Day 4: Independence, OR to Corvallis, OR

Miles: 26

Elevation (ft): 800

Total trip mileage: 128

Before we went to bed, Kelly told us to help ourselves to anything in the fridge for breakfast and to take some brownies with us. When we woke up, we found that she had set everything out for breakfast and wrapped up a dozen brownies to take with us...we were spoiled. As we were leaving, Mark took a picture of us to add to their guestbook of cyclists who have stayed at their home.

We hit the road thinking we would have a short, easy ride today which would leave more time in the evening to relax, however, that didn’t really happen. While the ride was shorter than previous days and there was little climbing, our errands took up much of our afternoon. First stop was Benton County Fairground/RV Park to get our spot for the night, set up our tent, and ditch our gear. Next, we headed into Corvallis to Bike N Hike to get Chelsea's gears tuned, rear brake pads for Chad's bike, and a few other odds and ends. Finally, we stopped at the camping store to pick up another propane/butane can for our stove (a back up may be necessary when we get to the mountains).

While we were trying to decide where to eat, a woman came up to us and recommended a local Vietnamese place. She, like everyone else we have met on this trip, was so friendly and willing to help. The people we meet show genuine interest in our trip and it is comforting to feel welcome wherever we go. At the food cart, where we got our dinner (sorry, no Vietnamese tonight), the owners asked us to sign their table - see photo. Our route back to the campground took us through Oregon State University's campus - which is beautiful - and through the wildlife farms and solar fields.

We ended our night doing laundry at the fairgrounds and met a family from Penn State who sold everything to travel the country in an old-school travel trailer. How cool!