Thursday, September 23, 2010

headwinds

Encountered some stiff headwinds today. Not only do they slow you down, but the fatigue factor is significant. That, along with several challenging hills, made for a hard day. Biked 62 miles to Brookings, the Southernmost city in Oregon. I will cross the California border fairly early tomorrow morning. And then, more hills. The Northern California hills are the highest and steepest on the West Coast. I am a little intimidated as I read about them. They say there are bicycle saddlebags on the side of the steepest roads. I think that is folklore, but it underscores the challenge ahead of me. After fighting the headwinds and hills today, I asked myself for the first time, "What the heck am I doing out here?" Kim is going to meet me around San Francisco a little over a week from now. We are then going up the Oregon Coast together by car, head over to Portland and then drop down into Boise to see our daughter Tawnie and her family before heading home. So, it looks like I am going to cut my tour a little short so that Kim and I can spend some time together out here. She has always wanted to see the Oregon Coast. No rain the last three days. It's been great and I have finally witnessed the beauty of this wonderful place. Well, wish me luck on the big hills tomorrow. Jerry