In the Beginning...

Wooo Weeee!!! What a whirl wind to get our journey started! We sold/donated everything, which took much longer than we anticipated. I would say from beginning to end (including cleaning the house) almost a month! One thing that happened with our garage sale was that we met an amazing couple, and from our sale we produced a lifelong friendship with these two amazing people. I cannot find the words to express our adoration of them, their spirit, kindness, and the extra meaning they brought to our relationship. They've been together 30 years and are so in love with each other; it's such a beautiful and encouraging thing to witness. This couple invited us into their home as we were getting ready to hit the road: one last homecooked meal, some vino, great laughs and conversation. They were outside waiting for us to arrive, and the welcoming was phenomenal.

Before hitting the road and not looking back, we had to stop by our West Linn home for one last go through, and that's when we realized that we had hours of cleaning to do. So, about 3.5 hrs in, we decided to continue with our plan to head out, even though in was fairly late...4 pm? This late start got us about 24 miles away to Woodburn where we chose to get a hotel (and Rebecca wanted a bath lol).

Our next destination/plan was to see Madison in Corvallis at OSU, as she had been there for a week (a Freshman), and we wanted to check in on her to see how she's acclimating, grab some dinner as a family, say hello, and hug. We'd like to report that she's doing fantastic!!! :-)

Once we saw Maddy, we had to beat feet to the Oregon Coast due to incoming weather. Rain was in the forecast and we were trying to get to Florence before getting caught in it. However, we were unsuccessful in defeating nature, and experienced a full on down pour! At one point Rebecca was opening and closing her eyes as if they were windshield wipers; we were SOAKED! Plus, the Chaco shoes she had purchased for what she thought would be amazing shoes for the lifetime ahead on the GO's, turned out to be total failures (they cut of circulation to the big toe from the peddle stride of the bike). So, she wore some great athletic shoes that were NOT built for the inundation of water. Therefore, she endured a soggy, sloshy, cold discomfort for about 4 hours. Guess what? Another hotel and a much needed bath was in order! Almost 84 miles were ridden that day!

From Florence we rode to Umpqua Lighthouse Campgrounds in Winchester Bay. We were able to stay in the hike and bike camping area, but Rebecca tried to go too far. The campground host informed of us three campsite options we could stay in, but failed to inform us of the steep path to get there. Gary was alarmed as we continued down the slippery, moss covered descent. We had stopped/dismounted from our bikes, and tried to figure out how to turn the predicament around, as we did not have much room to turn around. Wouldn't you know...Rebecca started to slide! Yes, there was a little wreck and she chipped her right foot peddle, but thankfully the bike survived, and so did Rebecca! We disconnected our trailers from our bikes, and pushed them up individually back to the first campsite option we had. And so, a memory was created-we just laughed about it :-)

We set off from Umpqua Lighthouse to Bullards Beach State Park in Bandon, which was absolutely gorgeous! We were averaging 10 miles an hour, which was a great pace for our bodies, bikes, trailers, and enough time to slowly and completely enjoy the journey. Lots of people inquire about us when we stop, ask about our bikes, and wish us safe travels. Luckily, we have encountered great people along the way, and very few unamused/rude folks. As we were traveling from Bandon to Humbug Mountain State Park, one driver pulled over to applaud us as we got closer to him. It turned out that he was connected to the ElliptiGO's and it's development, and invited us to his home when we arrived in Brookings. What a small world!

As we were in route to Humbug, it became a little cooler and extremely windy, but the views were incredible!!! Our legs were a tad gassed, and a shower to remove the crystalized sweat was in order :-)

From Humbug we were on our way to Brookings to meet up with our kind passerby. We rode approximately 50 miles, and made great time, even though we made several photo opp stops. We were warmly welcomed, fed, given a bed, shower, and had great conversation for hours. They made homemade, healthy ice-cream, and made sure that the food cravings were being taken care of. Rebecca was craving eggs, and apples, which they made sure we consumed! :-) It is vital to listen to our bodies, especially during times of intense exercise. They offered for us to stay an additional night, and this is where this post ends. Looks like we'll take them up on the offer, and we'll get to wash some clothes! Awe, the simplicities of life that so often get overlooked :-)