Day 79: Its the final countdown!

Day 79

0 miles

Dont worry, Im not going to subject you to the popular 80s soft rock anthem. But today does indeed represent the start of the final 10 days of the trip. I really didnt know whether I would make it this far when I set off all those weeks ago in Virginia.

When I leave Eugene I will also be starting out using the very last map section of the trip. Eleven have come and gone, and now only one remains. I like this particular map for a number of reasons.

1. It is, as mentioned, the last map. Which means I'm getting near the end.
2. It is also the shortest map section of all of them. At 234 miles (plus a few more to get out of Eugene) it doesnt seem too daunting. I realise that this map being short hasnt affected the entire route (if this one was longer, a previous one would have been shorter) but from a purely psychological point of view, it seems like this last leg will be over quicker
3. It has a maximum elevation of just 800ft! And I reckon around 50% of the route is below 300ft from here on in. Its nice to know that even when I do have small hill, it cant go on for too long since there is nothing that high left to go over.

So that is what I have to look forward to from tomorrow.

Today was another relaxed day in Eugene. Started out watching the cricket for a bit, and then headed over to the Saturday market. It was good having a look round. The problem with only having a bike is that I cant really buy anything as I dont have the space for it, and dont want to carry anything too heavy! There were quite a lot of 'alternative' stalls there. Lots of tie-dye on sale. Often by people who I have to say had questionable standards of personal hygiene! By all means grow your hair and wear funny clothes, but would if really kill you to take a shower once in a while!

Although I did manage get myself a very nice slice of cheesecake as a bit of treat for lunch!

Spent rest of the afternoon looking round some more shops, and then doing a bit of route planning for the next few days. Reckon it will be 3 days till I hit the coast. I really cant wait now!