On to the next adventure...

I think I am ready to go.... it is so hard packing for a camping trip that involves flying. And biking. I sent the bike out last week, and mailed the new tires a couple of days later (they arrived after the bike had already left). I have my 2 bags packed--one with tent, ground pad, sleeping bag, etc. and the other with clothes for biking and hiking. I did go out on a limb and buy new bags this year. The last few biking trips I REALLY wished I had wheeled bags for my gear, so now I do.

We were supposed to ride in Ontario today, but when I did the math I called and cancelled. I told Otis (who arranged the ride) that I could not go there in the van, ride 60 miles and eat lunch along the way, and get back early enough to do what I had to do today. So he called me back and said that he had talked to the others who planned to ride, and that we all were going to ride locally instead of crossing over to Canada. Thanks Otis!

Diana, Tom, Otis and I had a super ride today. I am not used to leaving in a van--we got to the park where we planned to start and I had no helmet and no cycling shoes! Both Diana and Otis had spare helmets--his was too big and hers was too small, but with a minor adjustment I was able to use hers. The shoes were a different story--Otis had a spare pair of very large cycling shoes in his van and Tom had a large wad of napkins in his truck. So I stuffed the toes of the shoes and wore them. I may have looked like Bozo pedaling down the road, but it worked. Had that not worked, Diana had a pair of flat top pedals in her van, which I could have used with my street shoes. These are serious bikers here!

Bill met us out on the road about 20 miles into our ride and gave me my own shoes and then went on to meet us for breakfast. (Thanks Bill!). It was unseasonably warm (in the high 80s by the time we were done) just like a summertime ride! We got in 48 miles, had a nice breakfast and a good time. After that it was errands, laundry, grasscutting, tweaking the bags at the last minute, and posting this message.

I will be riding down the west coast of Oregon and California the next couple of weeks, updating this blog whenever I find internet access. We will be camping at state parks along the route from Eugene, OR to San Francisco, and then going to Yosemite Park before flying home.