Let there be rain

Well i missed a day of posting sorry hope you can all forgive me but things got a little lost in time.  I am going to try to wrap up a couple of days in one.  They really kind of rolled into one in some prospects.  I will start by saying that on this trip Shane is King of The Bike.  I am so impressed with where he is at fitness wise and how much better that has made him in regards to the bike.  Shane i am proud of you for hitting the gym and making the improvement.  Now i just hope i can keep up with him.

So yesterday i had the fortune of taking a "wrong" turn which led me along a river on relatively flat ground for several miles before i met back up with the rest of the pack.  We had gotten split up when i went back t the car to get a coat, our host took them one way and our support staff went another.  Anyway long the road it was a great time for some morning reflections and kind of was happy to have a little down time just rolling along.  I also got to see a horse rolling around on the ground like a dog.  I had never seen this before and thought it was kind of cool and odd at the same time.  Later i found out most horses do this on a regular basis, who knew.
As the day wore on the wind picked up a bit and the rain came in.  This was not a real heavy rain so it was not to bad to ride in.  Dad joined us for this part of the ride and surprised us with a very strong performance on the bike.  it was nothing but climbing most of the time he was on the bike.  He also brought out his secret rain weapon, the blue goggles (see pic below).  I really had to chuckle at these and at one point he looked at me and said, man i must really look like a geek.   He was in such great spirits and was having a good ride.

So we woke on day 7 to the heavy rain we had been expecting to hit sometime and let me tell you it did not disapoint.  today was just going to be shane and i riding anyway so we thought we would gear up and let her rip.  Well we started off and the rain just kept coming sometimes it was light and not to bad others it was blistering and pouring rain.  We kept riding for about thirty miles and arrived at Cannon beach, the rain had let up enough for us to stop and eat.  Jerry H. had went ahead and got us all a bowl of clam chowder to help us warm up.  It was so good and just what we needed however then it started to really rain and blow.  I stepped away to go to the bathroom and when i came back Carl and Shane were swinging (in the rain...get it).  Then they popped the question of do we want to quit riding int he down poor or if we keep going.  I told them the truth and said i would call it.  they were all in agreement.

Funny thing about this situation is that i had been battling this question in my head for the last 15 miles.  I was cold, my feet and hands were wet and i just was struggling in my head to keep myself wanting to go forward.   I kept thinking i can't quit my dad does not have a choice so why do i.  that kept me going for all of the day.  Many people Tommorrow know but two years ago i was diagnosed with OCD and in my case this means that i lock onto a thought process and have difficulty getting past it.  So basically i could not talk my way past this question of was i a quitter, did i want this enough, would i be a disappointment....etc.

When we got to town we ended up being met by my dads cousin, our uncle and his daughter, and son.  We also were visited by Rachel's parents, the mayor of Tillamook and a new friend Sheryl.  What a privilege and honor it was to have them all with us today.

Rachel left us today but it will be back later in the trip.  Thank you for all of your help you are AWESOME.

Thought of the day:  So many things we do each day we really believe we are doing for others.  But when you get down to it maybe you are doing some of it for yourself.  I am not saying this is a bad ting but i think it is something we each need to reflect on from time to time.  I know that i have and will continue to do that on this trip for sure.