July 25, 2017
Day 22 Ankeny - Albany: Ah, so much better!
Last night, we had a great opportunity to get to know Ben after he got home. It is harvest time at his father's farm where he works with his dad and brother. They have what seem to us, a very large farm, growing everything from blueberries (which they pick by hand) to grass seed (some of which was used in the last World Cup -pretty impressive!). We enjoyed learning about the complex system of growing and sorting grass seed, as well as other aspects of farming. We came away with a much greater appreciation for the hard work that goes into this lifestyle. Thank you, Ben!
Ben also helped us to plan a route for today, which would get us into Albany with the least amount of hills and traffic. With our plan in place, we thanked our hosts once again and headed to bed, determined to not make the same error we did that day of sleeping in.
We awoke at 5:30 and after a quick breakfast of yogurt, fresh blueberries and granola (Anne, you are a lifesaver! I was dreaming about yogurt and blueberries all night!), we said goodbye to Ben as he got ready for work and headed out into the lovely cool morning.
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Heading out from Anne and Ben's was as wonderful as the tough slog up the day before was difficult. The difference being a) time of day and b) going downhill. We enjoyed coasting for quite a bit before pedalling down the lovely quiet country road on our route today. We soon came to the Buena Vista Ferry, and had a short wait before it began running at 7:00 am.
While we waited, we noticed yet another Ospray nest, this one with an adult in it. You could hear the babies calling out - I'm guessing they wanted their breakfast now! All of a sudden, right before us, another Ospray flew up to the next with a big fish in its talons. Well, there ya go, kiddies, breakfast is served.
However, a few minutes later, one of the adults took off with the fish and dropped it into the water. We puzzled over this one - not big enough? Not the right kind? Picky eaters? We will never know, I guess.
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The ferry picked us up and Jim had just a few minutes to take pictures as we crossed the little river. On the other side, as we started to saddle up, we met a cyclist coming the oher way. He stopped to chat and it turns out he was born in Ontario - what a small world!
We flew down the roads, enjoying the breathtaking scenery and also the lack of big climbs. Thanks again, Ben, for your advice! As we moved along, though, Jim's bike was having some trouble switching gears. It was a little worrisome and we decided that we would stop in at a bike shop in Albany when we got there. Good thing we left so early!
Arriving in Albany, we found the shop, Bike and Hike. The fellow was very helpful and suggested, after measuring, that Jim needed a new chain. We were pretty surprised as he had just gotten a new chain before we left Vancouver. Once the new chain was installed, however, the bike was still not working perfectly. They suggested trying something else, but also thought that a bigger bike shop might be more helpful. As we are headed to Eugene in a couple of days, we decided to let it go until then, as we need to talk to some people in the know about our looming decision - which route to take from Eugene out to the coast. We have had so many helpful suggestions along the way, we are now just as undecided as ever! Hopefully, when we get there, we will find answers to both the routing and Jim's gearing issues.
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We left Albany and rode the short distance to the Albany KOA where we had a campsite reserved for tonight. Jim did not have high hopes as his last KOA experience years ago in Ontario was not terribly favourable. So it was quite the pleasant suprise when we arrived to find that we had a shaded spot to camp in, that the showers were free and that they sold food - deal!
Although the selection wasn't the greatest, we were both still pretty tired from the day before, so we decided to just put up the tent and hang out here for the afternoon. Hanging out, in our new lifestyle, means having a nice long siesta. It was another really hot day and we were so so happy not to be out riding in that heat!
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The plan tomorrow is to ride to Junction City where we have booked a BnB for the night. Ok, that's it for this day - happy trails to all of you!
Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 785 km (487 miles)
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