Champoeg State Park, Oregon to Salem, Oregon

The Kindness of Strangers

May 3, 2014

Champoeg State Park to Salem, Oregon

42 miles

We woke up bright and early and tried to sneak out of camp.  We didn't want to wake up the Girl Guides so we packed quickly and left without eating our breakfast.  We planned to stop a few miles up the rode and have a picnic.  WE KNOW BETTER!  If we learned anything at all on tour last year, we learned that FOOD IS FUEL!  The morning ride was really beautiful as we travelled through lush agricultural land....we were caught up in the ride and just kept going without thinking much about breakfast.  It really wasn't too long before our first case of the hangries set in and we found ourselves firing up the camp stove on the side of the road in the middle of an orchard.

Roadside breakfast stop - Willamette Valley

We gorged on coffee, oatmeal, peanut butter and canned peaches.....energy restored we carried on.  Of course, we vowed to never, ever skip breakfast again!

We were intrigued as we past many hops fields.  Having a fondness for the odd, cold beer, it was fun to see where it all starts.  Of course being early in the growing season the plants are just beginning to come to life.  The fields looked like huge, elaborate mazes with massive trellis systems in place to support the hops. We wondered how the farmers hung the twine that the hops grow up.

Hops growing in the Willamette Valley, Oregon

As we travelled further, we came across workers in a field who were hanging the twine.  There was a small army at work and we were amazed at how quickly they moved.  A crew on a cherry picker hung long strings to the top ropes, while a ground crew moved along quickly to anchor the strings in the ground.  The ground crew reminded us of tree planters as they seemed to complete the task in one smooth motion.  We chatted with the workers for a few minutes and then bid them farewell.  Of course, we made a vow to sample the finished product in the near future.

Large crew at work - Willamette Valley, Oregon

We arrived in Salem, quite excited to explore the town.

View of the river - Salem, Oregon

We were double checking our map, when two gentlemen approached us.  What a wonderful meeting it was!  Both Ron and Dick are cyclists and Ron is a member of Warm Showers.  Warm Showers is a community of touring cyclists who offer to host cyclists during their tours.  Before we knew it, Ron had invited us into his home to stay the night.  We enjoyed a fabulous evening with Ron and his wife Sharon, their neighbours Dick and Sharon and long time friends Max and Daniel.  We were thrilled as Ron and Sharon shared their stories of their cycle tour across America (among many other fabulous adventures!)  They also had great pictures and tips on our upcoming route as they have ridden it a few times.   Sharon is a genius in the kitchen and treated us to an incredible dinner - complete with a fresh strawberry/rhubarb dessert.  I can not imagine meeting more gracious or kind folk!  Life is good!

Giggle of the day:

One of our favourite things about touring is meeting local people, sharing stories and learning a little about the local area.  We had planned our route from Portland to the coast, researched different cycling routes, read numerous blogs....and YET, with one short encounter with complete strangers, who we now consider friends, we have decided to completely change our route.  And so, tomorrow we are planning to head straight to the coast from Salem....next stop Lincoln City and the Pacific Ocean. ...and are you ready for it, based on the advice of our hosts we have booked a room at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, Oregon.