| Date: October 3, 1999 | | Location Canada to Mexico - #15 - Salem to Eugene | | Where: Eugene, Oregon | Sunday - Jim writes
We're off again! We left home early Sunday morning as the first rays of sun were finding their way through the trees. The thermometer read 44 degrees, but we were soon warmed by our efforts as we climbed out through the hills of South Salem headed for Eugene.
As we left Albany on 99E I detected the beginning of a tail wind. It felt like we were moving right along. A glance at the computer showed 21.0 miles per hour! But wait, there was no decimal. It was actually showing the elevation, 210 feet. A click to the correct mode displayed 15.0 miles per hour. Well, it SEEMED fast.
At Tangent we stopped in front of a tavern to pull off our arm & leg warmers. There is nothing quite so quiet as a tavern on a Sunday morning.
We continued south, the tail wind picked up. We sped along, slowing twice for the towns of Shedd and Halsey. Turning off highway 99, we left the traffic and zigged and zagged down country roads, past old barns and dusty seed mills, past picturesque farm houses and deserted lanes. All are quiet this Sunday morning.
The Willamette Valley floor here is flat, flat, and the miles roll by quickly. With a tail wind and Jeanette pulling we do a respectable 18 miles an hour. With me pulling we do 16. Maybe I should let her pull all day, don't you think? (For non-cyclist, "pulling,' means the person riding in front creates a draft that pulls the second rider along.)
Looking for a spot to eat our lunch, we pull into an RV park. The office is closed but we help ourselves to a picnic table next to the pool. We dine on bagels and fruit in the warm fall sunshine.
Pressing on, our legs and knees start to complain, reminding us that we are mere mortals. After a rest stop in Coburg for orange juice we are on to
Eugene.
For those of you who are prone to worry about us----we reside tonight in the good care of son Michael.
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