A Sweet Farewell

To Florence, Oregon -- 64.3 miles, 13.6 mph, 1725 ft

Today was one of the easiest days in months, 65 miles from Eugene to Florence. We had to say goodbye this morning to Bobby who we have been extremely lucky to meet. From the very first night at the Pollock, Idaho campground on July, 29th it was clear he was a very special guy, and not just because of how dear he was to Dex and Kylie. He also is just a genuinely nice guy, has a good sense of humor, is easy going, friendly and fun to be around. Over the 12 days we spent together, we learned that he studied nutrition in Pennsylvania, works as a cook for a high end food store, Wegmans, is in his mid twenties, currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with his girlfriend Liz, and has an adorable cat named Biscuit. We were all sad to see him go but trust our paths will cross again.

Both Kevin and Kirk -- because they’re retired (inside joke) -- joined us for the final day to the coast. Unlike our time farther inland, today's temperature was almost perfect for riding. We zigzagged along side roads for the first couple hours before joining highway 126 for the rest of the way to Florence.

Although we had to get over the coastal range, the max elevation was a lowly 765 ft. Kylie and I scoffed at the small number after the repeated passes at or above five thousand feet. The day was quite relaxed and we took an hour at a rest stop to eat cheese, crackers, Pop Tarts, M&M’s etc. Dex and Kylie, as usual, went exploring along the river. Dex came back after twenty minutes with an orange crawdad.

As we approached the coast later in the day, the wind really picked up. We have our fingers crossed that it will stay from the north helping to propel us down towards San Jose.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the rest of our riding partners tonight. April and Sue drove out to pick up Kevin and Kirk. We had one last meal together just a couple blocks from the RV park we are staying at. Once again we have been blessed with incredible friends, both old and new. Thank you April, Kevin, Kirk, Sue, Bobby, Laurie, Keeter, Patrice, Craig and Sharyl for the support and company over the last two weeks. You all are totally awesome.