Thursday, June 7, 2012-Rain Delay

Well it rained most of the night and into the morning. As I had to stop short of my goal for Wednesday, I was planning to make up time today and ride a little extra. But it was not looking good and the forecast was for an all day rain. So, I used the morning to put on a raincoat and go out in the rain to squeagy off the camper and Durango. They were really dirty, but looked a lot better after a little wipe down. We used the morning to make pancakes and sausage and enjoy some time together. Then, it was like a miracle, about noon time the rain let up and the sun started to shine. So, I suited up and jumped on the bike. In order to try and make up time, I decided to try and ride with some bare minimum of supplies to stay light (which means I did not have the camera with me). Today was a rather flat ride in a Southerly direction, through farm land with the Coastal Range to the East and the Cascade Mountains to the West. There were more run ins with the Monster Logging trucks today, you know the ones that don't move over and make your heart race when they blow by you. But, you do get a whiff of fresh wood after they go by. About 15 miles before the target campsite, I stopped for a little break and along came a bearded fellow, David, on his bicycle loaded for traveling. He pulled over and we chatted for a while. He was on his way back home to Corvalis, OR from Arizona. He and his wife winter in Arizona and he typically bicycles back to Oregon. He had started out at 5:30am and it was now about 4:00pm. He rode in the bad weather this morning and said it was miserable. Wow, he had a long day in, but thankfully he was only 15 miles from home when I met him.  I covered 75 miles in 6 hours to arrive at our camp site in Harrisburg, OR. So, now we are back on schedule, but there is rain predicted for tomorrow around noon...Oh Goody! I hope to start early and we are heading toward the mountains, so I might not be able to post an entry for a few days. We have reservations at McKenzie Bridge, OR.

This forest of trees was next to the campground. I assume they will be future loads for the monster logging trucks.