Monday = FUNDAY!!! Day 2 of Tour!

Item of note: Tonight's Blog entry is a joint-venture entry. Both of us contributed because between the 2 of us we have the energy of 1 at this hour in the game. Dave's story is in black, Sara's additions in Green. CHEERS!!! - DH

As Sara and I wrap up day 2 of our trip here in Oregon, we are both dead tired from a day of multi-sport vacation activities!!! We woke up this morning prepared for a hike!!! Yes we actually do a few things other than cycling on this trip. I have to make a quick comment about our tour guides: our three tour guides are John McIntyre (Johnny Mac), Dave, and Wilder.... yes that's his name Wilder. All three of them have been beyond awesome and talented in their own repects. Johnny leads the charge with his high energy, Dave... the culinary wiz and just completely laid back guy, and Wilder the recent college grad who is all into outdoor activities and is totally hitting his stride as a tour guide. Their attention to detail has been SPECTACULAR!! All the details are taken care of, and all we have to do is kill it each day in the saddle.

But anyway, we woke up this morning to a foggy mist, and set out for our morning hike. The waiter at dinner last night had overheard us talking about the hike, and chimed in that it was an awesome trail. We arrived at the trailhead, were given the basic directions (one foot in front of the other and follow the trail) and we embarked on our hike. Now I've not really been much of a hiker, walking through the woods hasn't always appealed to me. This hike made me a TOTAL convert!!! This was the most spectacular adventure through the coastal mountains of Oregon. With the morning fog hanging through the trees, the feeling was completely ethereal. A cathedral in the woods, with trees instead of columns, and God's beautiful creation in all it's majesty. God is quite a gardener!! (insert Sara): My favorite of the wildflowers has to be the purple foxglove--I think that is what it's called. I made David take a trillion pictures of it b/c it's so intricate, bright, and plentiful around here. Like little purple bells. The conversation on the trail was almost as spectacular as the scenery. Though we'd made friends with nearly everyone on the trip from the get-go, something about trekking through nature in all it's majesty in the early morning, brings people even more together. Maybe too much so...One of our lovely compatriots expressed utter amazement when she found out we were brother and sister, not husband and wife, exclaiming "I don't believe it! You're way too nice to each other to be related!" So there you go, Mom--kudos I suppose:) Ok, back to D's story: Walking along with brush on all sides, all of a sudden, for a few paces, we would be able to look out over the ocean, for miles and miles, until the sea blended with the fog. Such a feeling to be on the side of a beautiful mountain, feeling so minuscule in the vast beauty around us. We arrived at one particular clearing, when Wilder notified us that we could continue around the bend on the most heavily trodden path, or we could scale up the side of the hill and meet up with the path on the other side, so of course we went straight up! When we made it to the top, we found an metal ammunition box filled with notes and mementos of other hikers who had been in the same spot, so cool.

As we descended the face of the mountain, towards our lunch spot, the views of the cliffs and the ocean, yet again were indescribable. I felt like from where we stood we had a special and unique view of God's wonderful creation, bringing a sense of humility over us.

We finally did arrive at the bottom with stomachs hungry for lunch. However, lunch was still being prepared, so it was suggested that we take another small trail towards the beach, so we decided to seek it out. WHAT AN AMAZING PLACE!!! The beach was an inlet cove that drew a lot of surfers from around the area. The water is freezing cold, so they all had full body wetsuits. The beach extended for several hundred yards with tide pools and driftwood all around. This trip is much about putting all cares away and doing whatever brings us joy at the moment. So what did we do? Cartwheels of course!!! Yeah, getting 6'4" inverted in a circle is quite an adventure in and of itself. What fun to act like a child!! Maybe its not acting like a child, maybe its just being ourselves and we've just pretended to grow up. S: And let's not forget my stellar handstand--on the sand no less--nice. :)

Lunch, yet again, was DEE-licious, cold-cut sandwiches and fruit (S): scrumptious, juice-filled fresh peaches). When we set out on our ride in the afternoon we were yet again welcomed with breath taking ocean views and great countryside roads. Its hard to keep saying that the view we are seeing are indescribable, so I feel like I can't really keep talking about them. But they truly are some of the most wonderful, calming, pristine, any other slew of adjectives here, views.... WOW!!!!

I, David, experienced my first injury of the trip. After a quick error in reading the directions and deciding what direction to go, my shoe didn't come out of my clip right and I toppled over, scrapping my calf on the pedal crank... ouch! But a gauze and wrap later, we're on our way.

Another long ride along the backside of the coast which we (S, now, David is much too exhausted to continue) are too exhausted to describe with real justice, so check out our pictures. They speak for themselves. But a quick note about our pleasant stops along the way--first a quaint vineyard then a dairy farm for cheese and ice cream that was out of this world. One thing about this trip--you never stop moving, so bottomless pit syndrome is in FULL effect. Dinner was great too, speaking of eating. A little place called Pirates' Cove where we filled up on fresh Halibut, warm bread, potatoes, and the like. Not shabby, but now so ready for bed it hurts! 'Til tomorrow...when the gas gets going again--early and often from the look of the itinerary. Hope my little legs can hold up!


Cheers!! D&S

Songs for the Day:
Superfreak - Rick James
Here Comes the Sun - George Harrison (Beatles)
Blue Skies - Willie Nelson
Blue Sky- Allman Brothers