First 5 Days - Smoke - Fire - Lots of Miles

First, my sincere condolences to all that have endured Hurricane Harvey's wrath. I am so very sorry for the misery it has caused both physical and mental. In my life I can only compare my days in New Orleans with my brother just after Katrina hit. Sights and smells I will never forget. A storm that in my mind eventually led in many ways to my brothers suicide.

We are now in John Day. Our first rest day of the tour. 5 Days of riding; Florence, Eugene, McKenzie Bridge, Prineville, Mitchell, John Day. The photo below was taken near the Heceta Light House up Hy 101 from Florence.

Following are a few stats pertaining to our ride thus far:

• Total Miles thru Day 5 = 361
• Total Approximate Calories burned = 21,000
• 32 Hours on the bike
• Ascent or Climbing Thus Far: 15,000'
• Average Speed: Does not matter cause it's a tour. :)

By far the two most beautiful days have been Florence to Eugene on day 1 and then yesterdays ride from Mitchel to John Day. Coastal rain forest are indescribable. And the country west of Mitchel turned out to be moderately lush high desert. Meaning there were trees and water on the route and we had a beautiful descent with little traffic. 

As we have said many times in the past, sitting behind the seat of a car windshield or watching touring videos from the comfort of a sofa can never compare with touring on a bicycle. All 5 senses are engaged with the country around you. The smell of Blue Spruce and Sequoias and smoke from the many forest fires along our route. The sounds of the rivers and streams. The feel of the air and our tired legs and fatigue. The sights unfolding in front of you while you take in the other senses. 

So far this tour has been pretty much all I had hoped for. We have many stories to tell. Stories that will be retold for years to come. Here are the highlights of a few of those stories so far. 

• The Golden Wheel Awards - Joe and Bill have received them every day. The first time for missing the route turn and deciding to "do it their way" and riding through Eugene traffic instead of following the Adventure Cycling map that took BJ and I to down town via safe bicycle paths. 
• BJ walking over to a car and opening the rear hatch with the driver standing right beside him. Only to find out it was really the drivers car not Bills rented car. 
• The climb over Santiam Pass that lasted over 35 miles with smoke and Sunday traffic that I don't ever want to see again. We rode 105 miles that day. Opps, sorry we all rode 105 except Bill who decided to go to Bend instead of Mitchel. 
• Joes side wall flat and the ensuing frustration after it blew out again in the same side wall cut that he missed the first time. Not to mention his use of racing tires instead of touring tires for the tour. 
• Bills equipment failure. His $300 carbon racing shoes split in half as he attempted to ride from Sisters to Mitchel to make up for his side trip to Bend. The failure led to a trip back to Bend for new cheap shoes and the loss of that segment of the trip. 
• The wrong turns and almost wrong turns we all made during the trip. These should be fewer now that we don't have to follow a map so closely and watch signs to make sure we are on the right road. But a few tricky turns still await us.

Ok enough for now. If you wish, you can view the photos I've taken so far by clicking here. 

It may be a few days before I post again.