2006 HR Day 47

Miles on the concrete: 39
Weather: 79 and sunny
Wind: out of the NW (headwind) at 10-20mph
Route: Hwy 26
Terrain: a long, 13 mile downhill to start the day (not bad) and then there were rolling hills.
Average Speed: 20.5 mph (w/o the B.O.B. trailer)
Road Kill: I don't remember seeing anything.
1st Thought of the day: "What's it going to be like to not be sitting on a bicycle all day long?"
2nd Thought of the day: "I wonder if anyone has been inspired to wear spandex more because of the Hunger Ride?"
3rd Thought of the day: "I wonder if anyone has been inspired to purchase and regularly wear a full-body neon green or hot pink spandex suit because of the Hunger Ride?"

THE LAST DAYS OF THE HUNGER RIDE....(ah, gasp, gulp, fighting back the tears...)
Friday: Gresham to Hillsboro (40 miles)
Saturday: HIllsboro to Seaside (65 miles)

BUSTED OFF THE BIKE....(see picture above)
Alright, so I said "What the hay"* and got a little ride here from Vern in his pick-up truck. Come on, everyone needs a break. And I only rode with Vern for 28 of the 39 miles from Timberline to Gresham.

*It's ok if you're busting out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter right now because of the incredible wit in that pun I just threw down. You know, what can I say, this stuff just comes naturally to me.

I'M IN LOVE.....
with the state of Oregon. I'm tempted to say that border-to-border it's the best state I've ridden through. I guess we'll have to wait for the "Best of the Hunger Ride" on the last day to find out. But what more could you ask for in a state? They've got mountains here...an ocean....lakes....rivers.....canyons.....gorges....tall pines....and gals that don't shave. Er, um, ah, wait a second.

SHOUT OUTS....
-to my sister, Susie Grade, who turned 31 today! Happy Birthday Sooz! You rule!
-Brooke at Subway in Sandy,OR for the subs and salad
-Terri at the Howard Johnson for the room (even though she had her doubts at first that I am really riding my bicycle across the country)
-My Bike....I was talking to my bike the other day and she expressed her disgust for getting me across the country and never getting a "Shout Out." Here's to you, bike.

2006 HR Day 46

Miles on the slippery Oregon roads: 50
WEather: Cloudy, 50's, then some cold rain to finish the ride
Terrain: Mountain climbing
Route: Hwy 26
Song stuck in my head: "Let's Go" -Wang Chung
Miles from Seaside,OR: Appr. 150

HUNGER RIDIN' IN THE SNOW........
Yes, this really is snow in the picture. And a great day it was for a post-ride nap in a small pasture of snow up here at the Timberline Lodge. Would I rather have 95 degrees and the sweltering heat of Memphis, or low 40's and a little snow at the Timberline Lodge? Hmmmm, I'll stay true to my Badger roots and take the snow I think.
The T-Lodge is a pretty cool hangout. Huge place. There's large, wood beams holding up this joint, and three spacious lobby areas with a nice, large, cosey fireplace. Although, I'm hoping that I won't have any nightmares tonight of "Red Rum" as they did film "The Shining" here back in the day.

SHOUT OUTS....
-Dad and Mom for putting up with my crabby, cranky, and at times incredibly ornery self. I'll admit that after being on the road this long, I'm not one for conversation much of the time. Nice job, guys. You guys do a stellar job with the support vehicle as well.

Day 44 & 45: Oregon

Day 44: Prineville to Warm Springs
Miles on the road: 43
Route: Hwy 26
Terrain: hilly
Weather: 80’s and mostly sunny
Wind: stiff headwind
Songs stuck in my head: “Where corn don’t grow” –Travis Tritt
“Dead or Alive” –Bon Jovi
Road Kill: two dead cows
State with the least amount of road kill: Oregon
What would really hit the spot right now: an Orange Mocha Frapachino

WHAT'S THE DEAL.....
So I rode up to Warm Springs from Prineville. Then, Dad, Mom, and I drove down to Bend,Or to hang out because we heard it was a happening place. And that's where we are staying tonight. Bend is pretty cool, actually, but to be totally honest it's hard to rest when you're just a few days away from the Pacific and you haven't slept in your own bed in almost two months. I'm itchin' to get back on the road.

THIS WEEK’S SUPER TUESDAY CONTEST…….
Vote for one or both of the following….
#1 I don't know about y'all, but one of the highlights each day of the ride has been seeing who my fellow co-worker at PDS, Paul White, (aka "Slappy") would compare my long, thick beard to each day. So, the question is....Which Slappy “beard quote” do you think is the best. (see list below)
And also,
#2 What do you think that I should do with my bicycle when the Hunger Ride is over?
The most creative idea wins.

THE HUNGER RIDE COUNTDOWN TO SEASIDE…….
Tuesday: REST DAY in Bend, OR (Day 45)
Wednesday: Warm Springs to Timberline Lodge(where “The Shining” filmed) (50 miles)
Thursday: Timberline Lodge to Gresham (42 miles)
Friday: Gresham to Hillsboro (40 miles)
Saturday: Hillsboro to Seaside (67 miles)

SHOUT OUTS…….
-Irv, Liz, and Dave for offering up their homes for Dad, Mom, and myself.
-Best Western of Bend
-Kelly Kimberlin, for being a ROCKSTAR. Thanks for the enoucouragement. And I'm sorry for that one time that I toilet papered your house in college. It wasn't my idea....really....it was all Luke and Grant. Well, except for the spoons on your lawn, that was me. But I didn't want to do it, really.

BEARD QUOTES.....
"I like that you're growing out your beard, Tom, it makes you look like.....

1. Abe Lincoln
2. Pau Gasol
3. Uncle Jessie
4. Kenny Rogers
5. C. Everet Koop
6. (insert civil war General)
7. (insert biblical character of your choice)
8.Obi Wan Kanobi
9. 2/3 of the Bee Gee's
10. ZZ top

Day 43: Mt Vernon,Or to Prineville,Or

Day 43: Mt Vernon to Prineville
Miles on the road: 108
Route: Hwy 26 West
Weather: 50’s in the morning,90’s in the afternoon,partly cloudy
Terrain: 40 miles of flats……70 miles of hills including 2 mountain passes
Songs stuck in my head: “Solsbury Hill” –Peter Gabriel “Walk on” –U2
“High enough” –Damn Yankees
Average Speed: 16.2 mph
Post-ride drink of choice: Starbucks Caramel Machiado (frozen)
Miles on the track since May 27th: 3,168
Miles to Seaside,Or: 240
# of centuries ridden: 7

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Old man at the motel: "Oh yeah, that town you'll be in, that's a really big town."
Tom: "Oh, ok. Like how big?"
Old man at the motel: "Well, it's pretty big. They've got a Walmart."
Tom: (searching for a proper response) "Oh, yeah, um, ah, cool. I guess it's pretty big then. Thanks."

TODAY'S RIDE.....
Today was definitely a great day to have a support crew. Anytime time you go 100+ it's nice not to have to carry your gear.....today especially. The hills were big and the sun was hot but the Randvan rolled safely into Prineville. Border to border, Oregon might be the most beautiful state I've ridden through. And I've heard that I haven't even seen the best parts yet.

WHERE’S YOUR PANTS……
By far the funniest moment of this day occurred when I was approximately three miles into my first mountain descent, and I saw a man walking on the other side of the road without any pants on. Yeah, no joke. And I thought I had seen it all. Guess not. (sorry, no picture available) So the question that everybody wants to know……was this guy wearing any drawers? Well, let me just say that his shirt came down just far enough, so we can’t be totally sure. But really I’m not sure I care to know. I will say though that’s the hardest I’ve laughed at 35 mph on this entire trip. This guy was wearing a fairly nice backpack, as well as one of those sombrero-type hiking hats, but no pants. What's the deal? He definitely did not have the homeless look. So, the question then is what kind of statement is this guy trying to make? Could he be without pants for the purpose of raising money? Could he be walking across the country to raise money for people who don’t have any pants?? “The 2006 Pantless Walk.” Or was this guy just a little bit to hot? Hmmm, we’ll probably never know.

THE COOLEST THING THAT I’VE HEARD ALL WEEK…..
Drew, age 9, of Oregon, heard about the orphaned kids in Ethiopia, and he decided to do something about it. Upon hearing about the kids, Drew went home and put price tags on many of his own things he decided that he no longer needed. Then, Drew went to his family, friends, and neighbors, and sold these things, giving the money to Food for the Hungry. How rad is that? Nice work, Drew. I’d like to shake your hand my friend.

SHOUT OUTS.....
-The Stafford Inn of Prineville
-Marge from "At Home" Antiques and Decor