Eugene, OR and the ride to get there

6/19/09

I left for Eugene yesterday and was quite sore as I started the ride from Rickreall. I didn't eat breakfast since I ran out of oatmeal the day before and Rickreall doesn't have a grocery store. Instead, I stopped about 10 miles out in Monmouth at a gas station. I picked up some coffee, an apple, and some sort of danish (a flute with no holes is not a flute, and a doughnut with no hole is a danish). It wasn't much but it was enough to get by on, plus it was nice to wake up with the cup of coffee. While checking out I asked the woman behind the counter how far it was to Eugene. She looked like she was in her 50's and hadn't been out of Monmouth in a while. Her answer to my question confirmed my suspicion. She responded to my question by saying "um...50 miles? I don't really know, haha. I haven't been that far out of town in a really, really long time". I was silent. I could understand not leaving if you were in a big town or if the next largest town was a few hours away, but both Eugene and Portland were less than an hour drive away and Monmouth didn't exactly have it all. It really made me appreciate my life and wonder what living in that town, and not leaving would be like. I got back on the bike and after a slight detour due to my inability to pay attention to road signs, was on my way to Eugene.

The first real break of the day was in Corvallis, home of the OSU Beavers. I took the opportunity to get on a normal computer here, but ended up wasting my time when the computer restarted after 15 min. The librarian failed to inform me that guests are only allowed 15min on the computers and then they restart on their own. Without knowing this, I continued updating my blog until the computer shut off and I lost everything I had written...awesome.

I rode along Peoria Rd. for a long time with cars every 10 min or so. The next town that I came to was Harrisburg. I stopped in at a local mini market and grabbed a Gatorade and a couple of apples. At the register the cashier informed me that the card reader was broken. Being out of cash I walked and began to put the items back. As I made my way to the fridge the cashier said "wait, wait, she just paid for your things" pointing to an older woman on her way out the door. I immediately went outside to thank the woman and asked her if there was anything that I could do for her. She responded with "just pass it on...help out the next person you see that needs it and enjoy your bike ride. Your doing something I wish I could do." I told her she could borrow my bike and go for a quick ride while I was taking a break. I was very grateful for her generosity and thanked her a few more times before she left. I still haven't found the person to help out yet, but soon enough. As I ate the apples a middle aged guy wearing a bunch of Oregon University stuff came out and asked me where I was riding to and where I was from. I told him about it and asked if he was from Eugene or if he went to school there, and what I should check out. He seemed somewhat disappointed when I asked him this and quieted up. He said "no, I just worked at OU for a while and I did a lot of the pipes below some of the buildings." Then with an ashamed look on his face, he said "I'm just a plumber..." I have not seen someone so embarrassed about their occupation before. I said to him, "what do you mean, just a plumber? There is nothing wrong with that. My dad sells plumbing supplies and equipment, plumbing paid for me to go to school." He seemed to perk up after I said this and shook my hand before telling me goodluck and wishing me all the best.

As I pulled into Eugene about an hour and a half later, I received a text from a good friend of mine, Christie. She said that she had a friend who just moved up here from San Fran. and if I wanted someone to hang with, should call him up. I was just about to pull up directions to the nearest hostel, so I figured I would give him a call first just to see what his story was. His name is Chris and after calling him and asking him about where he was staying, ended up meeting up with him. He is living here for the month in a friend's parent's guest house. Its a really cool little place with a full kitchen, bath, loft, and a spare futon for me to crash on. After hanging out for a bit and eating some dinner, we met up with a friend of his from high school, Peter. We all had a few beers and then went out to some bar and had a few more before walking home. It was nice to hang out with people my age and have a normal night out.

When I woke up today, I was more sore than I have been the rest of the trip. I decided to stay an extra day to relax and recharge. I restocked my pantry/food bag with peanut butter, granola, tortillas, some rice and beans, and a pack of Red Vines (Mr. Pib + Red Vines = CRAZY DELICIOUS!!!) After that we rode around town and checked the place out. It has been a nice, unproductive day and I look forward to my first week of grueling climbs.

-Marcus (...and I'm ghost like Swayze)