Day 3 Toy Tank

Another beautiful day in Oregon. The first half of the day was flat and we rode by a lot of orchards. The crop land was confusing because it looked like hay except they cut it to the ground. Maybe a grass that they plant every year? Where is Joe Brown when you need him?

Then we followed the McKenzie river into the mountains. There were hundreds of logging trucks coming down the mountain. Fortunately we were going uphill and not very many empty trucks passed us.

Chad had a loose spoke and his rear wheel began rubbing the frame. A helpful Park Ranger stopped by and had a pair of pliers. The spoke nipple was tightened. Then Chad was 1.2 miles from the cabin and the wheel began rubbing again. Herb had to ride to the cabin and get a spoke wrench. Chad tightened his spokes this evening and is now good to go. Hopefully.

Herb out did himself on tonight’s lodging along the McKenzie River. I could stay here for a couple of days

Our hosts tonight allowed us to use their Subaru Outback to drive 3 miles to the nearest open restaurant. See rule three of recovering from a bicycle ride. Very gracious hosts.

I was almost envious of this fly fisherman.

And these river rafters.

Much of the trip along the river showed the effects of the forest fire from September of last year. Around 185,000 acres were toasted. The fire jumped across the river. If you look at the river pictures you’ll see the burnt trees still standing in the background. Many of the burnt trees were logged and the trees with green tops were left standing. There were a bunch of foundations visible with no houses on top. Amazingly, people were still building new structures.

Our New Hero

Meet Roger McElhany. Seventy-five years young and still riding 65 miles a day, four days a week. So far he has ridden 165,500 miles! Six-hundred miles month to date. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a pocket notebook full of columns of numbers. He didn’t need no stinking spreadsheets.

When younger he rode an upright bike. Then he rode a recumbent (Vision R50) for a number of years and is currently riding a Catrike. Check out his ride. It is not an inexpensive machine.

If you are in Central Oregon and want to go on a bike ride with Roger let me know. I guarantee he will ride your butt into the ground.

Stats

• Corvallis to McKenzie Bridge, Oregon
• Distance: 94.5 miles (152 km)
• Climbing: 2486 feet (758 meters)
• Temperatures: 50 to 81°F (10 to 27°C)

Evil Plants

Blackberry bushes are everywhere. The blackberries are good to eat. But, blackberry bushes have a nefarious, evil side to them. They send out little tendrils from the ditches onto the roadway or shoulder. Like snakes, they like to bask in the warm sun. Unlike snakes, they will puncture your tire when you run over them.

A shout out to Gary Heiser from Decatur, Illinois who used to invite the kids and I over to his house to pick blackberries. I imagine that by now the blackberry bushes have engulfed his back yard, his swimming pool and his house.

Someone should probably contact the Oracle of Omaha’s son so that he can send someone over to make certain that Gary and Vera are okay.

Sundry

A mailbox decorated with a Holly carburetor and Hooker headers. Dad first job was an auto mechanic and he taught me this stuff.

All along the coast there were tsunami warning signs in the low areas. Can you feel an earthquake on a bicycle? Now in the mountains there are forest fire warning signs.

I don’t worry about tsunami‘s and forest fires. What frightens me are nuclear power plants and all of the stuff that they spew into the atmosphere. Fortunately Lane County, Oregon is safe!