Yearn to Wander

Oregon, that is.

Ten years ago this summer, I rode into Eugene on my bicycle, one day away from the Pacific Ocean, the goal of the TransAm ride. Yes, it was fun to return -- reflecting on that day's 93 mile ride from Sisters up over and down the Cascades along the tumbling McKenzie River -- to see much more of this pretty college town. Eugene is home to the Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12. It sits in the southern Willamette Valley, which also hosts vineyards, orchards and field crops. The warm, sunny September day was apparently slipped in among the rainy days, so the locals told us.

We toured Oregon west of the Cascades: down the Valley, which reminds us of California's Central Valley, and then up the Coast. Other finds along the way were Salem, a delightful and vibrant state capital and Corvallis, another college town, home to OSU with a pretty, pretty campus. Who knows what's next. Stay tuned.

... pictures to follow, maybe ...