This morning I woke up to low hanging clouds in the mountains around Eugene, and the ground was wet so I assumed it had rained overnight, but as I started moving I could feel the moisture hanging in the air, the early morning fog.

Today was the longest days ride I’ve done yet, almost 90 miles, and it took me the complete length of the McKenzie River to just shy of Santiam Pass. While I started below 500 feet and finished just above 4,000 feet there were only a couple of steeper sections near to the end of the day, for the most part it was a very gentle incline and very pleasant riding.

By mid morning the mist started to burn off and the sun came out again. The beginning of the day meandered through some more small farms and rural communities nestled between the tree covered mountains. As I entered the main valley that McKenzie flows down it turned into a burn area. The river was wide and looked fairly gentle.

After lunch as I kept climbing I got out of the burn area into forest. I could see a snow covered peak in the distance, I think it must be McKenzie Pass which I couldn’t take, coming up Santiam Pass there is no sign of snow. As I got nearer to the top of Santiam Pass the forest floor turned from pretty thick lush vegetation into lava fields. The lava that flowed in this area is the most recent in the United States, it was flowing when the Mayflower sailed into port.

I couldn’t help but compare everything I was seeing to the Sierra; the relative lack of glaciation, there are no real foothills, we go straight from Willamette Valley into the forest, and just how much vegetation there is on the forest floors. I was also still struck by how much water flows down the McKenzie River and how wide and gently it flows.

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet, western Oregon is absolutely covered in blackberry bushes, they are everywhere! From the coast all the way to base of the Cascades, there are blackberry bushes all along the sides of the roads. Unfortunately none of the berries are ripe, Most of the bushes are still flowering, and at best there are green immature berries. Later in the season there must be enough berries for everyone to eat their fill.

The campsite tonight was chosen because I ran out of legs, it’s kind of near the highway and there are mosquitos out, but I will enjoy sleeping in the forest none the less.

I don’t know where I’ll end up tomorrow, I’ve set myself up for an easy ride up to the pass, I’ll figure it out on the road. Time for dinner.