Day 36, September 6th 2007 (Eugene, OR to Corvallis, OR)

With a nice shower and clean clothes to step into it made the whole morning very enjoyable. As I walked into the kitchen I noticed so much about the house that I was too tired to pay attention to the previous evening. The walls were filled with some incredible art and it was obvious that they had a good taste towards some great designs. From the beginning of the morning I was able to make myself at home. I was able to make eggs and have toast to start my morning in the right direction. I was drawn out a great map to get me through Eugene and onto the University of Oregon's campus. The route that I was able to take was along a beautiful river and on a bike path that was probably 10-15 miles long. I believe it was the Mckenzie River and there were so many people outside enjoying the afternoon. From cyclists that were out looking for a good ride to daily commuters, walkers and joggers, and even just people sitting or laying out and enjoying the day. I was only on the path for about 6 miles before I turned off and towards the campus, but it was wonderful. The campus was so green and full of a rich color that it was hard to get myself off of the campus before at least seeing what their Human and Health Performance program looked like. It was unfortunate to hear that it was horrible and didn't exist, but life leads to better things I guess. Eventually I did leave the campus and headed back on the same beautiful bike path that I had come in on. I had been drawn out a nice map to get myself out of Eugene and headed north on a nice farm road towards Corvallis. The wind was incredibly strong and I knew I was in for a ride today. It was only about a 60 mile ride today, but it was against the wind all day. I was only about 50 miles east of the coast and since the coastal wind comes from the north west it made for quite the day. I was thankful that the whole ride was flat because with many hills it would have nearly impossible to keep going. I was riding along the Oregon farmland to the north and it was nice to see some fresh fruits growing, pears, compared to the cornfields I was used to. I was fortunate for the time of day that I was riding in, it was about 75 degrees and felt great. After 5 hours of pushing against the wind I made it to Corvallis. I was told by the host that I was going to stay with, Jim Fischer, to go to a bike shop on 2nd street. Once there, I was supposed to say I was looking for Fisch and they would be able to direct me where I needed to go. I arrived on 2nd and it was nice to be at a bike shop because my bike was in need of some dire need. My rear rack, I noticed, had started to crack and wasn't going to make it much further before breaking off. I bought a new rack that looked about ten times more solid and could only hope to get the remaining 6,000 miles out of it that I needed. I was able to use some space and tools at the shop and I was on my way in no time. With the help of some people at the shop I was able to take a bike path all the wayto the house I would stay at. With some well written out directions I was there in just a few minutes and it felt great to have landed at such a nice place to stay. The couple at the house was actually going to be moving a couple of miles away in the next week so everything was practically boxed up. They were a great couple that were very involved in the community and with a cycling team that they coached kids from between 14 and 19 years of age. Along with leading those rides they were very active cyclists themselves. Jim had been involved in an ultra endurance bike race in Oregon for the past few years that was over 500 miles long. This past year he had done the race with a friend of his and they had beaten the old course record by an hour, finished in a little over 28 hours, and recieved 2nd place. The group that had beaten them was a group of two that had finished 40 minutes ahead of them. Along with that crazy activity that he would partake in, he and Heather would go and do some great long tours together. They told me that they had been able to take their tandom bicycle to Europe and were able to ride on the course of The Tour De France hours before the race actually started. It was towards the end of the tour so they were able to ride in some of the great Alps and said it was just an incredible place to be during the event. They had also done some touring through the San Juan Islands and had a great time there as well. I was able to hear some great news; Oregon State was a school that was in Corvallis and actually has a good program geered towards what I am currently looking to go to school for. The area is so beautiful here and is 50 miles east of the ocean, 60 miles west of the mountains, at a low elevation so it stays around 40 degrees in the winter, and in Oregon. I was able to sleep well knowing that tommorrow could lead to even greater news, as I would be able to visit the campus and see what they had to offer.
Daily mileage: 68.5 miles
Average Speed: 12.2 mph
Total mileage: 2,110.3 miles