June 27, 2016 Eugene --> Corvallis - 47 miles

Maxine was in full "Mom mode" this morning and insisted that I needed a hearty breakfast to fuel today's ride to Corvallis. I forced myself to indulge in the delectable delights set before me - all my favorites. You know, so as not to hurt her feelings. Wrong - it was awesome! Meanwhile, Maxine set about fixing a healthy picnic lunch for me and Randy, including turkey sandwiches, roasted almonds, some sort of granola bites whose names I can't remember, and an apple. 

As we were preparing to leave for Nancy's house, Maxine was scurrying around and mentioned that she did not get to tell/show me some things she had wanted. For example, a CD of songs written and performed by their daughter Olivia. Other stuff. I loved the fact that she enjoys sharing thoughts, feelings, stories, books and time with me. How special that makes me feel. It reminds me of how my Mom and I can spend a week together in constant conversation, and yet when I get home I will almost always remember something I forgot to tell her and will have to call immediately. 

When we drove up to Nancy's house, Randy was sitting on the steps with the paper. He had such a happy, contented look on his face, and his body language conveyed that he had also experienced a wonderful time with his friends. We were both in this almost zen like state. After a sweet-sad goodbye to Maxine, Randy and I loaded the bikes and hit the road.

We were able to access the Riverbank Path System a few streets from Nancy's house, and took that all the way through Eugene to Hwy 99W. Cool temps and bright blue skies - perfect conditions. All sorts of interesting scenery along the way. 

We exited the bike path after about 5 miles, and picked up the highway to Corvallis. There was an adequate shoulder, and the road was essentially flat the whole way. Lots of interesting farms and fields along the way. At about the halfway point, we stopped at a roadside park and had our fabulous picnic lunch. Maxine's gift. Shared with each other all we had done on Saturday and Sunday with our friends. Agreed that our time in Ashland and Eugene had been extraordinary. 

It was quite warm and I found myself stopping frequently to drink water. When I mentioned that for some reason I was so "parched", Randy gave me that wry grin and said, "must be all that smiling." What a beautiful day for biking. 

We arrived in Corvallis around 3:00 pm and found a reasonably priced motel on the river in Corvallis. For dinner, we shared a delicious pizza with cheese, mushrooms, pineapple and Italian sausage. We discussed the upcoming route for the next week or so, and continued reveling in our weekend adventures. 

Tomorrow we start working our way to the Oregon coast. Essentially retracing in reverse the Transamerica route I rode in 2012. It will be fun to see how it looks today.