Lovin' Eugene
Hello! We continue to be safe, sound, and well (despite some minor chafing and back pain), and are now comfortably ensconced at the home of Monica and Mike in Eugene (Monica worked at the Bicycle Pedaler in Wichita with Heidi's parents).
Three nights ago we stayed near Monmouth with a very kind Mennonite-Your-Way couple who gave us a tour of their grass-seed operation and took us to some lookout points that gave a view of the farm fields of the Willamette Valley, the Cascades, and the Coastal Range. The Willamette Valley is the grass-seed capital of the world, for those of you who don't know. They raise the grasses that are planted at upscale golf courses and in our families' yards. The setting sun illuminated the Coastal Range and a cool breeze blew over us as we stood looking out over the valley.
The next morning, sent on our way with bellies full of breakfast, we bicycled to the nearby town of Albany. On the way to Albany, I called some friends of mine from the Lebanon Mennonite Church (whom I had met during my year of volunteering). Doris and Berdella Stutzman are sisters who share a home in Albany's Mennonite Village. They invited us to lunch and we had a great time of reconnection. They're in one of the photos posted here.
In the afternoon we pushed off for Lebanon, where I (Liz) did volunteer work the year after I graduated from high school. It was still the same small town I remembered, with the addition of a new Kentucky Fried Chicken and a new *Super* Wal-Mart.
In Lebanon we were offered a night's stay at the house where I had lived with other volunteers. It just so happened that no one was staying there. How odd it was to walk through those hallways and rooms again, and to stay in the bedroom where I had lived 5 years ago. We were able to do some much-needed laundry and work on our blog, and in the evening we went visiting.
We were able to visit my host parents, Chuck and Jannie Bennett. Not only did they make us supper, but they also offered to pick us up from anywhere in Oregon if we have problems ("Once you're out of Oregon, call someone else!" they joked.), and they invited us back to their house for a waffle breakfast yesterday.
Yesterday morning, full of waffles and raspberry preserves, we toured their riverfront property. They have a very interesting yard, full of antiques, different kinds of plants, wood carvings and so forth. They filled us in on the various stinging insects that nest near their house, and we filled our stomachs (and the dog's stomach) just a little bit more with blackberries we picked.
We bid them farewell, then met up with Brent Kaufman, the church's pastor and an avid cyclist, who bicycled out of town with us and guided us through the backroads of the valley towards Eugene. After about an hour of riding, he bid us farewell and we pedaled off with a strong wind at our backs.
As we rode, Heidi and I discussed misconceptions about Oregon...The main one being that it rains all the time and never gets hot. In truth, it does not usually rain during July-August-September, and it can get very, very hot. Especially pedaling through the open land of the Willamette Valley, we both had moments of feeling like we were in Kansas again, and we were very happy to find a fruit stand where we could rest in the shade, scarf blueberries, and read our books.
At the fruit stand, a very sinewy and weathered bicyclist stopped in and informed us that we were a mere nine miles from Eugene! The wind at our backs had really put us ahead of schedule. Inspired by his descriptions of bicycle trails and bike bridges and a riverfront park, we clambered back onto our bikes and sped into town.
Cruising into town, I suddenly heard an odd noise coming from my rear tire, and upon stopping to peruse the situation found a 1.5 inch piece of metal stuck into the tire. So we changed our first flat tire of the trip using Heidi's bike shop expertise.
After that it was smooth bike lane riding to Mike and Monica's home. Eugene is probably among only a handful of U.S. cities where bicycles get backed up at stoplights.
Yesterday evening we lounged around Mike and Monica's home, enjoyed a burrito dinner in the backyard, and met some of their neighbors. So far, Eugene receives an A+ for bike-friendliness and people-friendliness. Huzzah!
Three nights ago we stayed near Monmouth with a very kind Mennonite-Your-Way couple who gave us a tour of their grass-seed operation and took us to some lookout points that gave a view of the farm fields of the Willamette Valley, the Cascades, and the Coastal Range. The Willamette Valley is the grass-seed capital of the world, for those of you who don't know. They raise the grasses that are planted at upscale golf courses and in our families' yards. The setting sun illuminated the Coastal Range and a cool breeze blew over us as we stood looking out over the valley.
The next morning, sent on our way with bellies full of breakfast, we bicycled to the nearby town of Albany. On the way to Albany, I called some friends of mine from the Lebanon Mennonite Church (whom I had met during my year of volunteering). Doris and Berdella Stutzman are sisters who share a home in Albany's Mennonite Village. They invited us to lunch and we had a great time of reconnection. They're in one of the photos posted here.
In the afternoon we pushed off for Lebanon, where I (Liz) did volunteer work the year after I graduated from high school. It was still the same small town I remembered, with the addition of a new Kentucky Fried Chicken and a new *Super* Wal-Mart.
In Lebanon we were offered a night's stay at the house where I had lived with other volunteers. It just so happened that no one was staying there. How odd it was to walk through those hallways and rooms again, and to stay in the bedroom where I had lived 5 years ago. We were able to do some much-needed laundry and work on our blog, and in the evening we went visiting.
We were able to visit my host parents, Chuck and Jannie Bennett. Not only did they make us supper, but they also offered to pick us up from anywhere in Oregon if we have problems ("Once you're out of Oregon, call someone else!" they joked.), and they invited us back to their house for a waffle breakfast yesterday.
Yesterday morning, full of waffles and raspberry preserves, we toured their riverfront property. They have a very interesting yard, full of antiques, different kinds of plants, wood carvings and so forth. They filled us in on the various stinging insects that nest near their house, and we filled our stomachs (and the dog's stomach) just a little bit more with blackberries we picked.
We bid them farewell, then met up with Brent Kaufman, the church's pastor and an avid cyclist, who bicycled out of town with us and guided us through the backroads of the valley towards Eugene. After about an hour of riding, he bid us farewell and we pedaled off with a strong wind at our backs.
As we rode, Heidi and I discussed misconceptions about Oregon...The main one being that it rains all the time and never gets hot. In truth, it does not usually rain during July-August-September, and it can get very, very hot. Especially pedaling through the open land of the Willamette Valley, we both had moments of feeling like we were in Kansas again, and we were very happy to find a fruit stand where we could rest in the shade, scarf blueberries, and read our books.
At the fruit stand, a very sinewy and weathered bicyclist stopped in and informed us that we were a mere nine miles from Eugene! The wind at our backs had really put us ahead of schedule. Inspired by his descriptions of bicycle trails and bike bridges and a riverfront park, we clambered back onto our bikes and sped into town.
Cruising into town, I suddenly heard an odd noise coming from my rear tire, and upon stopping to peruse the situation found a 1.5 inch piece of metal stuck into the tire. So we changed our first flat tire of the trip using Heidi's bike shop expertise.
After that it was smooth bike lane riding to Mike and Monica's home. Eugene is probably among only a handful of U.S. cities where bicycles get backed up at stoplights.
Yesterday evening we lounged around Mike and Monica's home, enjoyed a burrito dinner in the backyard, and met some of their neighbors. So far, Eugene receives an A+ for bike-friendliness and people-friendliness. Huzzah!
posted by Heidi & Liz at 12:02 PM
6 Comments:
Wow, you guys are doing great! Talk about baptism by fire. You have a nice blog going on, too. Good writing, good pictures, good times, baby. Interesting blogs are hard to find.
Keep on bikin' in the free world.
-Ben R.
Wow!! Your pictures and stories are amazing! I get so excited. Are you carrying your phones? call me and tell me when you'll be in Misoula. I bike everywhere here in town but that's diddly-squat compared to 55 miles in a day. I'm so impressed and proud. You are two fantastic womyn!!
love, envy, and support,
Anna
also, the grass farm that you were talking about sounds a lot like the blue grass that I helped harvest in Roseau. Roseau is apparently the only county outside of that Oregan valley that grows it in the whole country.
I'm impressed by how regularly you're able to update. Heidi, congrats on being able to utilize the Menno-your-way directory! Liz, did you give Lincoln City a big hug from me?
love you both, kris
Way to go you two! Keep it up. Liz, some people just have an attraction for flat tires. I've been on three rides with one of the guys in our bike club and all three times he's flatted. Me, I've got over 3000 miles on my new Trek since March and no flats. I'm enjoying your blog and am following you on the map.
Uncle Raymond
Enjoy Eugene, Heidi and Liz. My brother(and his family)that live in Eugene are in Kansas for a few weeks.
Otherwise, I'd have you two ladies look him(them)up. (By the way, Heidi,it was your mom and dad's shop that packed my bike for our airplane ride to Oregon many years ago- it turned out I put my bike back together well enough to ride.)
I'll be following your trip :-)
Paula H
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