Day 9 - how sublime

Hi all,
I am writing to you while sitting at the laundromat after a taking a shower in a public shower....at the laundromat.  The shower was nice and hot but was like standing in front of a firehouse.  I guess I didn't read where this was a laundromat and spa.  I am now properly exfoliated over 90% of my body.

Now, on to today's ride.  Today we rode from Lincoln City to Florence which is about 74 miles and had total ascent of around 2,000 feet.  I say about and around because my GPS is back at the church.

We were joined by Brent Kaufman, a friend of Duane's, who is a very in shape cyclist.  It was nice to have someone new to talk with for a day.  He is very knowledgeable about bikes so him and Shannon talked gear talk.  I heard talk about DI and T and could only add to the conversation that my bike was from Germany.  

We rode along the coast most of the day and it was awesome to hear the waves crashing almost all day.  The views were incredible and I never got tired of it.  Pine trees and Ocean - Utopia as far as I am concerned.

We were rolling through Newport and Brent was telling us about this chowder house there.  He then offered to buy us all a bowl so to lunch we went at 11am.  A little early but hey, ya gotta eat right?!  It was good.  By this time we had only covered about 23 miles and we had a lot of ground to cover.  Not sure what happened after lunch but we were moving.

First up, was the Walport Bridge and it was a biggy.  We hit 30mph going down.  I think Shannon is slowing overcoming his dislike of bridges as he was hauling...or he just wanted to get back on solid ground.

Pops joined us on the bikes at about mile 30 and rode to 60.  We once again hit some nasty hills and they really take it out of him.  Still, he trucks up as many as he can and once again showed what can happen when you are determined.  It is obvious he loves riding with us all and we love having him on the ground with us.  I'm sure he will once again have a great nights sleep.

As for Carl, he also is a trooper and keeps us laughing.  We didn't hear as much singing today but he did light up a few songs.

Dinner was "country fried chicken" from Safeway, mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, potato salad, macaroni salad and dinner rolls.  Yep, a little bit of everything as Jer and I weren't sure what our guests liked.  We must have done all right because nothing was left.  :)

I would be remiss not to mention our hosts from last night - Sophie and Bernie Nelson.  They were incredible and a lot of fun.  This morning we took a picture with them and one of Carl's daily signs.  We were also joined by one of the California Raisins who chose to wear a Minnesota Vikings helmet.  Good times - the Nelson's made us laugh several times today as we remembered our time with them.  I am still amazed how complete strangers will welcome us into their homes, feed us and spend time with us like we have known each other for years.  I hope I can repay these experiences to others in my life.

Sorry there are no pictures but I keep getting an error message and better post it before I loose all these notes.

Take care Mom.  Love ya and am looking forward to meeting you at Torrey Pines.

Shane