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.