TrHFb7JBCZyKfVAhw5Menxw2A1-1lGqTp4HihfZRQJeSI2lSnDxJl-DtJPlMsj-6Pe5vP98M-RC5M/s640/blogger-image--982280207.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Erica Voetschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11433504791953646331noreply@blogger.com0