At 7:30 AM, Brendan was already gone. I showered, ate, no hurry. Waved to Chris & Dave, on the road by 8:30. Dave said I’d have a long day, with lots of infuriating ups & downs. (I told him about the two hills he’d hit). Mostly good road w/ a few treacherous spots. Learned a little about Samuel Boardman, who procured land for many Oregon state parks. Developed a second style of pedaling for uphill stretches. Missed a turn heading up the Rogue river, but found a decent substitute for it.

Stopped for lunch amidst some raches. While I ate my PB tortilla this white horse, alone in a field of cows, was staring at me. Then I got fascinated watching a hawk soar, very low and close to me, slowly spiraling away. I was wondering what might be creating the thermal he rode when that horse stomped the ground and shrieked at me. Perhaps he was as perplexed by me as I was by the hawk, and thought I might invade his territory. He stared and shrieked for quite a while before going back to grazing.

I faced some of the headwinds people have warned me about. They made a couple of climbs more difficult, and a couple of descents less fun, but were tolerable. I try not to think of the advantages the southbounders have.

At about 4:00 I took a five mile detour to this campground at Cape Blanco, Oregon’s westernmost point. This spirit of forker is still affecting my decisions – I decided at the last minute for exploration over mileage. On a walk I watched a guy do amazing stunts with a remote control glider. He said the technique is new, dynamic soaring involves pumping the glider at high speeds through the turbulence on the back of the hill.

Two women cyclists in camp when I return – Andrea and Lorie, recovering from rainy days up north.