The first day of the trip began with a calm and peaceful ride to Toledo (OR) along Yaquina Bay Rd. This route, recommended the day before by the bike shop staff, was very tranquil and was definitely less perilous than US-20 would have been heading out of Newport. After heading out from Toledo, I faced several climbs along US-20. Three were approximately one mile in length and one was approximately two miles in length. Given the mileage of this day and the significantly greater amount of climbing waiting for me on the following day: slow and steady was the mantra of the first day. Each climb was manageable, but breaks were necessary here and there to stick with the mantra. There's no sense in busting tail on the first day only to potentially fall apart on the second day of the trip. I stopped at Cyclotopia, a bike shop in Corvallis. I have an air pump, but it is a small standless one which isn't as efficient as a larger pump on a stand. After purchasing a new pump, I chatted with the shop owner about touring, the route I was taking, and about riding for the Lustgarten Foundation. He was very helpful in providing advice for riding up to Tombstone Pass along US-20. In the process of chatting about the Lustgarten Foundation, I gave him one of my cards. To my surprise, he mentioned that his nephew is also named Jake Nelson! What are the odds? From Corvallis to Sweet Home, I was, for the most part, able to zigzag along backroads which made for a peaceful afternoon for riding. In fact, there were stretches of time where a car wouldn't pass by for as much as 30 minutes! On one occasion after passing by several older homes, a refurbished early 1930's Ford model A passed by going the opposite direction. For a moment, it felt as though I was in a different era! When the first day concluded at Cascadia State Park, I was able to set up at a campsite specific to cyclists/motorcyclists. Getting off the road by 5:30pm was good for several reasons. Upon arrival, Chuck and Lisa (the campground managers) regrettably informed me that water was unavailable due to a power outage. You see, the only water available was through water fountains, which relied on pumps that operated with electricity. For what seemed like a few minutes, I feverishly considered alternatives to obtain water for riding tomorrow. I had approximately 24oz of water and one bottle of Pedialyte both of which wouldn't be sufficient for riding tomorrow. Backtracking to Sweet Home in the morning would have been unrealistic for two reasons: the additional mileage/climbing and the potential that a store wouldn't be open until 8am. There would be considerably more traffic all along US-20 at that hour and even more so thereafter. What a predicament. Chuck mentioned that there were some campsites up there road, where there might be manually operated water pumps. He also pointed me in the direction of the park ranger, who might have more knowledge of these campsites up the road. A few minutes later, I located the park ranger Steve; exactly where Chuck said I would find him. I explained my circumstances to Steve, and without hesitation Steve offered me as many 16oz water bottles as I could carry! Steve explained that the power had gone out last summer for about 24 hours, so the outage could last for a while. In that event, I thankfully accepted six water bottles. After a lengthy day, I was ready to turn in for the evening. On and before this first day of riding, I had already had the privilege of encountering good people. Just as I was falling asleep, I overheard a fellow camper proclaim that the power was back on. What a first day of riding for the trip!
