Day 70... and beyond

So it's taken me quite some time to write this last post.  There are a lot of excuses to give (wanted to spend time in Portland instead of on a computer, busy once I got back to Chicago, etc.), but the reality is that I haven't written this last post because I'm incredibly upset by the fact that the trip is ending.  It's a feeling that everyone can understand, but only a few can really experience.  4K alums know exactly what I'm talking about... the incredibly sense of nostalgia that sets in the moment you finish that last mile and get off your bike.  On the one hand, I feel a great sense of accomplishment and I'm glad we finished.  But on the other hand, it's insane to think that I'll be going back to normal life, where I don't bike 70-80 miles a day on average, where I don't wake up surrounded by 25 teammates, where it's not socially (or legally) acceptable to pee outside whenever you need, etc.

Now that I've had a few weeks to think about it, however, I've made a conscious decision to never let 4K end.  It's a common thing to try to do of course, even more common to say to each other (4K never ends... 4K forever or if you're one of my teammates 4K 5ever... what ever that means, etc.), but I think really difficult to actually do.  The reality is that 4K is an incredibly unusual experience that is at odds with "normal life."  Like I already said, normal people don't bike 70-80 miles a day, don't eat 999999999 calories before lunch, sleep on a church floor after church floor and certainly don't pee outside multiple times a day.  Bluntly put, there are a lot of parts of 4K that you just can't do outside of 4K.  You have to pay bills, you have to make money, buy and cook food (what? you mean you don't get all of your lunch donated??), worry about cutting the grass, think about the future beyond the next 3 days (which can feel like a year on the 4K but in a good way) and so much more.

This post is kind of strange, because the rest of these posts have been a chronicling of the past 70 days... the people we've met, the crazy things we've seen and beautiful places we've been to and so forth.  But now I want to write about what will happen instead of what has happened.

I've also realized that to try to say everything I want to say about this subject / plan is going to take forever (this post is long already) so for tonight, I'll just give a preview of what I want to say, and then actually talk about Day 70 (oh yeah I said I would do that).  For me, at least in this moment, continuing the 4K forever will be broken down three parts... 1. biking forever and in a grander sense never having a dull moment, 2. my teammates, and 3. last but certainly not least remembering Jamie and what kind of impact she had on our lives in just a few weeks.  So those are the posts that will be upcoming in the next few days so... including some amazing post 4K bike rides stories (and pics!).

But for tonight, I'll focus on the last day of the trip, day 70 and the few days I had to spend in Portland finally.

Day 70... is it really?

These two pictures sum it up I suppose... is it over already?  What happened to the 70 days?

 If I recall correctly, the morning started with prank after prank.  Someone zip tied Kelsey's sleeping bag to my sleeping bag.  This was particularly unfortunate as both of us had gone to bed past 3AM working on a slide show for the team (and apparently our reward is being pranked... THANKS GUYS).  But we weren't the only victims, as it turned out that pretty much everyone on the team had some belonging ziptied... and I admit now that I participated in continuing these silly antics.

Anyway, eventually after a great breakfast at the church, we left for our destination.  I rode with Joanna (hand cycle!), Chris, Victor, and Jamie's dad, Mr. Bob Roberts.  The last day of any 4K route is supposed to be ridiculously easy, just to ensure that nothing goes wrong at all.  Of course, in the classic 4K style, it turned out to be quite a difficult day.  Turns out riding a hand cycle is REALLY REALLY hard... basically you're trying to generate the same amount of power with your arms as you would with your legs... I don't know how Joanna did it, but she managed to crank it out and finish.  We ended up having some series hills and I don't think I would have made it if it had been me.  But typical of Joanna, she never quit (even when we got lost and had to go back UP a huge hill... oops).

But despite the things that went wrong (which were in the end really minor), I was really grateful to be able to ride with Jamie's dad into Portland.  For those of us on the team, it was emotional every time that it was our turn to ride Jamie's bike.  For her dad to ride into Portland is significant beyond what I can express here.

In a way I can barely remember riding into the park... it almost feels unreal that we arrived... with parents and family and friends cheering, actual cheerleaders from Brady's school... the entire moment felt unreal and sweet and bitter and exhilarating all at the same time.

with Jamie's sister Julia, who also rode with us (along with Will Jamie's brother)... oy veyy not a great pic of me, but that's ok.  Also.. yes that does say hot dogs on my arm.

Props to V the great alum from Portland 2012... he not only met us out in Portland but even drove the water van for us and chalked the route that so that no one had to be in the van that day.

Finally, with Jamie's dad.  One of my favorite pictures from the trip.  Jamie's dad? check Yellowstone bandana? check American Flag socks? check Weird and annoying whistle (below the bandana)? Check

So that was our arrival, in at least one sense, the end of our 70 days and the end of our journey across this big country.

After the arrival, our team sort of separated, but knowing that pretty much all of us would meet back up at Brady's house in Oregon City, just outside of Portland.  In fact, Brady and several others and I biked all the way to his house (okay it was only around 20 miles from where we were).  I don't know what it feels like, but it must have been an amazing experience for Brady to bike literally to his doorstep.

Once we arrived at Brady's house, of course the festivities began.  I'll just post this one picture from the celebration, where most of us are wearing normal clothing (what???!!!).  

Creme between cookies, Jamie's favorite Oreo knockoffs, provided by Save-A-Lot Foods

I don't think I need to elaborate on how elated everyone was at the celebration.  Plenty of champagne, beer, etc. etc. etc... although I'm fairly certain some of parents had a bit more to drink than any of us did...

I won't go into too much detail about what I need for the next few days in Portland, mostly because it makes me feel too nostalgic and sad that I'm no longer with my teammates.  But here are a few pictures to compensate:

Really?  This sign actually exists in Portland?  Could you be more of a stereotype? 

Saying goodbye to Emily... we are a lot more upset by having to say bye in this photo than it might appear to you...

On the plane ride back...wow things look flat from here... But trust me THEY ARE NOT 

And back again... not a bad pic from an iPhone eh?

 I have to say, it was the strangest feeling being at the Portland Airport, ready to fly back to Chicago... a distance that took us 50+ days to complete (albeit in the most non-linear way possible it seems), but took the plane all of four hours.  I'm not sure if I can really capture what I felt then now, so I'll just post what I wrote to my teammates in our group texting app:

So after an amazing 70 days of being together with you all, here I am again, alone at the airport. Only this time it's not Baltimore but Portland instead. Only this time, instead of feeling nervous about the trip and wondering whether it's the right thing to do, I now know that no summer will ever be quite as magical as the summer of Team Portland 2014.

This time, instead of looking towards the trip, I'm looking back at it and thinking about all the times we had that were fun, hilarious, depressing, and even infuriating. I'm looking back and wondering how we managed to get through it all. This time, instead of being curious about what all of you are like, I'm heartbroken to leave all of you.

Maybe hardest of all, instead of thanking Jamie for making this trip possible for so many of us, all I can do is thank her family for sharing her with us for just the two weeks we knew her.

All I can do is remember her and honor her and do my absolute best to live like her. This time is bitter and sweet all at once.

But I'll stick to the sweet because I know that sooner or later I will see you all and it'll take no time at all to resume our crazy ways and feel way too comfortable around each other again.  Can't wait to see you guys. -Ki Young PS also higher cadence

Ok I can't get rid of the weird formatting, but hopefully that gives some insight into what I felt at that moment in the airport.

So tomorrow (or soon) about my biking adventures...

Day 69 Tillamook to Cannon Beach to Hillsboro, OR

As is always the case with homestays, we left very late today.  Instead of 7AM, we left around 8:30AM...  but no one cared, because the hosts in Tillamook were so kind to us.

We would like to see more of these please

Today's ride was typical of what we've come to expect in the past few days.  Some busy roads, a narrowish shoulder, but thankfully cars that are usually nice and give us some room.

It's the last night and I want to spend as much of it with the team as possible, so I'll keep this short.  We went to Cannon Beach, one of the destinations for Team Portland in 2011 (the first team).  Of course we had our great tire dipping in Cape Mears, but we figured why not celebrate a second time on the beach and look at the Pacific again.

Champagne this time

Results of the presence of champagne... just kidding.  Maybe

After hanging out at the beach, we shuttled to Hillsboro, where the wonderful United Methodist Church had a hot meal waiting for us, even though we didn't make it to the church until past 9PM.

I can't believe that we're so close to Portland.  We first saw signs for Portland when we left Baker City, OR, and now we can't stop seeing them.  It seems unbelievable that we made it this far, this many miles, this much of the country.  In just about 10 hours or so, our journey will end.  Thanks for following and supporting me all along my route.

Day 68 Rest day in Tillamook, OR

Today is a very exciting day for Team Portland 2014, because we finally get to see the waters of the Pacific.  It didn't necessarily strike me just how far we had come, just how much of the country we had seen, until someone at the dinner at the church exclaimed, "wow, you guys have really seen the whole country."  I had been talking to him about our ride through Nebraska (which of course somehow seems like it happened ten years ago), and I realized suddenly that we really had seen an incredibly large part of the country on a bicycle.  It's sad to think that this experience is ending in just a few days, but it's also incredible to be at the end, with the finish within reach.

Brady and I had the fortune of sleeping in a bit this morning at our homestay with Mike Randall and his sister Nancy Randall.  After a great breakfast of Dave's Killer Bread (which is an Oregon brand of incredibly tasty bread apparently) and possibly the freshest eggs I've ever eaten, we headed to the church a bit earlier than everyone else.  We needed to fit Jamie's mom and dad (Eveline and Bob) and brother and sister (Will and Julia) to their rental bikes, as they would be riding with us to the beach. Bike fittings are usually supposed to be done by trained fitting specialists with at least some equipment, but at this point we've become pretty good at fitting people.  It might not be the best fitting in the world, but hey it usually gets the job done.

Pic with the Roberts Family.... from left to right, Will, Bob,  me, Eveline, and Julia.. ignore the very obnoxious thumb in the lower left... can't even remember who took this pic now

Also completely unrelated, but I found my notebook that I use to keep track of EVERYTHING I do on the 4K this morning... I thought it was lost for a day or so.  Unrelated to Roberts family or bike fitting... but thought you'd like to hear the good news

We fitted the Roberts family as well as we could (hey it's only 8 miles), and gave them lessons about cycling (shifting, breaking, riding in groups, etc.), as well as gave Mr. Roberts a crash course about clipless pedals.  He had never ridden them in his life before, but he picked up really quickly and did really well today!

Also, Joanna on her hand cycle.  Not as easy as it looks.  Imagine trying to generate as much power with your arms as your legs could... but I know it was all worth it

Off we went to the Pacific.  Instead of our usual spread out groups of 4-5 people, we all kind of rode in a single file on the road, with small gaps between people to ensure that cars could pass us if necessary.  It was a very emotional ride, knowing that just beyond this hill or tree we would be able to see the salty waters of the Pacific.  We moved really slowly (aside from the difficulty of riding in a such a big group, we were as usual fortunate enough to have crazy headwind).

But once we arrived, it was all worth it, all 4000 or so miles.  We had a quick but incredibly tasty lunch at the Cape Meares Association, including tuna!  Afterwards, we all headed to the beach (!!!!) for our front tire dippings.  It was incredible to finally see the Pacific and the waves.  I think what got to me the most was the fact that I could look towards the water, and there was just nothing there for thousands of miles.  We've passed plenty of rivers and large lakes, but it's just not quite the same.

Is this for real?  The Pacific?  Salt water?

In disbelief and shock about the ocean's presence 

Feeling so good I'm randomly picking up teammates.  Katrina didn't even want to be on my shoulder in this picture, it just happened.  Just kidding.  Maybe. 

Pic with Chris, the man from New Jersey who has never been west of Tennessee...

Yes, bikes on the beach are a thing now.  Salt water might be terrible for your bikes, but honestly at this point we don't care (two people even rode their bikes into the water)

Despite the amazing experience of finally making it to the Pacific on our bikes, it was also a bittersweet moment, because of course we couldn't help but think of one teammate who could not be here with us, Jamie.  As of tomorrow, eight weeks will have passed since Jamie's death.  To say that we're sad because Jamie is not here to enjoy the Pacific and dip her own tire into its waters is an understatement to say the least.  But we took consolation in the fact that her bike was ridden here far more than anyone else's bike on the team, that her family is here with us now to dip her tire into the ocean.  Although Jamie couldn't make it here herself, so much has been done to ensure that we bring her here as much as we could.

A beach experience of joy, laughter, and sadness all at the same time...

After taking a zillion pictures on the beach, we finally headed back to the church... but with a quick detour at the local brewpub of course, called Pelican Pub and Brewery.  This is actually where the beer we had yesterday at the church came from, and Darren (I believe is his name... forgive me if I got it wrong!), one of the bosses at the brewery, was kind enough to let us have drinks on him.

Short riding + one beer AFTERWARDS = great time
Great time + stickers = amazing experience

In the evening, we headed to the Tillamook County Fair, which was actually an amazing experience.  Rides, tons of junk food, games, shows, etc.  I'm pretty tired so I won't go into every detail at the fair, but here are three pics that sums it up nicely.

Yup that is me petting a calf... how did we get from biking to cows?

4K 2015... swing across the country with a beautiful sunset in the background

Not entirely certain why Taylor is making that face, but rest assured nothing weird is going on behind that sign

Afterward we were picked up by our host Mike Randall and headed back to his house... where I am typing these words currently.  Tomorrow morning is another 5AM, but hopefully that will be it for the rest of the trip.

I'm about to go to bed because I have to be awake in five hours to ride, but some reflections before I call it a night.  Are we really here?  Is this really the Pacific and the West Coast?  Or is it some illusion and are we still actually in the Midwest somewhere, and what we saw today was a massive lake?  Of course that isn't true, since I tasted the saltiness of the water.

How is it possible that the trip is just two days from being over?  Where did the second half of the trip go?  Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and even Nebraska seemed to go by so slowly.  In those states, life moved at a pace so slow that I could remember each and every single moment, or so it seemed.  But what happened to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana Idaho, and Oregon?  Aren't those states huge?  Then how did we get through them so fast?  What happened to the past three weeks, and how is it possible that they are already at an end?  What happened to Oregon?  Didn't we just get in?  Is Oregon smaller than I thought?

Thank you to the Roberts family for everything.  From the beginning of the trip, when they donated to everyone who hadn't met their fundraising goals yet and made it possible for so many of our teammates to come on this ride, to immediately after Jamie's accident, when they still supported our ride and asked that we continue.  And here they are now, at the very end, taking the spot where Jamie would have stood, lining up where she would have lined up, dipping the front tire that she would have dipped into the ocean.

It seems unreal that we've made it here, one way or another, on roads, both paved and gravel, through mountains, woods, deserts, hills, plains.  We've passed I don't know how many cars and peoples along the way.

I'm just grateful to be here.

Day 67 Corvallis, OR to Tillamook, OR

A 4AM wake up greeted us this morning, as we headed out for what we knew would be a difficult day.  Not because of climbing, not because it was particularly long or hot, but because we knew the roads would be very dangerous today.  We had talked to several bike shops in the area as well as Pastor Jerry from tonight's host in Tillamook, and it seemed like while we were taking the safest road possible, even that road wasn't so great.  A lot of blind turns covered up by trees with trucks moving up and down the eastern coast of Oregon.

Elevation Profile for today... looks a lot tougher than it actually is (see scale to the left)

My riding group was moving relatively slowly, but after the first water stop we were fortunate enough to have a bike path, even if only for five or six miles.  Compared to riding on a busy highway, riding on bike paths is such a different experience and much more enjoyable.

Speaking of avoiding highways, my group also managed to avoid some parts of a busy highway by taking a parallel back road, and it's actually remarkable how different the landscape can look when you're on a smaller road.  The highways are often built on the flatter parts of the land, so when you ride on them you don't get to see much besides the road and trees.  When you're on back roads that are built over the land rather than through it, you feel the contour of the land so much more and it's so much more picturesque and beautiful.

View from back road.  NOT pictured, view from highway (because it wasn't worth it)

Our second water stop was at a winery actually... where we obviously sampled amazing Oregon chardonnays and pignot noirs before heading back on the road.

Ok just kidding, no wine during the ride.  No Tour de Franzia

I actually had my first real crash from a bicycle today.  Fortunately everything turned out just fine (just a minor cut on my hand), but it could have been very dangerous.  As we approached a narrow bridge, it looked like there was a small ramp that we could take onto the sidewalk that crossed the bridge.  Since there was no shoulder, I thought that would be the safest option.  I approached the bridge pretty quickly, but once I was within two feet or so of the bridge (i.e. too late to stop), I realized that the so called ramp actually had a really big lip... oops.  Since I couldn't stop, and I was afraid of going onto the road (didn't have time to check for cars and there was zero shoulder), I brilliantly decided to bunny hop it.  Because I'm such a great rider I cleared the lip by an entire foot... just kidding, I clipped the lip and crashed into the guard rail.  Fortunately, I somehow managed to catch myself on the guard rail and landed entirely in the sidewalk.  My bike fell about a foot into the road, but thankfully nothing came of it.  I knew I was fine the second I fell, but I think my teammates (who didn't know exactly what had happened obviously) were quite startled (reasonably so).  My bike did have the saddle twisted, the stem twisted, and handlebar bent, but even though all of those problems sound so serious and so bad, they are actually all minor issues that I fixed as soon as we crossed walking over the bridge.

A bit embarrassing but I suppose everyone needs one good fall story and now I have mine...  My only regret is that we have no video or photos of the event *sigh*...

Unfortunately soon after the crash, we received a team message saying that we would pull off the road and shuttle for the rest of the day, because the roads were so dangerous up ahead.  After being picked up by the water van we drove up the road we would have biked on, and it wasn't hard at all to see why.  The roads had no shoulder at all, but plenty of blind turns covered by trees and a lot of logging trucks... which are scary when you're in a car, but terrifying when you're on a bicycle.

Despite the disappointment that we would have to shuttle yet again, we were all in pretty good spirits because we knew that the hosts in Tillamook, the St. Albans Episcopal Church, would be great (this is the host of the mythical Pastor Jerry).  Once we got there, it wasn't hard to see why so many 4K Alums love Tillamook.  Actually, there was something on the wall in the church basement that seemed to say it all:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.

That short verse seems to capture at least a part of what 4K has shown me, that there are so many people out there who are willing to take in strangers and show them kindness.

Aside from the lovely quote, there was also freshly brewed beer and root beer and a ton of snacks, which helped us quickly forget the fact that we had to shuttle.

Also waiting for us at the church was a ton of mail, including perhaps most importantly, a replacement back rim for Jamie's bike!  Jamie's dad, Bob Roberts, is planning on riding her bike with us tomorrow to the ocean, and Bradley Allen the great alum / bike guru from Boulder was kind enough to purchase one himself and donate it to us.

Mmm... Shimano rim... *drooling*... thanks Bradley 

Ok so we technically bike all the way to Tillamook, but after we shuttled we went back out to the sign for pics

During a great dinner of so many delicious dishes that the church put on, we had the nice surprise of Brock Yetso (CEO of Ulman) show up with a delivery of bikes for the Jamie's family (who will be biking with us tomorrow), as well as Joanna's hand cycle (she broke her angle.... remember?).

Tonight we are being hosted by Mike Randall and his sister Nancy Randall, as we have homestays.  Actually Mike offered to take me and Brady to see the Pacific ocean, but let's just say we politely declined (as much as possible), only because we want to save seeing the ocean until tomorrow, when we will be dipping our front tires into the Pacific.

After talking to Mike and Nancy about our ride and just the amazing adventures we had, I have to say one of the highlights of this recent leg, of the whole trip, was trying Mike's very very ripe and just off the vine cherry tomatoes.  I don't think I've ever had tomatoes that sweet... there was actually a bowl of candy next to the tomatoes and I ended up eating just the tomatoes because they were so good.  Fortunately for me, Brady doesn't like tomatoes so more for me... Thanks to Mike and Nancy for welcoming us into their homes!  Also the tomatoes... so good...

Day 66 Eugene, OR to Corvallis, OR

Just about the perfect day of riding

Thanks to Pastor Dave's help, we had one of the best routes of the entire trip.  Although the route was very short compared to what we've accustomed to riding (43 miles or so), we all have memories of Denver to Boulder which was an even shorter route (35 miles) and turned into a nightmare (you can see my post for that day (http://upyourcadence.blogspot.com/2014/07/day-39-denver-to-boulder-35-miles-of.html).

But that didn't happen, because we had such a wonderful route.  In the first twenty miles of the ride, I counted I think no more than twenty cars that passed us from the back, meaning we had about one car per mile.  Compared to the crazy busy roads that we've had to ride, it was really paradise.  A lot of the road was also incredibly smooth, which makes a big difference as well.

Elevation Profile for today... not bad at all, not bad at all

While we were riding, we also had the pleasant surprise of Barry Sherry literally just showing up on the road to meet us.  I think he had driven to Corvallis and since he knew our route today, he rode back towards Eugene and just met up with various riding groups that he ran into along the way.

Small town America

Unfortunately Barry managed to somehow slip past without me getting a picture of him (or his incredible Trek bike), but it was really nice to see him, talk about all the crazy adventures we've been on this trip, and more (had a great time telling him about all the bike problems we've had).

Once we got into Corvallis around 1PM, of course we had little to do, since the host (Boys and Girls Club) weren't able to let us in until 6PM... oops.  So we just biked around the city (another incredibly bike friendly city by the way) and visited bike shops, ate more ice cream / pizza, and the Oregon State University bookstore (for stickers of course).  Then this happened:

Napchat level grand master... we spent a solid 30 minutes on these chairs in the bookstore

After getting into the Boys and Girls Club and showering, we went out for Japanese food and just had a great day.  We've had some really difficult days of riding, so a day like today was great to get everyone's spirits up and finish an easy ride.

Day 65 Rest day in Eugene!

A great rest day in Eugene.

We started the morning off with a breakfast of pancakes and sausages... always a nice touch, especially compared to the days that we eat just granola bars for breakfast.  I'm fairly certain that no one will ever be able to eat granola bars after this trip is over.

This morning, some people were able to go to the local hospital's cancer center to visit patients.  Unfortunately, as was the case in Boulder, I still had the slightly sign of being sick (a cough that shows up once in awhile), so we decided (especially Dan, with his usual sass), that I shouldn't go.  I'm pretty disappointed that I wasn't able to visit the patients, especially since everybody who has a chance to do so talks about how amazing of an experience it is.  They're always impressed by how strong the patients are, that despite everything they're going through, they seem to think of it as no big deal and stay so optimistic.  But I'm still glad that a part of our team was able to go.

In the meanwhile, the rest of the team decided to go try to see the University of Oregon Campus, especially the Autzen Stadium (the football stadium).  Unfortunately, it was media day and we were only able to walk in circles around the stadium as they would not let us in.  Which obviously Joanna (if you forgot, here, loved)

Crutches + walking a lot = not fun

Autzen Stadium - big, imposing, and forbidden to 4K for the day

But we did get to see the track... some people ran a lap... some of us sat there and watched

After a great lunch of leftover turkey sandwiches (which somehow I didn't make the connection that the turkey was left over from yesterday's great Thanksgiving meal until I started eating... I definitely have my moments of brilliance...), it became apparent that the team needed a lot more rest, because we ALL passed out for a good three hours on the floor.  I really really wish I had a picture of this because it was hilarious that we all fell asleep, but I don't because 1. it would be creepy, and 2. I was also PASSED OUT.

After our long slumber, we headed to the 5th Street Market, where we didn't spend a lot of time, but I did acquire this great new cycling journal.  I've decided I'll take it with me every time I go on a long ride, and it'll be my log book of everywhere I go, the distances, the riding conditions, the people I meet, etc.

How many miles and stories can I fit into this tiny notebook?  Thankfully it fits into my jersey pocket

As we were eating a great lasagna dinner that the Our Saviour Lutheran Church provided, I couldn't help but think how much effort our hosts had to make to make our stay in Eugene so wonderful.  Aside from preparing every single meal that we needed while we were here (they are also providing breakfast tomorrow), Pastor Dave made sure we had showers and access to the pool, wrote up a list of places that we could visit in Eugene, and even helped us with our route for tomorrow.  When you're on the 4K Team, it's easy to settle into a routine of getting into a church and just knowing that there's going to be a meal prepared and showers found, but we try to keep a perspective on just how much effort is required for us to have such great stays in these cities.  So thank you to Pastor Dave and everyone else at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, as well as other hosts who are so generous to us.

After dinner we headed back into the downtown Eugene area yet again for some pizza and just general relaxing and not doing much (which is GREAT).

All I have left to say is that it was just about the perfect rest day.

Day 64 Bend, OR to Eugene, OR

Since we had a long ride today (almost 120 miles), we decided it would be prudent to leave super early at sunrise.  By which I mean, we decided we'd leave at 7AM, and the last team ended up leaving at 8:40AM.  For some reason whenever we have homestays, we can never seem to get ourselves out in time.  But that's okay, since we had so little time to get to know our hosts, and even just an extra half hour or hour helped.  Plus, looking at the elevation profile today, most of us felt confident that it would not be too tough of a day.

Elevation profile for today.  In case you can't figure it out, the mantra for today's ride is "get to mile 38/39" and then it will be downhill from there...

After some fun food van packing (including sprinklers going off and getting our backpacks pretty wet), my riding group took off to a great start... and got lost within five minutes.   Fortunately we caught our mistake just a mile or so into it, and routed back to the original directions.  The first twenty miles or so flew by without a problem.  After the first water stop, we entered the Williamette National Forest.  We were greeted by a welcome sign that says, "Bikes may use full lane."  Usually we're limited to riding doubles on the very right side of the road, so to see signs that allowed us to take the full lane and force cars to pass in the other plane is wonderful.  I wanted to take a picture, but unfortunately that sign only showed up once and I never saw it again argh... but here's a similar, if not quite as good, sign:

That's right, do as the sign says

I don't think I've ever seen a forest quite like Williamette.  As we climbed (which was again, long but but gradual), it was still desert like a bit (just with a lot more trees... yes somehow apparently Oregon has managed to combine trees + desert)  For an example, actually look at picture above... trees, but not as many and still a lot of sage bushes.

However, right after you reach the summit and start the climb down, the entire other side of the mountain is much more moist and the trees are taller and there is far more vegetation (but not much in the way of sagebrush).  

Obligatory mountain summit picture

More lava rocks with a mountain on the left side in the background (too cloudy / bad camera... look very very hard and you'll be able to see it)

Yes, this incredibly green forest is actually the same mountain as the lava rock filled one above

 The picture above was taken right after our lunch on the other side of the mountain.  We actually had a really nice surprise for us, as Emily Lake's aunt Becky surprised her (just as Brady was surprised by his family yesterday) with a bunch of great food (smoked salmon and bagels... fanciest lunch in a long time).  And actually right afterwards, Ashley's dad also surprised her by just walking up in the woods with ice cream... a great moment for all of us.

Speaking of the other side of the mountain, the descent was one of the best yet.  I wish I could say that I had a ton of pictures (I often take pictures with my iPhone on the bike... I promise it's mostly safe), but today it just wasn't going to happen.  Even though the descent wasn't all that steep necessarily, it had more switchbacks I think than I have ever seen in my life.  Just winding turn after turn through the forest, with cars being told to drive at 25, 20, and even 15 mph, meaning that had there been cars descending, we definitely would have passed them easily.  It was a bit scary to wind down the mountain (especially if a car popped up going the opposite direction out of nowhere), but aside from the  forest being absolutely amazing, it was thrilling to drop 4000 feet in elevation in just over ten miles.

We had a slightly unpleasant experience once we arrived at the bottom of the mountain.  Even though cars in Oregon have almost all been very nice to us (with the exception of motorcyclists for some reason), with cars in the forest today slowing down a lot, going into the other lane, giving us friendly honks and waves.  At the bottom of the mountain, a driver who had been forced to wait a long time to pass us (again, because of the crazy switchbacks) yelled at us and told us to get off the road.  It's too bad that sometimes one angry driver can undo the good that twenty other friendly drivers do, but we try to stay optimistic and remember that Oregon is one of the most bike friendly states in the country.

The rest of today is somewhat of a blur, because in order to finish early enough, we really went fast, faster than I've been on the trip in a long time.  Unfortunately the road we were on wasn't so great (a  lot of traffic + small or no shoulder = no good), but thankfully most of the cars were very nice (including a lot of waving).  We entered Eugene around 7PM and we can't wait for our rest day tomorrow.

We're being hosted by the Our Saviour's Lutheran Church here in Eugene.  Can't believe I'm saying this, but they gave us a delicious Thanksgiving meal, with many of the usual sides.  It's definitely unexpected but great to have a taste of November in August.

Total mileage for today... ok so it was actually 118.4 or so, but I rode around in the parking lot to make it an even 120 miles.  Longest day since the day to Landers, WY (I think that day was also 120 miles).

Day 63 Mitchell, OR to Bend, OR

We had a great breakfast at the Mitchell School (felt like being back in K-12 education... wow that was a lifetime ago for me).  After dedication circle, we headed out of Mitchell... which was an initial downhill, for a few miles, but then a big climb out for the next 16 miles.  Thankfully I think our legs are finally adjusted to this kind of climbing (long but pretty gradual) so it wasn't too bad.

Actually we were glad to be able to just bike through this area at all, because just a short few weeks ago, this area had suffered a forest fire and we weren't sure if we would be allowed to go through it at all.  Last night's (Mitchell School) had actually been a FEMA center for a little awhile...

Remnants of the forest fire

Still really beautiful views from the top

Ok this is kind of a random picture, but there was a grate at the TOP of the mountain, which to any cyclist is kind of funny.  Grates might seem meaningless if you've never biked, but to a cyclist, they can be really annoying and or dangerous (try running over one... if you're lucky you get away with it, sometimes you get a flat, even worse your wheel gets stuck in it and you bend your rim...).  So I couldn't help but think it funny to find one at nearly 5,000 feet up...

Obligatory team pic at summit

So after we made summit, we were all very excited to descend down the mountain... except it turned out to be incredibly gradual, far more gradual than the climb had been.  This meant that the ride down wasn't so much exciting as... very very relaxing, and our team became tired for a good bit.  We talked to each other and yelled at each other to make sure we all stayed away.

After a bit of difficulty as to where exactly we would have it, we ate lunch by a local school, just maybe 22 miles away from our destination of Bend, OR.  We had a big surprise there when Brady's family (Brady is actually from Oregon) surprised him.  By "we had a big surprise," what I really mean is that all of us on the team knew they were coming... we just kept it a secret from Brady.  It was very nice to finally meet his mom - about whom we've all heard so much.  Pretty much the entire team will be staying over at Brady's house after the trip, at least for a day or two, so we'll definitely be seeing her again soon.

We had a bit of a hectic entrance into Bend, because the weather took a turn for the worse.  We started drizzling just a little, so our team quickly made our way to the host.  We were definitely glad to have been able to do so, because as soon as we made it to the host it started raining even more, and eventually we saw hail bigger than I've ever seen in my entire life.

We have a very unique host situation tonight, since we have homestays, but they are not through a church or any school or any central organization.  Instead, one of our riders, Kelsey, her brother's girlfriend's friend is our main host contact for Bend.  A very tenuous connection I know, but hey on the 4K you'll take whatever you can get.  And by whatever you can get, of course, I mean a great host with Kirk and Rochelle Schueler.  This is the lovely view from the deck.  As usual, the pic doesn't really do justice.

After a great dinner of chicken and potatoes and green beans, we just had a relaxed evening of chatting about 4K, talking about our remaining riding days, the Schueler family (who are quite accomplished by the way... as Aaron put it, "what don't you guys do?").  My blog is finally caught up (we'll see how long that lasts, even though there is only a week left).

Although we won't really get to see much of it, Bend reminds me of Boulder, CO.  As soon as we entered the town there was a great bike lane that continued through most of the town and up to the house.  It's too bad we don't have an extra day here to see what sights, but at least we're getting a taste of the area.

Day 62 John Day, OR to Mitchell, OR

This morning started off with a great breakfast and a nice send off from the host, who waved us off.  We knew today would be an easier day, and aside from a few bike issues, it turned out to be that way.  We had a gradual down hill until mile 40, and then a slightly steeper climb for 10 miles, then a gradual climb for another 10 or so, and then finally a big descent into Mitchell.  The morning started really well, with all the teams moving very quickly to each water stop.

Our very first Portland sign... ever!

We had some difficulty finding a spot for lunch with actual shade, so we just parked the two vans next to each other with some space in between, and placed a big tarp on top of the vans to create shade.  Of course, turns out that because we kept the vans running at least part of the time for various reasons, the space between the two of them became extremely hot because of the exhaust and no one could be in there anyway...

Brady somehow had a flat while eating lunch (as in no one was touching his bike).  Presumably it was a rim tape problem, but since we were short on time and we had no extra rim tape, he just switched out the tube and hoped for the best.  Well, a bit too much hope apparently, because just a few miles into the ride, Brady had yet another flat, and to make matters worse, when we tried a different tube, it went flat immediately.  So three flats in just a few miles, which is not encouraging to say the least.  To complicate matters worse, the area we were in had no cell phone service, and out of tubes... and the last van / group had already passed us.  Aaron and I sprinted up the mountain as fast as we could to hopefully catch a group.  Fortunately, the food van had decided to wait for us just to make sure what was going on, and they were sitting up the road by just a mile or so.  We switched out Brady's front wheel for Max's wheel and were back on the road.  A lot of bike problems definitely take place on 4K, but I'm glad that everyone is willing to share just about every resource to make sure everyone can keep riding.  Before the beginning of the trip, I wasn't sure how the team would work when it came to sharing tubes, patch kits, etc., but I can definitely say that no one holds anything back.

We made it up to the summit of the mountain (first we passed by a couple of guys who were long boarding it across the country... twice... for a total of 9000 miles... incredible).  We began the descent down the mountain, and although I decided to just coast and not pedal to enjoy the views, we still finished the last 8 miles into Mitchell incredibly quickly.  Right before the school we're staying in was what appeared to be a huge hill, which as you can imagine to say the least was super disappointing, since 1. we had just made a massive descent and lost a couple of thousand feet of elevation, and 2. we had already had a big climb and our legs were pretty tired, and finally 3. the climb was nowhere on the elevation profile (which we've started studying religiously).  Thankfully the hill turned out to be steep but short and we rode into our teammates cheering us on outside in the parking lot.

Thank you to our host for the night, Mitchell School  We had a great dinner (including freeze pops!).  Mitchell is definitely the smallest town we have stayed in all trip (population 139 as of the 2012 census).  Because it is in a canyon (as I said, we descended down a mountainside for 8 miles to get here), there is zero cell service.  The pastor at our last host told us that, but I think for some reason everybody assumed he was exaggerating, but it's completely true.  This might be a really small town, but it's nice to be here, especially since I know that the chance of me coming back to Mitchell, OR is extremely slim.  Part of the trip for me is definitely getting to see small towns and remote areas that are hard to access.  Not too many people in the world will ever see these small towns, especially if they zoom past them at 80 miles an hour on the interstate - nothing quite like climbing up a steep mountain at 8mph... once you do that, you'll never forget the terrain.

Top o' some rocks

Right after the pic above was taken

Standard GoPro mount I believe? 

We left this stapled to the wall of a restaurant in Mitchell.. a bit of 4K will live on there...