Put a blackberry on it!

Non-stop...since the day we left Portland...we've been picking blackberries!  The fruit got so good that the first day out of Portland we picked (in order) blackberries, plums, salalberries and huckleberries.  That was one incredible breakfast.

Noah and I are still riding together, but for the last couple nights we've met up with 4 more riders on their way to San Francisco.  So the nights have been filled with great conversation, great beers, and wonderful sunsets!  Interesting fact, it turns out the coast is not as hot as one would imagine.  All the heat settles in the Willamette valley, so when it's hot in the valley...it's foggy and chilly on the coast.  

By the way...these were Noah's first west coast blackberries.  Apparently the ones back east aren't as big.

Salalberries...not bad.

But not as good as these bad boys.  This was an incredible stand of berries, plus some of the biggest I've ever seen/picked.

Those are my 2 containers on left...and Noah's 3.  Next tour I'll be getting the bigger one of these...

Wonderful ride out of Hilsboro (the train station we got out at from Portland)...except for the LONGEST/STEEPEST CLIMB I'VE EVER RIDDEN ON A BICYCLE!!! We figures it was about 10 miles of climbing, which probably took us around 2 hours...from now on I am measuring all climbs I ride to that one.

The most tired I've been after a climb...holy crap that was hard.

The riding along the coast has been nothing short of fantastic!  A couple days out of the city, we stopped in Florence for a coffee and were headed to the State Park for the night.  While we were there, Noah phoned the son of a man he had stayed with while in Missoula.  He only lived 5 miles past the State Park so we decided to head over.  Jeff, Kim, their son Ryan and their 2 dogs Jack and Hanna were so generous and fed us dinner that night.  Then, after taking us out for breakfast the next morning, Jeff offered us the use of his spare truck to use for the day...how awesome is that!?  THEN Kim told us to take the sand-board that was in the garage and go to the dunes which were just down the road.  Needless to say, we stayed an extra day...who wouldn't.  Plus the dinner they cooked for us the second night was spectacular!!  Razor clams, tri-tip beef (which I found out is the same cut they use for Tafelspitz in Austria), potatoes, asparagus, 2 salads, and watermelon with blueberry cake for dessert.  Did I mention that Kim made Noah and I smoothies with the blackberries we picked that day each morning??? Well she did.

Our first night at the house...and we get home-made chocolate chip cookies...WHAT?

Jeff and Jack

Jack's got this habit where he'll lean into anybody who has their legs outstretched....just for a foot scratch.

The only downside to sand-boarding is there's no chairlift so after 4-5 runs...you're a bit wiped.

Our last dinner....holy cow!

Oh yeah, just as we were leaving, Kim gave us each a box of snap dragons for the road.  Were we throwing them at each other the entire day...you bet we were!