Day 11 - this ain't heaven

Scheduled ride was from Coos Bay to Port Orford.  I had to ask where we were last night.....that is sad.  Guess I am tired.

Miles ridden today - 39.75
Elevation Gain - 950 feet

The day started with rain and not much changed as we pushed through the miles other than the wind picked up.  We had some generous people step up to the challenge of donating $20 to help shorten the time we had to spend in the rain and I am very grateful for their support.  I am ok with riding in the rain but the 20+mph headwind is harsh.  Tomorrow is forecasted to be a little nicer to us with mostly just rain and a breeze of 11mph.

Just before we stopped for the day, we rode past a restaurant called the Greasy Spoon and there were a couple of local trucks sitting out front so I decided that is where we were having lunch.  It was truly a dive but it was good food and that is all that matters.

For dinner we made chicken fajitas and they were pretty good.

I don't have much to say tonight so here are some of the sights from today.

I know they have 3D printers but this one caught me off guard - Printed Local Beef?  Doesn't sound tasty at all.

A giant bird made from ocean trash.

Day 10 - up we go again

Newport to Coos Bay
47.88 miles and 1,975 feet of elevation gain.  Including one hill that was about 100 yards long at about 30% grade...and it was at the end.

The weather was awesome today - mostly cloudy and a little chilly.  No rain but it looked like it wanted to.  Today's ride included several large, tall bridges and a few good climbs.  Most of the elevation gain was from the normal up, down, up, down hills along the coast.

About 20 miles into the ride, I crossed the road to find a tree.  As I was getting off the bike a lady in a truck came down the drive.  She asked what was going on across the road - Jer was parked there with the POPs logo on the side of the truck.  Jer and I started talking to Deborah and explained what we were doing and such.  We probably talked to her for at least 15 minutes.  She was very interested in what we were doing.

Again the scenery was incredible.  We had just completed one of the good climbs and were looking to our right at the valley below when I looked to my left and saw this view.  I'm sure this picture doesn't do the view justice.  In fact, none of the pictures do justice to what we are riding through.  I have driven up the 101 and am sure I saw very little of what we are seeing now.

I was reading a sign about the town of Gardiner and felt like someone was watching me.  I looked around and found this lady hanging out on the roof.  Odd.  Anywho, the town was founded by a Bostonian in the 1800's and at one time was a large logging town.  Its nickname is "The White City"

These flowers are all over the place up here.  Yes, that is the ocean in the background.

The signs up here make me laugh.  The guy below I find interesting.  He is on every Tsunami sign and he looks like he is "hanging 10" on the wave.

I saw this creation and thought of my nephew Cole.  This totally looks like something he would create in a few hours with whatever scrap lumber and odds & ends he finds laying around.  Then, he would invite his Uncles over and we would play on it for hours.  Miss that kid but am looking forward to spending the weekend with him when we get to San Diego.

Tonight we are staying at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church.  We got here a little early but were welcomed as though we were right on time.  Nancy cooked us an incredible meal of pomegranate BBQ Beef sandwiches, coleslaw, baked beans and fresh pineapple.  Lynn made us some incredible chocolate chip cookies.

We all continue to be amazed at the generosity of people.  In addition, all the people we meet fit very well into our group.  They all seem to share our sense of humor and sarcasm.  To find a few who are like us would be normal.  To find people every night who are "like" us is not a coincidence.  We are very blessed with the lodging Rachel has lined up for us.

Thanks to all who are supporting on this ride through your prayers.  It is making a difference.

Today, I asked Dad what Grandpa would say about this ride and Dad riding all these miles.  He said Grandpa would say, "I don't understand" and then he said he would support us all the way.  Sure wish he was around to see what his son is accomplishing.

Well, tomorrow it is suppose to rain some and have a pretty nasty headwind.  Pray for us to have the strength to overcome the wind.

Good Night.

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

Day 8 and it was Grrrrreat!

We had a short day today, rode from Tillamook to Lincoln City.

44.21 Miles and 1,377 feet of elevation gain.  We averaged 10.1 mph.

What those stats don't tell you is we had about a 2 mile hill that averaged 8% grade.  It was a trek.  Dad did it and put mustard on that hill.  What a champ.  His determination is incredible....and very humbling.

When we left Till, it was cloudy and cool.  We had a little rain about 30 minutes in but nothing to terrible.  It was cool enough today that I wore pants and a jacket all day.  The route was fairly flat except for Cascade Head, the 2 mile hill.

We are staying with a friend of a friend who went to College with Bernie and Sophie's daughter.  This amazing couple, who doesn't know us, opened their home to us and fed us an amazing dinner.  In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Sophie made homemade chicken enchiladas and a seven layer bean deep.  Yes, we cleaned it all up.  We are having a great evening just relaxing their living room, watching baseball and sharing stories.  Good Times.

I don't have a lot to say tonight other than it was a good day.

A few pics of what I saw today include:  the below re-enactment of Chicken Fight

Our happy finish at D River - the worlds shortest river.

And finally, a beautiful Oregon sunset.

Day 7 - definitely was not heaven

Astoria to Tillamook….suppose to be anyhow. 

Day started with a lot of rain and wind.  Only Shannon and I rode.  Did I mention there was a lot of rain?  

By lunch we were at Cannon Beach and had Mo’s Clam Chowder and a sandwich on the wind free side of the truck.  Thanks Jer for jetting ahead to have the chowder ready for us.  

Then Carl and I went swinging in the park.  Yeah, it is all about having fun.

Then we decided it was time to get moving.  I asked Shannon what we should do – ride or surrender to the Hurricane and we both decided it was best/safest to surrender – so we did.

Good move.  We came to the church, showered, went to the Tillamook Cheese Plant, had some ice cream, met Dad’s cousin Rosemary and her husband Gary Stutzman – very random as they were planning to meet us on Monday night in Lincoln City.  Dad’s brother-in-law Enos and our cousins Karen and Loren also met us in Tillamook and joined us for dinner.  Good food and good times at the Pelican Pub in Tillamook.

Through Yuma Bev, we met Sherrilyn who coordinates a PD support group in Till and a couple of the local members.  Then the mayor of Till arrives. Suzanne Webber.  Her mother has pd.  Was great evening.

Today while riding in the rain, I thought of all those who help Shannon and I with this ride – who have no other connection to PD other than they know Shannon and/or I and yet they are so giving of their time.  We know so many incredible people and are truly blessed by their friendships.

I have seen some really cool barns since we entered Oregon and this is one of them.  Guess its the farmer in me.  The farm we lived on in Nebraska had a huge barn - it amazed me then and the old ones still do now.

That is me, trying to stay ahead of the seagull who wants to relieve itself on me.  No, I cannot ride on water. :)

Day 6....pick up stix

Toledo, WA to Astoria, OR  

81.5 miles, 3.658 feet of elevation gain and we ended up at only 157 feet above sea level.  Yes, it was one of those days.  

Travis, our host in Toledo, rode with us for a couple of hours this morning which was awesome.  His sarcastic wit fit in good with our team and it was good to have the local perspective on a few of the landmarks we passed.  Such as the weak women barn.  I had a picture but it has vanished.

From the 1930’s sold tonic to help weak women.  Weak Women became the phrase of the day and Rachel never let us forget about it.

Weather was dry until between 20-30 miles from the WA/OR state line, then it started to rain.  Spit at first and then rained and rained and rained the last 50+ miles.  Some great scenery along the Columbia river.  Ate at Sharon’s Pizza for lunch.  Rode a ferry across to OR.   

After we crossed, Carl decided to take the rest of the afternoon off and recover.  Then it really started to rain.  Shannon stopped about 20 miles from the end to get to a bike shop before it closed.  Dad and I rode the rest of the way in when it really started to rain.

It was good to ride in the rain…for awhile.  Kind of relaxing.  

No one can tell you are crying when it rains.

Staying at the Grace Community Baptist Church in Astoria.  Marsha, the Church Secretary, is our contact and she is a hoot.  Her and Rachel spent about 20 minutes talking about ducks.  Dinner was spaghetti, garlic bread and salad made by Rachel and it hit the spot. 

Today I rode in honor of Mom, Leisa, Kathy and all those ladies who are the caregivers to their husbands with PD. 

In 2011, we saw a lot of churches with great sayings on their signs.  This was the first good one I have seen on this trip and I think it pretty much sums up what POPs is about.  

Saw this pond while we were riding along the Columbia River.  I thought this was just incredible.

Day 5 - we all gotta strive

Today we rode from Elma to Toledo, 62.5 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain...so you could say this was a recovery ride.  We made it to Toledo at about 4pm.  It was a good riding day all around.  The weather was great - partly to mostly cloudy, a slight breeze and beautiful countryside.  

I posted a video on FB of how the terrain and country looked today.  If you haven't seen it, visit www.facebook.com/popsride and find the post.  It was posted by about 10am.  

Dad and Carl once again turned every mile.  They called today the day of the butt because everyone's southern region was a little tender.  This is normal as we build our buttolerances and wait for the bruises to heal.  The good news is no one has saddle sores.

Carl and I tried to make up some good songs for all but I just can't replace Tom Casey.  However, we did learn that we can cover the miles faster without Tom.  We are not sure why.

This morning we rode up on Jer and he was talking to a local farmer.  Across the road were the farmer's lamas.  One of them photo bombed me.

We had lunch in Centralia, WA at the Rotary Riverside Park.  When we rode in we passed some BMX freestyle guys and they were like, Nice Shirts.  We told them where we were headed and they said we were crazy.  Carl asked them to do a trick so one of them hit a ramp and did a backflip...without a helmet or pads.  Now tell me who is crazy.  They were cool about what we were doing, wished us well and told us to watch out for glass as the locals like to toss bottles into the bike lanes.  

Then we rode some more, found a couple of good hills and then found a really good downhill.  The sign said 16% grade and we think it was about 1/2 mile long.  Dad and I maxed at about 39ish mph.  I was a little nervous watching Dad fly that fast but he was having a good time, as we all were.  Good Times.

One of the coolest things I saw today was this:

How cool is it to know there are still places in this world which rely on honesty, integrity and values.  This wowed me.  So far, this trip has been a constant reminder of all the good things and people out there.  Those who are excited about what we are doing.  

I hope we are making a difference.  

Today I rode in honor of Brian Baehr.  Brian has PD.  Another amazing person we have met through our PD connections.  He and his family are also very active in the AZ PD community and encouraging others with PD.  He remains positive and driven to find a cure.  Brain - keep on, keeping on.  You are a force PD hadn't planned on encountering.

Good night.