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.