Day 24: July 29, 2024 - Rest Day

Once more I was up at 5:00. I seem to be in sync with the sun. The view of the mountains across the Snake was obscured by smoke.

About 7:00 in the morning I got a message from the seller of the rack, saying that express mail would get here in one to two days and would cost me $57.80 rather than $15.70 for standard delivery. I chose express mail and hoped the rack would arrive on Tuesday, but I expected it would be Wednesday. However my two recent experiences with USPS next-day delivery, in which the packages did not arrive on time, suggested that the rack might not arrive until Thursday. In any case all I can do is wait.

It’s unfortunate that the business with the seller of the rack could not have been completed on Friday, in which case the rack might have arrived as early as Sunday. It seems the seller does not do any business on weekends, and late Friday afternoon stops communicating with his customers.

At 7:30 Linda texted me to ask whether I would like some eggs. I said I would and about a hour later she delivered a plate of scrambled eggs, sausage, and a tortilla, all hot because of the way she had carefully packed the food.

The previous evening Linda had told me that on Mondays there is a canteen in Oxbow selling food for employees. She offered to come by in the morning so that I could order food that she would get for me. Of course I accepted her offer, and ordered two sandwiches, two large chef’s salads, four apples, and four Kind bars, all of which cost me just $31. Linda delivered the food about noon, bringing it in two cold-storage bags, one inside the other, with a few milk containers of ice to keep it all cold.

In yesterday’s post I wrote that I’m pleased with my Ortlieb trunk bag. I’ve been using two other new pieces of equipment, my headlamp which is much brighter than my previous one, and the pump which inflates and deflates my air mattress. Both the headlamp and the pump are excellent additions to my gear.

For relief from the afternoon heat I took a shower and did not use my towel to dry myself, rather letting the evaporation of the water cool me.

I find the showers here to be quite musical. Notice in the video below the long diminuendo.

Strong winds started in the evening, strong enough that added three extra lines to secure my tent, the first time I had ever done so.

I also secured my bike to the picnic table with two bungee cords, and the broken rack to the grate over the fire ring with two zip ties.

After a while the wind died died and then drizzle started, so I went into my tent where I enjoyed the roast beef sandwich, apple, and chips Linda had brought from the canteen.

The drizzle soon stopped and I enjoyed my chef’s salad at the picnic table.

The strong wind had come out of the south. Later a wind from the north brought smoke I could taste, probably from the fire north of Oxbow.

At the end of the day the USPS website showed that my rack was moving through their system and that delivery was expected on Wednesday.

See all of my daily routes here: Cross Country 2024

Follow my progress on this map. Click VIEW ALL and then pinch the map to see my progress from the start in Portland.

Follow me on Facebook here.

If my blog posts provide you with vicarious pleasure, please consider making even a small contribution towards the $10,000 cost of my trip by clicking the GoFundMe graphic below. Every contribution helps!

Please share my blog with anyone you think might be interested.

If you post a comment, please identify yourself,
preferably by using your Google account.

Subscribe to this blog