Weathering the Willamette

As I pedaled south from Portland and thru the Willamette Valley, Chiva and I experienced it all: headwind, hail, snow, freezing rain, and my least favorite, 37 degree rain.

I now find myself spoiled in a king-size bed at the Hilton Hotel in Eugene reminiscing the previous unpredictable days of travel. My good friend Zach graciously gave me his room for the weekend to clean and to recharge. Thank you Zach!!!

Here is an experience of bike touring I would like to share:

A few miles outside the small town of St. Paul, Oregon, I found an out-of-the-way campsite on an Oregon farm. Heavy rainfall persisted all night and into the morning. After biking about a quarter mile, I realized my rear tire was flat. In a downpour, I removed the wheel from the frame but simultaneously and foolishly lost the tightening knob to the mud. Big mistake! Although I fixed the flat, there was no way to reattach the wheel. Thirty minutes of frantic searching and digging got me nowhere, and I had no choice but to start walking several miles back into town.

My hands were now too cold to grip anything, so I undid Chiva’s rope with my teeth and headed for the road. Luckily, we soon scored a ride to a hardware store, and I was able to assemble a temporary fix. Still cold, wet, and muddy, I then proceeded to Huber’s Family Restaurant and had the best tasting coffee and omelet of my life (and a sweet lady even picked up my bill). Needless to say, I picked up several extra knobs at the next bike shop.

The lesson here is bike touring is not always going to be glamorous. With a flexible and positive attitude as well as the ability to learn and to adapt along the way, I know I will be just fine.

Here are a few pictures from this leg of the trek:

PDX
I must have crossed the Willamette at least 8 times

Somewhere on an Oregon farm

Can I please come in? Pretty please?

This is how we do

Chiva in Corvalis

Checking in at the Hilton in Eugene. Hot tub time!