We got up early enough to pack up the tent, load the car, and still make it to breakfast before we needed to leave (food is a priority, always!). Chris had a flight to catch in Sacramento, and I was headed to Eugene, OR for the night. The drive was uneventful, and soon I was headed north to Oregon. The highlight of the drive was most definitely seeing Mt. Shasta in Northern California. It’s snowy mass is made even more impressive by the fact that the surrounding land is at a relatively low elevation, less than 2,000’ in some places. I snapped a few photos and continued on, stopping in Ashland, OR to grab dinner and peek in the Rogue Valley Runners store (owned by Hal Koerner). Hal wasn’t around, but I needed a few things anyway (I wasn’t there just to stalk him), so I grabbed my gels and Clif Shot Blocks and headed up the street to my favorite restaurant in Ashland (well, I’ve only eaten in Ashland 3 times, but each time it’s been at the same place). I tried the local beer sampler and a buffalo burger, then walked around town for a few minutes before hitting the road again. Ashland is a really neat town, sort of like a weirder Austin (think lots of hippies) with green mountains all around. Definitely a place I could live! Another couple hours on the road, and I was pulling into Eugene, my home for the night. I checked into the hotel and immediately went to bed. 12 hours of driving made me pretty tired.
Day 24 (Eugene/Bellingham)
I met Calvin, one of my former cross country/track runners, at his grandparents’ house in South Eugene for a run. He’s fast, especially on road, and my legs were feeling less than fresh from all the mountain miles I add accrued. He agreed to “take it easy” on me, which generally means I would run at my tempo pace while he graciously ran at his “slow” pace. I was expecting a nice flat road run. Instead, I got a very hilly run around Spencer Butte, with a couple miles added on the end at a local sawdust trail, giving us 12 total. The distance was manageable, but the sub 9 minute pace (including a few walk breaks) up and down the hills felt tough. I hadn’t run that “fast” continuously for quite some time. I still had fun and was glad Calvin gave me a tour of the area. I showered at his grandparents’ house and ate a fantastic breakfast that his grandmother cooked, then I was off, headed north again, this time with Bellingham, Washington as my final destination.
My fraternity brother Doug and his fiancé Sara had recently relocated from Tampa to the town of Bellingham. I figured that I might as well add a trip there to my summer itinerary, and I’m sure glad I did. On the drive up I was treated to views of Mt. Hood (east of Portland), Mt. Rainier (near Seattle), and Mt. Baker (east of Bellingham). In addition, I had the ocean on my left (backed by the Olympic Mountain range) and the Canadian Rockies in the distance to my north. Definitely not a bad drive. I passed through Portland and Seattle and was soon (about 6 hours after leaving Eugene) pulling into Bellingham.
Bellingham is a beautiful little town. The ocean (bay) lies right in front of Doug and Sara’s condo, the Canadian Rockies are visible to the North, the Olympic Range shows up on a clear day, and Mt. Hood’s snow-capped peak rises over the horizon in the East. I met Doug and Sara, hung out on their porch as we enjoyed the cool weather, and then headed “downtown” (about a 5 minute walk) for dinner. We ate at a Cajun restaurant, and the food was really good. Knowing we had an early morning awaiting us, we retired home for the night to get some sleep.
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