Coos Bay all the way

Hello everyone,

The PEDALers are now at the Oregon coast, staying the night in Coos Bay. We're all very excited to be back at the coast and heading south towards the sunny warmth of California.

Unfortunately, our good friend Lucas has to take a break from the ride, due to worsening knee issues. He was left in good hands at Aprovecho, where he'll be continuing a work-trade until he goes home. We all wish him happy holidays with his family and a speedy recovery (and return to the tour!)

Viera has also had to step out for a number of reasons, including a bad case of bronchitis. We hope she gets better soon too!

Since leaving Aprovecho, Garrett, Kristi and Steve have had quite the ride. The day we left was sunny and cool - the perfect riding weather. When we arrived in Elkton to stay for the night, we were referred to a local bike enthusiast, who set us up with a great camping spot and proceeded to feed us dinner and offer us showers. Thanks so much to Jeff and Joan!

Yesterday we saw a herd of elk calmly grazing by the highway at the Dean Creek elk viewing area. The ride was beautiful, through rolling, forested hills and small, trickling waterfalls. Luckily we were following the Umpqua River, so the ride was relatively flat.

Today we saw the most spectacular sand dunes, spanning from the tops of large hills, all the way down to the water's edge. We also stopped at a local sourdough bakery - quite the treat - and also a sign of our increasing proximity to San Francisco!

Please check out Justin's blog from yesterday... it's great to hear how he's been doing since he went home. Also, a website update - we are working on getting it back up asap.

You'll be hearing more from us soon!

Kristi