TransAm Day #63 Eugene, OR - Corvallis, OR

TransAm Day #63

July 29, 2018

Eugene, OR - Corvallis, OR

48 Miles

Ride Time 3:57 Hours

Tour Total  Miles 4394

details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180729-1341-43453

I slept well last night in Barbara’s backyard. My tent held itself together. Last night one of the pole ends had snapped at the Y joint. There was still enough of a cup to fit over the rod. Barbara’s orange cat Zora wanted in my tent last night and this morning, but he has sharp claws and I need my Thermorest. 

Eileen had hung all our laundry in Barbara’s backyard, and I couldn’t find my underwear this morning. It was pointed out to me that they were right in front of my eyes, and they were exactly like the pair at Bruce’s that Eileen had told me were mine. I wasn’t used to seeing the band flipped inside out. I feel like an idiot. 

My companions made an awesome bacon, sausage, and egg breakfast. Barbara made oatmeal and had cantaloupe and blueberries. After breakfast she let us take turns riding her horse in the corral. Everyone was in awe of its size and power. I got a little run, and it was exhilarating. Riding a bike is much easier and way more comfortable. We packed up all our gear and, before trucking us back to Eugene, Barbara offered us blueberries and raspberries from her garden. 

We went to Hutch’s bike shop to get Klaus’s wheel fixed. There was a parade in town and Barbara asked if we wanted to be part of the pagan contingent. I later learned that Barabara was part of the original hippy migration to Eugene, and she had been friends with Ken Kesey. I went to REI and swapped out my tent. They didn’t have the exact model so I opted for the two person version. It was 3:30pm by the time we left Eugene. 

There are bike lanes throughout Eugene, and many cyclists. The motorists are considerate which makes me want to obey traffic laws here. It’s very different from New York where motorists and pedestrians are rude, and it’s a constant turf battle. 

Eugene seemed like the perfect place. For white people that is. I didn’t notice much diversity. In addition to all the beautiful, interesting looking white people on bikes, I noticed a large transient population which perhaps we were a subset of, especially after yesterday's beer store incident. We had looked at a map of counties where marijuana is legal in Oregon and it’s just on the west coast. It’s interesting to look at the split and think about the area we just rode through, and where we’re now headed. 

I pedaled north on local roads up the Williamette River Valley. The Cascades were distant to the east and the coastal range was immediately to the west. I love the large hay monuments in the fields, and see a connection to Modernist Sculpture. I passed another shoe tree. It was smaller than the one in eastern Oregon, but still impressive. I tagged one of the shoes with a #RustyCrank sticker. 

It was hot and humid, and I had a headwind. Once again, I was heading north. Readers have questioned my mileage totals. The TransAm route is approximately 4250 miles long. I’ve ridden more than that because of my side excursions. The route is much longer than the 3000 mile airplane mile width of the country because it zigzags all over the west. Brythnie finish today in Astoria. She had bitter feelings about the headwinds going north along the coast. She said it was the most difficult part of her trip. 

The Willamette valley is quite fertile. There are lots of fruit orchards and vegetable stands. I’ve passed roses and hydrangeas of every color. I knocked myself for literally not stopping to smell the roses today. I’ve noticed numerous Christian schools and churches of different denominations. It’s a contrast to the culture I saw in Eugene. I passed signs with biblical phrases and threats of eternal damnation if I’m not saved. 

We arrived at my friend Itty’s other sister, Chava, who has a house at the top of a long steep hill outside of Corvallis. Her home is beautiful, and she made us a fantastic dinner. Barbara joined us, and we stayed up late. My companions and I slept in beds on the lower level. 

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