It took me three days to bike from Eugene to Sisters, over the McKenzie Pass. It takes most veteran cyclists only one day, but I feel that I'm the fortunate one: as the miles of asphault slowly slip beneath my tires, I have time to smile at the blue skies overhead, observe wildflowers quaking in the roadside breeze, and of course... meet people.
The first night just outside of Blue River, I balked at the $14 campsite fee (there was no discount for cyclists). After delivering the bad news of the cost, the campground managers took pity on me and invited me to stay in their private site for free. I set up my tent and was invited to dinner in their luxurious RV: chef's salad with ham and boiled eggs. Ahhh, protein.
They were sweet, retired, and talked easily over dessert. "The hippies who come up to use the hotsprings... oh my", said my hostess, wide-eyed at the memory, "Those girls all want to go in there naked, and I've seen some of everything. I tell you what, I've really had my eyes opened this summer". She looked meaningfully at her husband, who shook his head.
"Yep," he replied, "they had some kinda... uh... I don't know. A 'hippie fest' I guess you'd call it. 'Bout three weeks ago. And the hotsprings was just crawlin' with them".
I was about to say "You mean the Country Fair?" but then decided to pretend I was as innocent about naked hippies as they were. It seemed prudent at the time. :)
The breakfast they insisted on feeding me the next morning was only slightly dampened by their parting gift: a leaflet emblazoned with "The Bible: You Have God's Word on It". I guess my vibrant tie-dyed T shirt had given me away, and they knew I'd been naked in a hotspring at one time or another. I smiled, thanked them, and agreed to read the leaflet. (Which I did... and it put me to sleep very quickly the next night).
That afternoon I rolled into a campground about 11 miles below McKenzie Pass, with shaking, sweaty legs and a concerned look, as it appeared the campround was full and there were no more to be found this side of the Pass. A tiny woman with curly red hair bounded over to greet me (I'm sure she'd enjoy this description) with a wide smile and even wider eyes. "You can share this campsite with us if you'd like! There's plenty of room for two tents here".
They were fresh from a three day vacation at Breitenbush Hot Springs, where they were fed delicious organic, vegetarian meals and soaked to their hearts' content. They shared dinner with me: sweet potato stir fry with organic coconut oil (Wow, and that's camping food?!) The affection that this couple of 17 years showed to eachother (and to me) was inspiring. I'll miss them dearly, even after knowing them for only 1 day.
(Much thanks to Amy and Ivan, for a wonderful evening among newfound friends and great food. I'll be visiting you in Seattle sometime soon!)
Thank goodness for hippies who'll go naked in hotsprings... and for the kindness of the campground managers who reprimand them. I guess it takes all kinds to get a novice cyclist up a mountain pass. :D
You are an amazing writer Livi! You should compile all this into a book or something. It's great to read!
ReplyDelete