Day 8: It was slow going today
(Newport to Florence)
date: Monday August 12, 2002
daily miles: 58 miles (93 km)
total miles: 678 miles (1,091 km)
Yet another bridge to ride across
Today when I woke up, well... I'll be honest and admit that I was truly tired. So I rolled over and went back to sleep. I’m tired partly from the ride itself but also due to the foghorn sounding all night long. My big question is does the foghorn sound so MUCH louder in the fog banks itself than when there isn't any??? (Ok – I probably answered that one for myself!)
So I obviously got a late start today. Almost immediately I found a place to do laundry! Seven days of riding gear and I here I was on the eight day. I'm sure people could smell me long before they could see me this morning...
The road today – lots of rolling hills. There were a lot of great little sites and towns to see on the way – I took quite a few detours. I figured take it easy, leave it in an easy gear, just take my time and enjoy the ride today. No hurry. No rush. Keep it slow.
Is this fantastic scenery what? (notice the flag due to the wind)
I saw my first sea lions just before the "Sea Lions USA" exhibit. Too bad everyone else driving down the road missed the viewpoint I had. They missed it because there was no good place for them to stop a car – much less know that there was this incredible view in the shoulder of the road near this strange turnout that they couldn’t access. But a bicycle is another story. :)
As I rolled into the city of Florence, I decided I am going to kick back here for a day or so. Rest and relax and re-energize as it were. Also met some cool people in the campground doing the coast ride same as myself. Amazing how we all got along – we are all from very different backgrounds. But the cycling spirit was alive and that in itself is a commonality to build upon. They are currently cooking up corn, potatoes, and vegetables and even have steak on the grille! Plus a couple of cold beers are awaiting also. I guess I arrived at the right time!! Nights like this with people like this -- it is what makes adventure a lot more fun! If any of you guys read this – thanks for the great memories!
| One thing today during the ride that threw me was the vertigo sensation problems that I had while riding some of the tall cliffs while trying to look over them while riding. I can do it with two feet planted on the ground firmly, but moving on a bicycle is another story for another time... |
 The gang at the dinner table |
Time to eat my dinner and trade stories -- then time to dive back into reading my book "Into This Air" by Jon Krakauer -- rather engrossing experience of the Mt. Everest disaster as told by the Outside Magazine journalist.
Goodnight!
Mark
