Day 2: June 27, 2009

Day 2: June 27th, 2009
Cape Lookout State Park to Salem Oregon (80 miles)
Start: 10:30 a.m. Finish: 7:45 p.m.
Weather: 70 degrees, Sunny – perfecto!

I planned on getting up early as I wanted to log close to 90 miles. Obviously, this plan was shelved because of the lack of sleep the night prior, which made it difficult to move, or think, or for that matter, talk. Instead, I lazied my way to the beach and enjoyed fresh raspberries and hot coffee, soaking up the warm sunshine and spectacular scenery. I was diggin’ the moment – and this is what it’s all about!



After coffee and a 30-minute walk on the beach, Chris made us his special oatmeal concoction while I packed up my gear. He added chocolate bars, fresh raspberries, and who knows what else. Mmmmmm, that was one tasty breakfast! There is something about eating while camping that makes everything taste so delicious. After breakfast, we said our goodbyes and exchanged contact information. It was nice riding with you Chris - safe travels!

Right out of the park, I was faced with a killer hill that just wouldn’t end. I shifted into my lowest granny gear and slogged my way up the slope with my heart pounding and my legs screaming. As I was soon to discover, this was a preview of things to come.



After I finally conquered the killer hill, I stopped at a middle-of-nowhere snack shack and gobbled pretty much everything on the shelves. The woman at the counter eyed me, asked had I heard about ‘that from Missouri’ who crashed yesterday on the very hill I just climbed. Apparently, he was doing the better part of 35mph and lost control. She told me he was rushed to the hospital – I hope he is O.K. This is a reminder to be extra cautious on steep descents; you’re basically a runaway train if your brakes fail, and the outcome won’t be pretty.

Later that day I got my first flat. The annoyance was compounded by being exhausted, and I still had 20 miles to go before reaching Salem. It was the first time I’ve had to fix a flat on Elvis and it was surprisingly simple to remedy – even with all the gear attached. The only hitch was the mini-pump I’m carrying. It took about 300 pumps to inflate my tire – I’m already rethinking that pump’s usefulness.

Earlier in the week, I got a phone call from an old high school friend, Karin Bertelson. She said she was hoping to come root me on as she lives less than an hour away in Portland. It had been 8 years since I saw her at our last high school reunion, so I crossed my fingers it would work out. I was excited when she called early in the afternoon and said she cleared her schedule – that gave me an extra boost, as it is always nice to see a friendly face!

We met up in Salem for dinner and shared lots of stories about mutual friends and what we’ve been up to the past decade. We attended the same schools since 4th grade so we had a lot of gossiping to catch up on. Thanks again Karin for the generous contribution to Jared’s cause, my dinner, the inspirational rocks, and especially for coming to see me. Although, slogging up those steep hills, one might be inclined to question the motive for giving me a couple of rocks to carry along.



Visit the Jaredsmiles.org website.