Early Saturday, September 10, 1994, six members of the Gainesville Cycling Club left Gainesville for Eugene, Oregon, and seven days of riding in the central valley and along the Oregon coast. The event was the seventh annual Cycle Oregon. The six cyclists on this tour were Bill Cochran, Perry McGriff, Burt and Janet Silverstein, and Bruce and Joyce Stechmiller. For most of us, the ride started about one week earlier as we dropped our bikes of at Primo Bicycle Shop for shipment to Eugene, Oregon. Delta flight 1814 left Gainesville at 7:50 Saturday morning and arrived in Atlanta just after 9:00. Our flight from Atlanta to Portland was to leave shortly after 10:00 that morning. Instead we were over three hours late leaving Atlanta, which also meant that we would miss our bus from Portland to Eugene. Prior to our leaving Atlanta, Bruce Stechmiller and Burt Silverstein made Delta an offer that they could not refuse. As a result, our flight to Portland was in First Class. Since we missed the bus to Eugene, Bruce and Burt again made Delta an offer they could not refuse. This time Delta paid for us to rent two mini vans for the trip to Eugene. Since our arrival in Eugene was so late, we had to set up camp in the dark. I am surprised that Bruce and Burt did not have Delta find us rooms in some fancy hotel, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.
Our first day of riding was Sunday, September 11. Most days started around 5:30 in the morning with breakfast. Our ride this day was relatively flat according to the map. The elevation at the beginning and the end may have been correct, but what went on in between was anything but flat. Any resemblance between the map and the actual ride was purely coincidental. The ride on day one was to take us to the small town of Oakland, about 66 miles in all. The rest stops were about 20 miles apart and lunch was about 12 miles before we stopped in Oakland. The food from the beginning to the end of the tour was great. All three meals plus the snacks at the rest stops were included in the tour cost. This made life pretty easy for all seven days. You get into a simple routine such as wake up, eat, break camp, bicycle a couple of hours, eat, bicycle a couple more hours, put up tent, and eat again. Do this for six more days. A sample dinner menu was 1/2 BBQ chicken, baked beans, corn on the cob, salad, and ice cream with strawberries. After seven days of meals like this, I found it hard to burn up all the calories that I consumed from the meals.
Our second day took us from Oakland to Myrtle Creek, about 58 miles in all. Lunch was served at the Wildlife Safari near Winston. Most of the days riding was through valleys and along streams with a few nasty climbs along the way. Though the map indicated that the road up to the lunch break was relatively flat, the one-mile climb up to lunch was anything but flat. During the day's ride, we passed several huge lumber mills that seemed to stretch along the road for several miles. We also found the roads in this area of Oregon to be bordered by wild blackberries patches. This must be the state weed, as they seemed to grow everywhere. Dinner in Myrtle Creek that evening was extraordinary, consisting of Chicken Cordon Bleu and Blackberry Shortcake.
Day three was a lot of climbing, especially for a bunch of Floridians. Our destination was Glendale, Oregon, about 59 miles from Myrtle Creek. We did not see much of a net elevation change during our first two days. However, day three saw 900 feet in net elevation change. Our lunch stop today was sponsored by the town of Riddle.
Day four took us from Glendale to Bute Falls, about 80 miles for the day. This was by far the hardest day of climbing we had so far. At the 16 mile marker, we started up hill for the next fifteen miles, climbing from 1400 feet to approximately 3200 feet. This was followed by nine miles of a screaming downhill. The last twenty miles were up and down and then up again with a net elevation gain of 1000 feet. At one point along the days ride we were not that far from Crater Lake. This day seemed to go on forever, especially with all the hills to climb over. We rested good that night.
Day five took us from Bute Falls to Merlin, a downhill distance of 72 miles. This was a relatively easy day of riding with only a few short climbs toward the end of the ride. The route traced the route of the Rogue River for most of the day. What a beautiful river! This ride was the calm before the storm.
Day six was quite a day. Our route for the day took us from Merlin in the central valley to Gold Beach on the Pacific, a distance of 81 miles. This time of year, the days would start out quite cold and humid, about the mid fortys with heavy dew and end up quite warm and dry, in the mid to upper eighties. We warmed up real good this day because after the first twelve miles, the next twenty were straight up. The early part of this day's ride was along the Rogue River. This is one of the few rivers that has not been dammed up in any way. The road led us over several small hills. From above, we could look down on the river two hundred feet below us and see the salmon swimming. One lady lost her helmet over the side of the hill and it landed in the river below us. After a short downhill, the fun for the day began. For most of us, the ride to Bear Camp Summit took about five hours . The incentive to get there in some reasonable time was that lunch was served at the top. The next 19 miles took only 30 minutes. The mile markers started clicking off like fence posts on the way down. The Cycle Oregon people reported several bad accidents, but, fortunately we flatlanders survived to ride again another day. Once down, we still had thirty miles to go before we could make camp in Gold Beach. This last thirty miles was by no means flat, but it did follow the path of the Rogue River for the most part. Our evening in Gold Beach was spent at the high school football field, a short distance from the Pacific. The fog moved in early in the day and stayed late the next morning along this section of the coast.
Day seven, our last day, began in the fog at Gold Beach and ended in the sunshine at Brookings, just north of the California state line. This section of the coast was absolutely beautiful, as the mountains came down to the coast line. Over time, the ocean eroded the sides of the mountains and left sheer cliffs, large boulders, and other unusual rock formations in the surf. As you have probably guessed, the ride down the coast was not flat. Several climbs from five to six hundred feet gave us great views up and down the coast. We were able to spot whales spouting in the coves near shore on several occasions. After riding for 58 miles, the end of the tour was in sight. Brookings sponsored a Logging Show By The Sea, with contestants from Washington and Oregon. Closing ceremonies were held at Brookings High School. Once we finished the ride, it was time to box up our bicycles and prepare to ship them home. The next morning, the buses arrived to take us back to Portland and our flight to Gainesville.