Mental exhaustion

DAY 60
Coburg, OR to Grand Ronde, OR

The night before we had stayed at a trailer park just north of Eugene. And for the second night in a row, an inviting shower facility was at our disposal. As I washed my hair and rinsed the days sweat away, a crazy thought consumed me. People get to do this every day. Shower. This amazing daily ritual that so many people take for granted. It was a mind boggling thought. Every single day people in the "real world" get to shower. Normal people who do a tenth of the physical activity that we do on an average day get to enjoy this heavenly experience of cleaning themselves... Every day!

I then came to the realization of how all the most memorable adventures I've experienced have taken place in situations lacking showers. Thru-hiking along mountain ranges from Mexico to Canada, backpacking in foreign countries, and now cycling from ocean to ocean. Apparently there's something to say for prolonged periods of being dirty.

Oregon Coast! It's so close :)

The day began and ended in a mind numbing fashion. Normally Becky and I won't listen to music until late into the afternoon. Today our heads were down and earbuds in by 9 o'clock. Music, at least to me is a form of meditation while riding. Something I use as a distraction from the tediousness of pedaling through unattractive areas, but also it's used as a form of motivation to push through challenging (steep/windy) terrain. Today as we followed the flat agricultural Willamette Valley north, music was an ally against the grey skies, slight headwind, and mental exhaustion of a 4,000+ mile, two month bike trip across country. We were each lost in our own world of reflection.

We passed a beautiful lavender field

Stats:
Miles: 87.34
Average speed: 11.8 mph
Max speed: 34.2 mph
Odometer: 4276 miles