Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Oregon: My final stop before heading home

August 16th, 2013:   I was on my final leg heading home after my long ride.   I didn't have too far to go,  At only 261 miles, it was one of my shorter days but I left at my usual time around 8 am


The day didn't start out very promising.   It was overcast, a bit cool and raining as I made my way north.  Soon I was to be in familiar territory.    It started to rain a bit harder so I stopped at a gas station and fueled under their canopy.   Shortly after, the rain turned to mist as you notice from the above photo the marine layer was coming off the ocean

As I was briskly making my way north I noticed a sole rider heading south on an orange motorcycle.   He waved and I didn't give it another thought, but later I found out that it was   this person .


I went over this historic bridge and soon I arrived in Reedsport, OR where I needed to find a washroom so I headed to the Chevron but ended up at the MacDonald's instead  (which was just behind the Chevron).  It was too bad that I was not visible from the road as that sole rider which I noticed earlier was Troubadour and he headed north to Florence to wait for me.  (his version here)      He thought that he would surprise me and we would ride to Corvallis together but I was tired of the traffic and turned right at Florence

My original plan was to camp one more night at Waldport on the Friday night so that I could say that I camped on both Coasts, the Atlantic & the Pacific but he had to instruct for Team Oregon on Saturday so I camped in Crescent City instead.   The plan was to visit Trobairitz and Troubadour on Friday night and then leave early Saturday after coffee at Coffee Culture  .   Prev posted here

I eventually arrived at my home for the night


I can't thank my hosts enough for all they did to make my stay comfortable, just like my home away from home.   I had my first Vegan Pizza and we talked the night away.   There is never enough time when you are having fun and you don't wish it to end but the next morning we got an early start as Troubadour had to be on the road by 6:30am to set up "the range"


Not long after I saddled up and we headed for coffee where I got to meet a few of the regulars.  Now I can put a face to their name(s)


and we managed to snag a couple of spots right in front

It was too bad that Troubadour was busy we were not able to spend more time together.   I really appreciate having friends when I am so far from home.   You almost make me feel like I am family

    Family portrait,  John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon                             July, 2012

    Trobairitz & Troubadour                                                  July, 2012

    John Day Fossil Beds                                                    July, 2012

Thank you for everything,   I love you both . . .


PS:  This pretty well wraps up my Cross Country Tour from last Summer 2013, and my series of thanking all of my hosts along the way.   I had a budget for this trip and I was well under what I thought it would cost but it could not have happened without the gracious hospitality of those to took me under their wing, and managed to feed me a meal or two without compensation, no matter how hard I tried . . .  I just don't know what to say except,  thank you.  

I am thankful for the opportunity to have met many of you who were just names on a blog and you don't know how fulfilling it is to be welcomed and have so many friends all over the country who welcomed me with open arms.   I am humbled


14 comments:

  1. Awwwww Bob. We love you too. It is always a pleasure to have you visit. Too bad we missed you in Seattle last weekend - our fault for not planning sooner. We'll catch up next time.

    Geez, do I look bow legged in that second picture from the bottom. Must be the long legs, lol.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      I think Corvallis feels like my 2nd home. That's what it feels like whenever I am there and thanks to the both of you for making the time to take care of me and making me feel so welcomed.

      I was thinking of you as we passed Seattle. We took I-405 south because of the I-5 construction at the convention centre. Hopefully we'll be able to catch up later in the year

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  2. Errr, don't expect a kiss on the cheeks from me Bobskoot, next time we meet, will leave that to Trobadour and Trobairitz!

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    1. Dom:

      well, I can always dream. You just never know . . .

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  3. The last pic is so sweet. Those memories will last a lifetime, Bob.

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    1. Sonja:

      I keep thinking back to July 2010 and our trip to Oregon. Too bad all of my photos are gone. Perhaps I'll post up a flashback. In the end, all we have are our memories, that is, if we are still able to remember . . .

      It took a while but I am more comfortable with Brad Hugs too (there, I said it)

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  4. Nice wrap-up Bob; these and the rest of your photos will fill those memorable blanks in whenever you look back.

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    1. Coop:

      Most of my photos have dead links due to the closure of Webshots, my former image provider so everything from about Mid October 2012 and before "is lost" . It was supposed to be my Diary but I have nothing but words to look at. I don't have time to reconstruct so I am moving forward and perhaps post a flashback once in a while if I can find the photos

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  5. Nice end to your long trip. And thanks for the reminder to back up the blog. You never know when Google may decide that Blogger isn't making them enough $$.

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    1. Richard:

      I only posted these so I could post my video and also thank all of my hosts for all their hospitality. All of them went out of their way to make me feel at home "away from home"

      That's the way it is with free services. You never know if they get sold, change their terms, or shut down.

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  6. And a great tour it was! Don't forget to do a shout out when you come back to California.

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    1. Kathy:

      It was a bit lonely at first but later I got into a rhythm. Sure is nice to see familiar faces and names when you are far from home.

      Lots of time to plan. Hope you are free

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  7. Thanks for the account of the end. It was a thrill to share the middle with you.

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    1. David:

      I had to thank all of my hosts. I had a great time in Montreal. Thank you for zipping around town with me showing me all the sights and taking a day from work. I really appreciated it.

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