Heyas All :)

Anxiety.
Ever since I got to Seattle I've been on edge.
Maybe it's because mentally it is the halfway stage, even though in miles it is well over halfway.
Maybe it's because I'm heading back to Santa Monica now instead of going further away (Vancouver? Alaska?)
Maybe it was the weather at the Oregon coast?
Maybe it's because time is running out - my plane leaves on August 10.
Maybe it's because I'm homesick?
In any case, I took a good time-out in Winston, OR to figure things out over a dinner of icecream, bananas, a peach and some cookies.
It looks like I can make Los Angeles in about a fortnight, all things going well, so I need not worried about getting stranded in the USA.
And with the pressure off I can enjoy the ride a bit more.

Moving on to other things. Just as I complained about the Oregon weather at the coast, the day cleared up nicely and it was outright hot on my ride east. Finally settling down in Winston, OR for the night. I had my very first Dairy Queen cone - an extra large one! Unfortunately I still had to sleep by the roadside, under the stars, but at least it wasn't all that cold in the morning. Next up was a ride through Roseburg OR (elev 500ft), to Crater Lake. Or so I thought. Even with an average of 12.5 miles per hour until Steamboat Inn (very nice cafe), I only ended the day at Diamond Lake and an elevation of over 5500ft. Other than the usual things, there was a full moon and it made for a nice picture with its reflection in the water. The next day I would find out that my legs didn't work anymore ...

At the edge of Diamond Lake I met up with a couple of boy scout leaders. Later on, as I was struggling in Crater Lake National Park, they decided to offer me a ride over the big bumps (7500ft at Rim Village), which I graciously accepted. They had a group of about 13 doing a cycle ride around the crater rim. It felt nice to witnes and be part of the start of a medium-sized organised event again. I guess it's nostalgia coming to the fore. Earlier that day there was a group of 3 Oregonians doing a 14 day tour cycling in Oregon, visiting about a dozen lakes on their itinerary. They were impressed enough with my own tour of 9 states that they paid my entry to Crater Lake. Thank you again America for your generosity :)
After Crater Lake came the big descent to Klamath Falls. Asking for a Subway shop, I was directed to downtown and they happened to have a busking night on Main Street. It was very nice to see musicians on every block with gear from home practice to full-blown cover bands suitable for small arenas. The genres ranged from classical and folk to country, pop and rock.

Today I've gone from just south of Klamath Falls, OR to Bieber, CA, part of Big Valley. Even though the library has closed for the day, the visitor's centre under the authority of the Big Valley Chamber of Commerce has an internet computer available to post this from. A local at Tulelake filled me in on another good area to investigate with all the attractions there, but I just have no time to add this to my list at such short notice. So here I go again closing this update.

Peace Out,
Arnie.