Day #7
Astoria to Tillamook
I woke up super early on my last morning and thought about
going back to sleep but decided against it.
I figured I could have about an hour before anyone else got up to try
and catch up with this blog but about 10 minutes later, Carl joined me. And then Jerry joined me. Foiled again. (I am actually writing this after I have already left the gang but more
on that later.)
It was raining when we woke and as we loaded the car and
took our daily picture. Marsha came to the church to see us off and brought the most
amazing chocolate chip cookie bars (we are going to need that recipe,
Marsha.) Thank you SO much to Marsha and
the Grace Community Baptist Church in Astoria for their warm welcome and
hospitality. Looking forward to seeing you at the finish line.
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| Thanks Marsha and The Grace Community Baptist Church |
Shane and Shannon were the only riders today. Carl was taking a rest day and the weather
was so icky that POPs was going to ride with me until it changed. I also had a new passenger today, Duane, my
replacement. I got to spend the day
‘training’ him on the nuances of driving SAG.
Now, you know how I do not want to leave and training your replacement
makes it just that much harder. I mean,
I want him to be great and take care of my guys but I do not want him to be as
great as me because I want to be missed as much as I am going to miss
everyone! That’s not so wrong is
it?
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| Duane is a Beavers Fan….I suppose we can't all be perfect! |
Ok, so we headed out on the road and it was miserable. Pouring down rain with 30 mile an hour
wind. I have NO idea how they kept
riding in that weather. I was stopping a
bit more often to make sure they were ok and I did not even like getting out of
the car but I figured it was only for a few minutes and they were actually out
in that weather. Who am I to
complain? I am riding in a warm car
with seat warmers. They are the ones
riding in a hurricane with only a light rain/wind breaker between them and the
elements. I clearly do not have
whatever it is in people’s brains to keep them going in conditions like
that. I am truly impressed with Shane
and Shannon cause there is NO way I would have done what they did.
We sent Jerry and Carl ahead to find Hot, Fresh Clam Chowder
and a place where we could eat it along with our cold cut sandwiches. They found Moe’s World Famous Clam Chowder in
Cannon Beach (I’m quite familiar with Moe's having grown up in Oregon) but no
place to eat out of the elements so we made a little fort with the cars and
tried to block the wind and rain as much
as we could but it was just miserable outside. Shane asked me when I would “call it” (as
in call it a day since I am the professional bike ride planner that I am) and
after I told him “about 3 hours ago” he and Shannon decided they had nothing to
prove and wanted to live to ride another day so we packed it in and headed to
Tillamook for some cheese.
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| Been a long time since I've seen one of these! |
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| Mario & Luigi |
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| Swinging in the Rain |
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It was still about 35 miles to Tillamook and I was so glad
they decided not to ride because the weather got worse and the hills were
brutal. They definitely made the smart
choice. We got to the church early but
Riki was already ready for us. They had
an auction/fundraiser going on but she had a note on the door telling the
cyclists to ask for her when we arrived.
We found her and she gave us a key and showed us all around the
church. I do not think I will ever get
used to the openness, trust and generosity of complete strangers that are
opening up their homes and churches for us.
Thanks Riki and the Tillamook Nazarene Church who gave us their leftovers from the event and free reign of the
place. We appreciate the hospitality. After we ‘moved in’ and the guys took hot
showers, we headed out to the Tillamook cheese factory.
We got halfway there when Carl called to let us know we had left him at
the church. Both cars thought he had wanted
to stay and rest but he actually just went to the bathroom and when he came
out, everyone was gone. (It is a full day
later as I write this and I am still laughing about that.) Of course, everything happens for a reason,
and as Carl was waiting for us to come back and get him, the local PD lady
showed up to talk to us and he was able to meet her and coordinate a meeting
with everyone for later.
The Tillamook cheese factory has always been one of my
favorite places on the coast. I love the
free samples and who doesn't love cheese? (By the way, why
don’t they make bacon cheese? It would
be the perfect food. ) The Cheese
factory turned out to be the meeting place for all the relatives that were
stopping by. There were about 6 Stutzman
cousins and my parents and they all found us at the cheese factory. After our fill of fun, cheese, ice cream and
impromptu pix that even complete strangers were participating in, we all headed
back to the church where the local PD group met us along with the mayor of
Tillamook. How exciting is that? Our first visit by a mayor.
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| How many POPs Riders Can you fit in one Short, Yellow Bus? |
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| Why does Shane look so scared? |
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| The esteemed Mayor of Tillamook |
We spent some time getting to know everyone in the church
dining hall/gym and after a while decided to go get dinner at the Pelican Bay
Restaurant at the Mayor’s recommendation.
It was hard to find (after 3 times caravanning around the block we
located it) but a really cool choice (turns out her niece works there so that
could be why she told us about it but it was delicious and a fun place for our
group) Jerry and I Crushed Shannon and Duane in a competitive game of
Shuffleboard – not bad considering it was Jerry’s first time playing.
After dinner, I had to say goodbye to the POPsRide
gang. I thought I knew how hard it was
going to be but I was wrong. It was FAR
worse. This experience changed me in
ways that are hard to explain. I
understand now why Shane came home from the last ride and moved to
Flagstaff. I understand a little more of
what drives people to complete unimaginable physical challenges. I am so appreciative of the generosity of
complete strangers and entire communities and how willing and eager they are to
jump in and help. I revel in the crazy,
beautiful, strange things you see when traveling the less traveled roads at
slow speeds and when you have time to stop and look around. And oh my goodness… the amazing sounds and
smells of life happening around you that often get overlooked or taken for
granted when you are going through life in the fast paced world we live in. But most of all, it is the strong friendships
and bonds that are created and strengthened along the way that mean the most to me. These are the important things that really
impact me today and going forward. I have cherished every second of this
adventure and wish that I did not have to leave but I know that the things I have
learned will stay with me forever!
Thanks so much for letting me be a part of POPs Ride and thanks for
reading.
I leave you in good hands for the next two weeks and in the words of the former CA governor, "I'll be back!" (and I promise to be more punctual with the
blogs)
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