Day 6 – Salem to Corvallis, OR

Miles – 38

Ave Riding Speed – 2-25 mph

Hours Start to Finish – 4.5

Weather – Sunny 88

Happy Memorial Day! This day is a holiday to honor our nations military who died in service since 1868. Thank you to all who have served our country.

Kim and I woke to fresh brewed mug of coffee this morning. Seth and Leslie were wonderful hosts and doted on us during our impromptu visit. I think everything tastes better when Seth makes it. We showered, loaded gear, chatted in the kitchen, and Seth took one final picture before we departed at 8:45am to a bright sunny day out of Salem. But first we had to get back out of the neighborhood. Those San Francisco-like hills back to Hwy 22 were killers and we even walked our bikes up the first hill, not more than 3 minutes into the day. We rode a great bike trail out of Salem for about six miles until we crossed over Hwy 22 and pedaled a county road up to Rickreall. From Rickreall to Monmouth we were on a bike path next to Hwy 99W. In Monmouth we traveled 7.5 miles on a county road that ran parallel to Hwy 99W and then hopped on the Hwy 99W shoulder through Lewisburg and into Corvallis.

We still haven’t done a very good job of timing meals, water fill-ups and bathroom breaks. We passed on a few gas stations thinking there would be something accommodating in the next town, but those have, at times, not come through. We made a pact, again, that we would try to stop at moments during the day when we didn’t necessarily have the need, but will take advantage of the opportunity.

Coming into Adiar Village, seven miles outside of Corvallis, Kim posed for a picture in front of the town sign as a tribute to Adair, the sister of Diane who is the organizer of the Comfort Club. The Comfort Club is a Christian based breast cancer support group. The group is made up of those who have had or going through a breast cancer diagnosis. We have many friends that have benefited and needed the support. Adair ran a courageous battle with lobular breast cancer and passed away one year ago.

We did stop at a gas station in Adair Village as Kim was really in need of a pit stop.  We did get some water and a snack, but they didn’t have a bathroom. Rather, they had a porta potty out back. Kim returned shortly and said she refused to even perform the hover maneuver. So, she held it for the next opportunity.

Coming out of Adair Village Kim heard an abnormal clicking noise coming from her bike so we pulled over next to a school construction area. There happened to be a porta potty over by the general contractor’s trailer. The sign said “hard hats required” so we figured her helmet would pass and she slipped through the gate. Upon here return she looked pleased. While Kim took a turn holding the bikes I went through the spokes of the rear tire and noticed a large staple hanging from her rear tire. The large construction like staple caught the edge of the tread without puncturing the tube. Thankfully her rear tire held up fine for the remaining 10 miles of the day. I’ll keep an eye on it.

Once we got into Corvallis, we rode to the motel we had planned to stay at and found they had filled up. We decided we should find a place to eat and then get our bearings. We pedaled into the Block 15 Brewing Company as they had outdoor seating. It was a 45-minute wait, but we were good with sitting on the outdoor bench chatting with a couple returning home from a weekend of kayaking and camping on the river. One thing the guy mentioned was that we should think about a water pack/bladder for those days of sparse opportunities to find water. We have water filter straws, but I got to thinking that a bladder would travel better than a bottle, without all the swishing back and forth, which tends to shift the weight side to side. We plan to check that out in Eugene tomorrow.

We had a tasty burger, fries, side salad water and kombucha for a late lunch. It was delicious. We did find a room for the night and busy charging lights, phone and computers. Beautiful day of riding!

We’ll walk somewhere for dinner and early to bed.

There are almost 300,000 breast cancer diagnosis each year and almost 40,000 of those are lobular breast cancer. You can show your support by investing in the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance.