Day 7: July 12, 2024 - Grand Ronde, OR, to Corvallis, OR
End: Corvallis, OR
Miles: 63.9
Feet climbing per mile: 31
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/201337810
I was up at 6:15 and spent the morning paying bills, doing minor repairs, and adjusting my planning spreadsheet. I was not on the road until 10:10, which was a very late start for a 64-mile ride when the afternoon would be hot.
Route 99W from Rickreall to Corvallis had steady traffic but a generous shoulder with an excellent surface. For a while there was an excellent bike path running parallel to 99W that let me increase my distance from the traffic.
Before arriving at the home of my hosts, I stopped at the factory of Softstar, the company that made my off-bike shoes. I knew that they didn’t repair even the shoes they made, but I thought they might be able to do some hand-sewing in order to prevent the stitching from coming further undone. I was told they have no means to do hand sewing, so I left disappointed.
I started this trip with four spare cleats and had already somehow used three of them, so after stopping at Softstar I headed to Corvallis Cyclery to buy another pair. I hope I can be easier on the cleats.
My ride to the bike store included a path whose beauty was marred by encampments full of garbage next to many of the tents. How do people live like that?
My hosts for the evening were Alex Greenshields and his wife Carrie. Alex had been the tenor in a vocal quintet I put together for a 1997 concert at St. Peter’s Church in the Citicorp Building in Manhattan. We had not seen each other for many years, perhaps not since a year or so after the concert. It was wonderful to reconnect with Alex and to meet Carrie.
Alex and Carrie treated me to dinner at Sky High and then ice cream as we walked along the Riverfront.
That night I noticed that my ankles were puffy, which I understand to be a sign of dehydration. I was surprised, given how much water I have been drinking, and that I’ve been putting electrolyte powder in it.
See all of my daily routes here: Cross Country 2024
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