Mini-Tour Day 3: Beachside State Park to Homestead Road, Philomath, 57 miles

Whoops.  Slept late, then realized I was crunched getting back in time to run errands in Corvallis before the Friday night shift.  So I sprinted up the Alsea River Highway.  Sprinted?  Not really, but rode harder than say, a loaded touring cyclist wants to ride or should ride.  Miles flew by early on, as the highway is very gradual, following a lazy river. Then reaching Alsea I called Seth to have him meet me a the road, and headed up the long climb to the Alsea Mountain Summit.  This was really something to take time with, but I pushed harder.  80+ degree temps and blazing sunlight made my dehydration worse.  About 3/4 of the climb, Seth rolled by with the van, “Want a ride?”

“Are you kidding?”  I said.  “Meet me at the bottom of the curves.”  I wasn’t going to surrender, and lose the joy of descent.  So I climbed on, up and over the summit.  Descending through the 34 curves is an experience only a cyclist can understand.  The highway is banked steeply at the corners, and cars slow below the 30MPH that I pedaled on through.  I did my customary hooting and hollering, even though I was the only one listening.  Victory, my prize for the long climb.