By Steve W

When Forrest finished running across the country, he provided these fine words – “I’m pretty tired…I think I’ll go home now.”  This is how I felt on day 5, riding uphill in the rain with my right knee telling me it was not happy.  So, I decided to end the ride when we arrived in Central Oregon, day 6.  

The objective of riding across Oregon moved away from being a SMART goal.  The achievable part was put into question.  During the last year, I wanted to change the gearing on my bike to lower ratios. However due to supply chain issues, this was not possible.  So, I went with what I had.  With poor gearing and an unhappy knee, I decided to end.  No need to risk serious injury.  

On day 2, John talked about Road Angels.  During the ride, I only carried a full load for 2 days.  The first day, I was fresh with adrenaline pumping.  Day 4 was a light day – only 48 miles and 900 feet of climbing (flat day).  Road Angels carried most of my gear on other days.  Special thanks to Lynn, Alison, and my beautiful wife April. 

The other type of angels include the House Angels.  I only used my tent and sleeping bag once on this trip – the night I froze.  More special thanks to Karen and Alison for opening their home to us.  They provided a warm place to crash for the night, washed our wet and sweaty clothes, and cooked us dinner and breakfast for hitting the road. 

Overall, it was a wonderful experience.  I got to meet new friends and experience bike packing. One memorable moment for me was April, the waitress in Tillamook, who provided a cheerful heart to 3 exhausted and hungry cyclists. 

As one who works in Quality – if it was not documented, it was not done.  So, here are my Garmin stats:  

Total time with bike: 50 hours

Total time on the saddle: 34 hours

Total miles: 386.86

Total Elevation Ascent (going uphill):  17,824 feet

Total Calories burned: 18,522

Total pedal strokes: 124,754

A very special thanks to John and Kevin for being my travel buddies for the last week.  Best wishes and prayers for your continued journey.