catfish-archive
09-05-01, 11:06 PM
Hi Amy thanks for those inspireing words,Elizabeth, I am just a bit crazy you had it right. I made a few minor changes to the bike from the last trip. The rear wheel didnt hold up it had a bunch of micro cracks in the rim(not good) I complained to trek corp and they replaced it under warentee with a much stronger Bontreager clyde. Everything else is the same but new parts I changed the cassette, chain rings brakes headset pedals, all the cables, overhauled the hubs just about everything that moves.
The ride from florance to eugene was another cool morning start, I was begining to think winter was closing in.
The first 15 miles were peacefull just cranking out the miles along a river I saw a tug boat pulling a hudge load of logs to the mill I stoped and watched a while Because i didnt realize they still transported logs that way. 20 miles out is a cafe I stoped at once befor and thought it would be good to get some pancakes, short stack $2.75 the place was full of charictors, some old and young beat up crippled loggers and mill workers that had one too many fights with a stuburn tree, I got into a conversation easly with them about land prices gas prices and the rest of the normal topics, Of course they were interested why a growen man would want to ride a bicycle accross the country.
Left pedaling a little slower, and just enjoying the ride. I met a fellow going west we stoped and talked a bit he started in New York. and withen 2 hours his ride would be complete I could feel the excitement then and still can as I recall the moment. It wasnt that long ago I was finishing up part one on the west coast myself.
This fellow told me he had met 2 others going my way and were about a day ahead of me they were green with no experiance and looked out of shape. I thought I might catch up to them, more on them later.
I pulled into Eugeen and it would be 2 hrs befor the hostile opened so I found a laundrymat. Rosie the attendant there helped me out with free soap and a game of cribbage as the cloths were washing and drying.
The hostile was full of people of varrious stages of finding them selves through adventure, booze and or drugs. a coupla of the guests were pretty decent though and enjoyed my time woth them. One of the guys in the dorm room i was in came in drunk and got sick so I picked up my stuff and sleped in the living room and left by 6 am what a dump! thankfully most hostiles are not like this.
The ride from florance to eugene was another cool morning start, I was begining to think winter was closing in.
The first 15 miles were peacefull just cranking out the miles along a river I saw a tug boat pulling a hudge load of logs to the mill I stoped and watched a while Because i didnt realize they still transported logs that way. 20 miles out is a cafe I stoped at once befor and thought it would be good to get some pancakes, short stack $2.75 the place was full of charictors, some old and young beat up crippled loggers and mill workers that had one too many fights with a stuburn tree, I got into a conversation easly with them about land prices gas prices and the rest of the normal topics, Of course they were interested why a growen man would want to ride a bicycle accross the country.
Left pedaling a little slower, and just enjoying the ride. I met a fellow going west we stoped and talked a bit he started in New York. and withen 2 hours his ride would be complete I could feel the excitement then and still can as I recall the moment. It wasnt that long ago I was finishing up part one on the west coast myself.
This fellow told me he had met 2 others going my way and were about a day ahead of me they were green with no experiance and looked out of shape. I thought I might catch up to them, more on them later.
I pulled into Eugeen and it would be 2 hrs befor the hostile opened so I found a laundrymat. Rosie the attendant there helped me out with free soap and a game of cribbage as the cloths were washing and drying.
The hostile was full of people of varrious stages of finding them selves through adventure, booze and or drugs. a coupla of the guests were pretty decent though and enjoyed my time woth them. One of the guys in the dorm room i was in came in drunk and got sick so I picked up my stuff and sleped in the living room and left by 6 am what a dump! thankfully most hostiles are not like this.