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I approached the last day’s ride with mixed emotions.  I’m ready for the trip to be over, but I’m also not willing to end this incredible chapter in my life.  All of the physical problems from earlier in the journey are gone, and I feel quite strong.  It’s like I’m finally ready to start a REAL bike trip.

The day’s ride was on a beautiful, relatively untraveled road most of the way.  It follows the Siuslaw River, first through agricultural valleys, and then through a steeper ravine. I’ve found that roads that follow rivers almost always make a gradual descent, not squandering hard earned altitude wit a quick drop.  They also wind pleasantly and have great views.  This road (Rte 36) was no exception, and it made for a great final day’s ride.  Weather again was perfect: a cloudless sky, a high in the 80s, and no wind.

I FINALLY found a roadside stand with fruit.  We bought plums, blueberries, and cherry tomatoes, and ate them all on the spot.

The stream became a river and I stopped at a roadside rest area to take one final dip on the trip.

At some point a rail line started next to the road, apparently serving a quarry we passed, but maybe once providing passenger service as well.  It passed through dense woods, unlike any other rail line I’ve ever seen.  It must be a beautiful ride.

All too soon, we joined Rte 126 — a much busier road — for the final 15 miles to Florence.  Noel’s wife, Kavitha, and his younger son, Aaron, spotted us and said “Hi” on their way to meeting us in Florence.  They had bought some yummy doughnuts, and I got this apparently “Mr. Bill” inspired pastry.

(5 Aug)  We stayed at a charming B&B in Florence, but doing the ceremonial front tire dip in the Pacific was a little challenging.  To get to the ocean requires a circuitous 7 mile bike ride, so we decided to do that in the morning.  It allowed us to have one last short ride and enjoy the sand dunes along the coast.  Kavitha and Aaron rented bikes and joined us part of the way.  As we walked our bikes across the beach, we met a man who had cycled across Australia when he was a little older than we are now.  Maybe our next trip?  He helped us out by taking this photo.

All that was left was to ship bikes back home.  Sean at Bicycles 101 (a bicycle and guitar shop) will be breaking down CC (who has now fully earned her name) and boxing her up to be transported by shipbikes.com.  I can’t wait to take her for a ride in New Haven.

The last mile…