Why such a long break in posts? I figures if I'm taking a bit of a break you could too. Day 11 had me waking up under a roof for the first time since leaving, and it was great! I left the motel in the morning and had a Bacon Maple Bar from Voodoo Donuts, followed by the Super Plate of chilaquiles at Cafe Siena. I killed some time wandering the U of O campus and headed back to the room to check out. A tour through the rose garden and the river front wasted enough time for Ninkasi Brewery to open where I had a taster set of delicious beer, some soup, and then headed up to my cousins' place in Sweet Home.
The ride went pretty well but found me arriving at Teri and Steve's soaking wet. A nice hot shower and I was back! We had a few beers and lots of conversation, topped off with my first home cooked meal in too long.
Day 12 was the first day the saddle has not seen my butt in almost two weeks. It was a great day of relaxation, washing clothes (which was long overdue), and doing a little blog updating. Steve and I took a trip into town and visited Calapooia Brewery where I had a delicious chili ale which is made from Anaheim, Serrano, and Jalapeño peppers that the bartender wisely added some porter to that balanced the heat with some tasty roasty. That night we three combined forces to make a delicious pizza while Riley and Sage, the dogs, looked on jealously. Pizza was followed by Teri's Coconut Pie and I was again stuffed. T & S have a great place and put me up very well, thanks again guys for the amazing hospitality!
Today began with a hearty breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and bacon from the pigs next door that feed on chestnuts. Once again I was full of good, healthy food, and repacking my gear commenced. It's ridiculous how fast I can fill up a floor if I'm going to be there more than a night. They stuffed my panniers with homemade bread, bacon, and delicious Meadow Foam Honey for the next couple days, then we said our goodbyes and I hopped on the bike again, Salem-bound.
At first the ride seemed great. It was raining but I had bundled up for the first time and was pretty dry. The only downside to the rain gear is it doesn't breathe so I tried to keep the intensity low to not sweat as much. This turned out to be a bit of an issue since it seems my legs forgot how to ride in the last day, so the entire ride was more work than I expected. The hills were more challenging than they should have been and I struggled but the trip was only about 50 miles so I was able to make it okay.
I got to my cousin Nicki's in time to clean up and take her and her roommate to dinner as a thanks. I got a large plate and a good beer at Venti's and the waitress actually made a couple remarks about how much I was eating, especially compared to the girls. Teri and Steve tried to fatten me up and hopefully some of that food will stick since a measurement this morning showed that I've lost 6 pounds since Day 1, which seems crazy given the amount of food I'm consuming! So I'm continuing to work on it tonight since Nicki popped a Raspberry Rhubarb pie in the oven that we'll be enjoying soon!
Tomorrow will be a bit of Salem and then to Portland, bringing me to the city in which I'll finally see Steph again this weekend!
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