NW Loop Day 28 - long run

Awesome days ride, not many pictures today, QM told me we couldn't take any as we had to keep going. We always had a long day ahead of us.

The weather is better than last time, I might just make all 140km today. If I do it will be down to my cycling buddies and peanut butter. Almost all the snack food we see, both sweet and savory, contains peanut butter and I am convinced it is what keeps us going.
Of course we start with a climb, after all today we are crossing the  coastal range and heading east towards Portland. Fooled by a good descent I think we have crossed over, but no there is more climbing to come. The long steady low grade climb of the afternoon is not as bad as the shorter steeper pinches just too far from the preceding downhill to roll up.

Each day we are told that our travels on back roads will mean quiet traffic, and each day we find that the light traffic includes heavy logging trucks which, whether empty or full, are driven by men on a mission. I've already described my worst encounter with one so you get the picture.
They cannot however take away the enjoyment of riding through forests and this abounds today. Pine, fir, aspen - all different, all beautiful in their own way. Some trees are moss covered  which gives one the feeling you are riding through a Tolkien landscape rather than being evidence of a very damp winter.

We did make a brief stop at a wildlife viewing areas ( party of a wildlife refuge) but no sign of the elk taking refuge there. A couple of deer that morning can no longer elicit the excitement of earlier in the ride. Speaking of wildlife I am happy to report no sightings of live snakes throughout the tour, something I dreaded after seeing rattlesnake pictures in an account of the same ride by a participant in the same tour a few years ago. Phew!
Today also there are no 'services' along the route - that is no coffee, no general store, nothing much at all. Riders carry a variety of snack food, sandwiches and water, topping up at 'sag' stops throughout the ride. Both vehicles stay out today and we know there will be pizza for dinner as P has cooked her last meal.
QM and I hope for a brew pub as we come into town but we are again on the outskirts and we don't have the energy to ride past the motel in search of one. A well deserved ale from the van cooler is enjoyed sitting in the shade on the motel front lawn calling greetings to other riders coming and going.