June 20, 2006
Oakland, OR - Susan Creek BLM Campground, OR (past Glide, OR): Now this is bicycle touring!
We were eating breakfast by 8:30. Yummy homemade blueberry pancakes. I'm sure I hadn't previously mentioned that those were my favorites. I was feeling good this morning. Hopefully I would have a good riding day with such great fuel.
Wayne and I took pity on Jacinto and fussed with our gear while Jacinto watched Germany vs Ecuador's World Cup game. We finally left at 9:40.
We had a choice of two routes. A more direct and flatter route, or the scenic, hilly one. We chose scenic. That was a good choice. We even got to pass by one of Oregon's covered bridges.
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We stopped in Sutherlin at the little store for a snack break. It was right at lunch time and a bevy of factory workers showed up for their deep fried lunch offerings. No restrooms here, not even for customers. Jacinto and I shared our usual combination of Gatorade and V-8. I'm the V-8 drinker and sometimes finish the entire can before Jacinto gets a sip. It must be the salt. I don't drink V-8 at home, ever. But on tour it's the best beverage in town.
We had a sweat granny gear climb out of Sutherlin. There was a gravel pit somewhere nearby and we were passed by a few trucks. We soon got out of their territory and saw more grazing cattle, pastures and hay fields. We saw oak trees covered in moss.
We started out riding all three of us together as Wayne took us down different country roads. Once we left Sutherlin it wasn't as easy to get lost. Wayne ranged ahead and behind us, depending on the photo opportunities. Jacinto commented that Wayne sure took lots of photos. In Wayne's defense I had to say that the photos in his crazyguy journal were some of the best on the site. I was very happy Wayne was a big photo person because Jacinto was always commenting that *I* took too many photos. Now I was looking fairly conservative in my photo taking.
We rode along the river most of the day. Wayne commented that this was a nicer direction to ride than his tour down river last fall. going up river we were next to the river and it was more scenic.
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We stopped in Glide for lunch. Wayne said we had two choices. A fancier looking place that he hadn't been to, or the more casual place that he had. We went with the known - Munchie's. Yumm, yumm. I wish we had a Munchie's in Colorado! I had the chili burger. It was served open faced. I had them add an extra meat patty. I also had a dinner salad to start. Oh, and how about a shake? Got to fuel that engine, you know! I could hardly get out of my chair when we were done eating. Wayne and Jacinto thought I had ordered the best meal. When cycling the best meal means the biggest meal. I managed to plow through most of my huge plate of food. Jacinto finished it up for me.
While at the restaurant I did some repair on my bicycle seat cover. It is easy to scrap the seat when leaning the bike against buildings, etc. to park. On Father's Day at the restaurant I leaned the bike against their brick wall a little too closely and it tore a 3" hole in the seat pad. I had noticed since then that my right sciatic nerve was twinging. This nerve has been a problem for me in the past, but not for a couple of years. I puzzled on the *why's* for several days as the nerve continued to talk to me. I finally decided that the pad was protruding out the sizable hole just enough to pressure that nerve. Being the good Girl Scout I am, I had a sewing kit with me to repair the seat cover. We had some trouble getting it back on properly. The foam pad had also been sliced and had a long skinny piece falling off. Jacinto wanted to throw it away, but I thought the skinny piece covered the very edge of the seat pan. We tried to massage it back into place. Of course any time I have an ailment, that's all I think about and it seems even larger than life. I stopped several times to fuss with the pad and cover. Jacinto offered to switch pads with me. Ah! Thank you! He casually mentioned that my pad was old and squashed down, his was newer and thicker. Jacinto wondered if this would change my reach to the pedals. Immediately on his suggestion, my knee started to hurt from the new position. (heavy sigh) Jacinto couldn't suppress a grin as he said that I would have never noticed if he hadn't mentioned it. I suspect he was right. We traded pads back again. This time I was determined to watch the scenery and not think about my butt.
We had a gentle uphill along the North Umpqua River to Camp. This was a GREAT campground. Susan Creek BLM Campground had showers! We halved the $12.00 camping fee. I chatted with the hostess and she said they lived there year round and liked to keep their home nice to share it with all of their guests. What a great attitude. We had a nice spot by the river with a slight breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
Jacinto and Wayne hiked up in the dusk to see the water falls. I sat in my cosy chair and journaled.
I made a special note in the journal that the temp was around 75 degrees today and I had worn shorts! Whooeee. I haven't been wearing shorts much this trip so far.
This was a very, good day made more fun by Wayne's company.
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 448 miles (721 km)
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