Catching up with KVAL

After all our fretting and gearing up for hurricane winds and rain, the first day of riding was idyllic: Hardly any wind, sun glittering on the ocean waves, and an easy ride to a scenic campsite about 45 miles south of our starting point near Lincoln City, Oregon. We cooked some lentils, ate, and since it was dark, crawled in our tent and passed out at about 7 PM.

The early night didn't stop us from sleeping in the next morning, and it was after 9 when we finally hit the road. We had an appointment with Ty from KVAL news in Florence at noon, but we figured it was only 25 miles and we would make it easily.

Three hours later, we were still climbing hills somewhere north of Florence and finding that the granola and yogurt was burning off quickly. This stretch of highway turned out to be the most difficult of our trip so far - a pitted, cracked and mostly, non-existent shoulder and an elevation chart that resembled a roller coaster. Breathtakingly beautiful as it was, plunging into tunnels of green and teetering along cliffs above the hungry ocean, we hated to be late and every mile was an obstacle. 

Finally, we rolled into Florence at around 1:30. There was the news van waiting, as promised, just before the bridge at the south end of town. Ty clipped the microphone on my jacket and the camera rolled. Delirious and exhausted, we rambled, ranted and might have complained a bit as we attacked our baggie of trail mix. But somehow, Ty and his cameraman turned our diatribes into a catchy news piece. 

Here it it is, for your entertainment. We didn't end up camping on the beach, we stayed with a really nice couple we met at the Real Foods Coop. But more on that later!

If you can't see the video above, here's a direct link: http://www.kval.com/news/local/One-couple-two-stomachs-five-months-five-thousand-miles-182770741.html?tab=video&c=y