I woke up at 0330 hrs, in the park, determined to try and have a better day than the previous one. The GPS said the temperature was 5°C. I was shivering a bit, as I rolled up the bivvy, and tightened up the saddlebag. I’d stopped before it got dark the previous evening, so the lights were flicked on for the first time, and I noted that they were aimed too high. Stopped, adjusted them a bit, and was off. My rig has a Shutter Precision PD-8x dynamo hub which powers an Axa Blueline 50 front lamp and a Busch + Müller Toplight View Plus rear light. When the lights are not being used, the dynamo powers my Cinq Plug III converter, which supplies a USB outlet to feed electrons to my phone, GPS etc, and on this cold and pitch dark morning, the Axa lit up the road quite brilliantly, and I was rolling down the Salmon River Highway quite confidently, at speeds near 40 kmph. I could have easily gone faster, but was afraid there might not be much time to react and avoid, if there were potholes or any other debris on the road, but my fears were largely unfounded; the surface was truly beautiful.

After just under two hours of riding, I found a gas station and diner that I pulled into. I bought a new pair of corded earphones, as the cordless bluetooth headphones I’d bought in Astoria were something of a joke. I ordered a breakfast burrito, and it came with a bowl of soup which to a hungry and cold biker tasted quite divine. I used the opportunity to charge up my phone and use the restroom. One requires tremendous discipline to keep stops short, especially when it is cold and dark outside, but I seemed a bit too content in the warm indoors, so ate unhurriedly, and when I finally pulled out, it was after 76 minutes of stationary time, and I was cursing myself for being so tardy. I looked in my mirrors, and saw a recumbent biker, some distance away, and slowed a bit. That biker was TABR racer 32, Allan Duhm.

When Allan pulled up beside me, I greeted him and found out he’d had a day 1 which was rougher than mine. He’d had a crash, but he’d picked himself up and had resumed. I asked about McKenzie Pass, and his plans for it. He noted that we’d probably be better off finding some place to rest for the night, and think of tackling it the next morning, and that seemed to make sense. I wished him luck and pushed on ahead, but I wasn’t exactly very much quicker, so I kept seeing him in my rear-view mirror, sometimes closer and sometimes not. He was faster on the flats, but his heavy loadout meant he suffered more on the climbs. In a little while though, he dropped out of sight, and I was a bit sad, as having somebody in sight, whether ahead or behind, can be a nice thing. My woes with the saddlebag however returned, and I had to stop and readjust it. I also decided to clean the chain and give it some lube while stopped, and Allan passed me and disappeared. I kept tracking his dot and hoped to catch up with him on the road again, and was very sad to hear he’d scratched at or just after Mitchell.

I rode a few more miles, and each time I seemed to get into a nice rhythm, the bag would make contact with the wheel, driving me nuts. I pulled up by the side of the road, and tried to see if there was anything I could get rid of, to lessen the weight of the saddle bag, in a desperate attempt to fix the problem. I decided I could let go of four tubes of electrolyte tabs (yeah, I’d packed six! Overkill, I know!), a small bottle of shampoo, and a tube of toothpaste. As I didn’t want to be a litterbug, tossing perfectly usable items on the road, a bunch of bikers came on the scene (non TABR riders) and asked if I needed any help. I mentioned to them that my bag was perhaps overloaded, and I needed to get rid of some inventory, and they were welcome to take the things I wanted to discard. One lady was thrilled to take them off me, and I did just that. I repacked my stuff resumed my ride, hoping to stop at a bike store nearby and see if they could help me find a solution to the bag problem.

After I crossed the bridge after Corvallis, when I checked my GPS, I realized I’d left both the bike store, and a McDonald’s behind me, slightly off the course. I absolutely had to get to the bike store, and I really wanted a Mc burger, so I started to backtrack, when I got passed by rider 120, J.J. Cruz. After eating at McD, I rode to Corvallis Cyclery, only to find it closed, but I found Robnett’s Hardware, and it was open. I’d been thinking what could possibly improve the bag situation, and I’d come up with the idea of using strips of wood to serve as a spine for the bag, giving it some much needed support. I selected the strips and mentioned the length I wanted. The cost? Thirty cents! It was probably the best spent thirty cents in my entire life, as it improved the bag situation dramatically.

The wood strips providing a spine for the bag. The Blackburn Outpost seatbag is a ridiculous piece of equipment that I’d never wish upon even an arch-foe. It’s dreadful. Why they haven’t provided any kind of reinforcement/spine is quite frankly unbelievable.

Now supported by the wood strips, the bag proved to be much more reliable, and I was able to ride unhindered for the next couple of hours, when I stopped at a gas station a little way before Coburg. I purchased some Strawberry milk, to both drink, and pack away. Of the multitude of drink options in the United States, one of my absolute favorites is the Darigold Strawberry milk; I could never have too much of that stuff! It was not only refreshing, but also really lifted my spirits.

I looked at the map and thought of heading out to Eugene before stopping, but as I passed the fire station in Coburg, I thought it would be a good place to bivvy. I wanted to try and grab some shut-eye, and ride on through the night, as I’d been doing a lot of night riding in Sweden, and felt that would be a good idea here. I walked into the firestation and met Rick McPherson, an engineer in the Coburg Fire District. I introduced myself, and told him I hoped to bivvy for a few hours, behind the station. He gave me the go-ahead, to use the lawns behind the station. He even introduced me to another volunteer fireman, and told me I could knock on their door, if I needed to use their restroom.

A really old firetruck, which Rick mentioned is now only used on special occasions, to give rides to kids and the like :)

A more modern firetruck, which Rick was rather proud of.

It was 1836 hrs, and I hoped to sleep till around 2300, and resume my ride. I thanked Rick again, and settled down into my bivvy.

Mileage: 160.1 km (100 miles)
Climb: 809 m (2654 ft)
Total time: 15 hrs
Moving time: 7hrs 36 mins
Link to Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/1021779377