Oh, I’ve missed you Eugene

STATS:

McKenzie Bridge, Oregon to Eugene, Oregon

Distance: 60 miles

Elevation: +1,250 ft / -2,123 ft

Recently, we’ve been able to wake up and not worry about morning dew plaguing our tents. The weather is legit PERFECT. Cool and breezy. Life is slow for me right now, and that’s exactly how I like it. I made my way into Kirks friend’s house and enjoyed a cinnamonny oatmeal and coffee brewed by the one and only Sue. We all consumed our first breakfast and were prepared to leave by 7:30 AM. We took an absolutely fantastic picture of the group that I adore so much. One of my favorite family pictures of the trip. We rolled out, all wearing our rain jackets as we biked through the shade and coolness of eastern Oregon. Our plan was bike 22 miles to Vida where our second breakfast was waiting for us. We all rode in a line formation because the shoulder narrowed at some points, but as for the scenery, you couldn’t beat it. Mostly shaded and full of lively, bright green plants. The riverside cabins were beautiful, and it really made me want to rent something like that eventually.

The 22 miles flew by. We average above 16 mph because the trek to Eugene was mostly downhill. In just over an hour we had hit our cafe, and were seated about 20 minutes after arriving. The place was crowded, and only one server took probably 10 table’s orders. The food took close to an hour to come out, probably because there was only one cook! I wish I could have helped back there because we were starving! The food eventually came, and I devoured some loggers (pancakes) and eggs. Feeling full and excited, we rolled into our last section to Eugene. Much of this part I had headphones in listening to new music I downloaded, and thought about just how close I am to reaching the end of this trip. I watched in front of me some of the best people I’ve met on the trip, and couldn’t be more thankful and blessed to have met them when and where I did.

We veered off on a quiet back road where wild flowers grew plenty. I picked one off as I was riding for Kylie, and snuck it into her backpack strap once we stopped at a convenience store.

We made a quick stop at Lori’s, a friend of the crew, and she offered us popsicles! After a quick visit, we found our way onto a wonderful bike path through Eugene that took my mind off the traffic we dealt with all day.

We split up with Sue and Kirk until later on, and headed to April’s home. When we finally pulled up, we all were ecstatic to be done for the day, especially knowing we had a rest day to come. We all took to our quarters and showered up. Soon thereafter, we drove over to shop for some groceries and picked up some take-n-bake pizzas. We later drove over to Sue and Kirk’s home, while also being given a tour of Eugene. I love this town so much, it has so much to offer in regards to sport and food, my two favorite things.

We arrived to Sue and Kirk’s gorgeous home, and I finished up making a pineapple salsa. We enjoyed some salsa and chips and crackers with cheese. Soon the pizza was ready, and we went to town on a delicious veggie pizza with a colorful fruit and veggie salad. I washed it down with a brown ale, and sat back with such content. The evening was pure bliss. The barn in their backyard held a ping pong table, so we amassed the group to play a few rounds of group ping pong. I’ve never played a game with so many people! We ran around the table in an organized chaos; it was an absolute blast. Meg then whipped out some tasty toffee bites that Dean and I housed.

We said our goodbyes until tomorrow, and cruised through Eugene as the nightlife started to scurry around town. We made our way back to Aprils, and quickly hit the sack. What an amazing night with such good-hearted people. It will be hard to leave them, but at least I have one more full day with them tomorrow. Very happy 🙂

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