Zack from Minnesota showed up at the hiker/biker campsite while I was down by the river working on my blog entry for yesterday. There was also more wood and kindling when I got back. Zack is traveling from Minneapolis to Portland for his sister’s wedding. Our host showed up later on and we chatted with her for a few minutes.

Zack and I compared notes about equipment and traveling by bike in front of the fire. I didn’t say this to Zack, but I’m kind of envious of his youthful energy and willingness to take on this adventure with so little previous experience.

I’m a pretty cautious person when it comes to new things and had planned on planning about three days in advance as I went along, but that quickly got shortened to what am I going to do tomorrow. Now, I’m kind of down to what am I going to do after breakfast until lunch. What I do after lunch can be determined while I’m eating lunch. Life on a bicycle tour is easier that way. This kind of trip is not for those who need to plan their day in meticulous detail.

I got up at 5:15 determined to beat the midafternoon heat. Took about 90 minutes to eat a little breakfast, shower and pack up. First thing was that climb out of the Columbia River gorge. Sure enough, I had to walk the last couple of hundred yards. With a fully loaded bike moving slowly, it’s sometimes easier to walk it than to try balancing the load when moving so slowly.

At the top of the climb was the American Stonehenge. A memorial to our troops who fought in World War 1. I met a couple there that were touring the country in an RV. The man said that he used to do long haul trucking and that this trip would change me.

I think it’s funny how so many people can predict the future with very little information. Who knows, maybe he will be right.

With todays ride I covered about 58 miles, not counting the inevitable missed turns and detour of 3/4 mile to Roosevelt Park for lunch. That brings the total to 310 miles. At lunch I met the park drunk. He was an amiable fellow and while coddling his Corona Extra, told me about a couple of guys heading to Maine, just a few hours ahead of me. Zack had also met those guys. As I dumped my trash from lunch in the dumpster, I noticed that about a half of case of Corona extra empty bottles already deposited inside.

The morning ride was quite brilliant, pleasant and wind aided. The afternoon turned hot and the wind shifted to the East.

Entering Crow Butte Park, where I am writing this I met the host on a golf cart with her two friendly dogs. She gave me the option of taking a regular site for 20$ or camping in the day use area for free. I took the free option.