Tuesday was our first real day of riding. It was hot, and somewhat humid.
Merrianne had rear panniers, only.I had front and rear panniers. I wasn’t yet experienced in packing light, though I tried.Dari Mart in Crow was our lunch stop. Florence water tasted bad, but Crow water tasted good. We asked the server whether we might fill our water bottles, and not only did she fill them, but she put ice in them! Most welcome on a hot and humid day.
We reached Eugene late in the afternoon.
While we were standing around at a Safeway, a woman approached us and said, “Excuse me, I just thought I’d offer my home if you’d like to stay there tonight.”
We weren’t too proud to turn THAT down.
Ila James, and her fiancée, Don Ausland, were incredible. Ila’s enormous house was lavishly appointed with elegant works of art. If that house were in San Francisco, it would easily be worth $5 million. A true woman of the renaissance, Ila quilted, cooked (had a home ec. degree), had a pharmacy degree, gardened, played the French horn, and cycled. And taught at the U. of O. Don was semi-retired, teaching sometimes at the Dental School.
I’m guessing Merrianne has just come out of the shower. To her right are Ila and Don. Note that this was long before warmshowers.org, or even general internet. Strangers would come up to stopped travelers and invite them to stay.
We had dinner there, then slept on their sofa bed, and also had breakfast there the next morning.
