Sept 12, 2009 CYCLE OREGON
Drove to Medford, the start of the ride. Really upset about the parking. I was only able to get the fourth place from the farthest spot there was (from everything). I wanted the last spot! Porter service was full so I carried my bag four blocks. The bag might have weighed 60 pounds, but felt like 160 lbs. I put up my tent and did all the other little things you do on these rides.
I camped next to a guy who had done 19 out of 22 Cycle Oregon’s. I had dinner with 3 people and had lots of laughs. It was like we were best friends. I had never seen them before and will never see them again on the rest of the ride. There were a lot of first time riders who tried to get in last year. They signed up real early so they could ride it this year.
Day 1: It was a real interesting bike riding day – BIG Climb and a fun down hill; chip seal; and asphalt removal with all the grooves, and lots of thorns. One rider counted 40 riders fixing flats. It was cool in the morning and very warm at the end of the day with only a 31-mile per hour head wind. The Chinese grave yard was fun to read. At camp I was hoping my tent stayed up. I took a cold shower to cool off; it felt so good. There was lightning and rain in the hills but not on us. For a first day, we had everything in those 67 miles!
Day 2 - Yreka
The dream day - down hill all day. Just sit back and let the bike roll. The river was on one side and the bank on the other with all the different kinds of rocks, grains, and shapes to look at. There was one 500 foot hill for 5 miles; it was so easy. The people in the towns were fun to talk to. Yes, the other riders were fun to talk to and get their input on the rides. They came up with a bad ride and I would say “well now tell me about a good ride.”
Susan, from the Moab ride, put my name on the board asking where I was. Other riders told me about it. Finding a friend on this ride looks like it would be easy (NOT).
There were riders from 40 states and 11 countries.
Day 3 - Happy Camp
There was a hill about 50 feet out of camp and this local said it was hard for him to climb and I said, “Me too.” We got a laugh out of that one. It was 3,628 feet up in 20 miles. You looked like you didn’t train enough standing or walking up the road so I would pick up gravel, pine cones, sticks, leaves, or whatever I could find off the side of the road and try to sell it. I got lots of people that wanted to buy but just didn’t have their money with them. I don’t know why people were laughing as they passed me.
Then there was a great down hill and one more little up and down. The up and down was in the woods with a 10 foot wide road. It had some steep parts in it that I walked. Riding through a tree canopy is always fun. Finally, Susan came out of hiding and found me at the beer garden. It was good to see her again.
Day 4 Lake Selmac
It was a flat day and I didn’t try to sell any rocks. Susan went back into hiding.
Day 5 Grants Pass
The morning started out really cool and made it easy to do the climb out of camp. I was still having trouble selling things I found off the side of the road. People remembered me selling things from the last time. The sun came out and it was down hill the rest of the day, a 72 mile day.
Day 6 was a rest day in Grants Pass and I went to town. I bought popcorn and threatened one of the store keepers to throw it on the floor so the birds would come in. She said, “It wouldn’t be the first time.” They not only had birds come in but they also had bats. It was fun to joke about it with her.
I went for a historical ride -Two big horses pulling a hay wagon. Something I know you really want to know is that one of the horses would not step on a man hole cover. That will help you sleep better tonight.
Susan was still lost someplace, but I found her down by the river with her boyfriend. Not really, she found me talking on the phone. I only turned the phone on about two times and yes, it rang while I was in the blue room doing my thing. The band was playing so I took a walk toward the river, and that was how Susan found me.
Day 7 – Last Day – Grants Pass to Medford
Sometimes when you are riding along, they have their little rest stops. This one was so close in that I didn’t know whether I wanted to stop or not. I did; and it was two miles out of the way. I was beginning to think it was a bad Idea to stop but soon it became evident that this was going to be the best of all stops. They had about 5 different kinds of cobbler, a great band, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to leave. It was hard to leave because I ate too much cobbler, but I was soon cobbler-bellying down the road.
No Susan today – she is back in hiding.
At Medford I had the high school kids with their tractor take my bag to the furtherest part of the parking lot where my pickup was parked. Now it was only two cars from as far away as you could get. The other people had left. Darn! I was hoping to be the last one.
You get to expect Cycle Oregon to do a great job because they always do!
www.mrbontheside.blogspot.com
Drove to Medford, the start of the ride. Really upset about the parking. I was only able to get the fourth place from the farthest spot there was (from everything). I wanted the last spot! Porter service was full so I carried my bag four blocks. The bag might have weighed 60 pounds, but felt like 160 lbs. I put up my tent and did all the other little things you do on these rides.
I camped next to a guy who had done 19 out of 22 Cycle Oregon’s. I had dinner with 3 people and had lots of laughs. It was like we were best friends. I had never seen them before and will never see them again on the rest of the ride. There were a lot of first time riders who tried to get in last year. They signed up real early so they could ride it this year.
Day 1: It was a real interesting bike riding day – BIG Climb and a fun down hill; chip seal; and asphalt removal with all the grooves, and lots of thorns. One rider counted 40 riders fixing flats. It was cool in the morning and very warm at the end of the day with only a 31-mile per hour head wind. The Chinese grave yard was fun to read. At camp I was hoping my tent stayed up. I took a cold shower to cool off; it felt so good. There was lightning and rain in the hills but not on us. For a first day, we had everything in those 67 miles!
Day 2 - Yreka
The dream day - down hill all day. Just sit back and let the bike roll. The river was on one side and the bank on the other with all the different kinds of rocks, grains, and shapes to look at. There was one 500 foot hill for 5 miles; it was so easy. The people in the towns were fun to talk to. Yes, the other riders were fun to talk to and get their input on the rides. They came up with a bad ride and I would say “well now tell me about a good ride.”
Susan, from the Moab ride, put my name on the board asking where I was. Other riders told me about it. Finding a friend on this ride looks like it would be easy (NOT).
There were riders from 40 states and 11 countries.
Day 3 - Happy Camp
There was a hill about 50 feet out of camp and this local said it was hard for him to climb and I said, “Me too.” We got a laugh out of that one. It was 3,628 feet up in 20 miles. You looked like you didn’t train enough standing or walking up the road so I would pick up gravel, pine cones, sticks, leaves, or whatever I could find off the side of the road and try to sell it. I got lots of people that wanted to buy but just didn’t have their money with them. I don’t know why people were laughing as they passed me.
Then there was a great down hill and one more little up and down. The up and down was in the woods with a 10 foot wide road. It had some steep parts in it that I walked. Riding through a tree canopy is always fun. Finally, Susan came out of hiding and found me at the beer garden. It was good to see her again.
Day 4 Lake Selmac
It was a flat day and I didn’t try to sell any rocks. Susan went back into hiding.
Day 5 Grants Pass
The morning started out really cool and made it easy to do the climb out of camp. I was still having trouble selling things I found off the side of the road. People remembered me selling things from the last time. The sun came out and it was down hill the rest of the day, a 72 mile day.
Day 6 was a rest day in Grants Pass and I went to town. I bought popcorn and threatened one of the store keepers to throw it on the floor so the birds would come in. She said, “It wouldn’t be the first time.” They not only had birds come in but they also had bats. It was fun to joke about it with her.
I went for a historical ride -Two big horses pulling a hay wagon. Something I know you really want to know is that one of the horses would not step on a man hole cover. That will help you sleep better tonight.
Susan was still lost someplace, but I found her down by the river with her boyfriend. Not really, she found me talking on the phone. I only turned the phone on about two times and yes, it rang while I was in the blue room doing my thing. The band was playing so I took a walk toward the river, and that was how Susan found me.
Day 7 – Last Day – Grants Pass to Medford
Sometimes when you are riding along, they have their little rest stops. This one was so close in that I didn’t know whether I wanted to stop or not. I did; and it was two miles out of the way. I was beginning to think it was a bad Idea to stop but soon it became evident that this was going to be the best of all stops. They had about 5 different kinds of cobbler, a great band, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to leave. It was hard to leave because I ate too much cobbler, but I was soon cobbler-bellying down the road.
No Susan today – she is back in hiding.
At Medford I had the high school kids with their tractor take my bag to the furtherest part of the parking lot where my pickup was parked. Now it was only two cars from as far away as you could get. The other people had left. Darn! I was hoping to be the last one.
You get to expect Cycle Oregon to do a great job because they always do!
www.mrbontheside.blogspot.com
posted by Byran on the side at 9:23 AM
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