Day 15 Cape Lookout to Beverly Beach State Park (62 miles)

I went to the toilet at 3am again. To many horror films as a youth has imprinted on my brain the thought that when you are in the woods at night there is bound to be either a knife wielding maniac in a hockey mask, a pig skin masked chainsaw enthusiast or an already dead child killer complete with knives as fingers just waiting to pounce. Obviously he won’t get you mid-pee but wait for the lull when you finish and turn to head back to the tent. Writing this I can already envision the music build up followed by the subtle lower in volume then bam......

I made it through the night and was up the crack of dawn. She’s a nice girl, knows what she’s doing and very willing. (School boy humour). I hit the road early as I was going to go for he 60 mile site. On the map it showed 3 major climbs with the first beginning as soon as I left the site. This was a 1000ft climb over 2.7 miles. You do the math to work out the gradient. I already know the answer. Still, every climb has a decent and you enjoy them all the more when you know you have earned it.

I stopped in a town call Pacific City for breakfast and was able to upload my photo’s and get online. It was really starting to get warm so the sun cream was applied and the water bottles filled up. The 2nd major climb came mid ride. On the map this wasn’t as high as the first but it was over a longer distance. Of the three I completed this was the hardest. It was an absolute killer of a hill. Even the juggernauts were going up it slowly. I made sure I really appreciated the ride down the other side. I rolled into the city of Lincoln Oregon and stopped off at the Safeway superstore for some lunch. I stocked up on fruit and bought a bag of chicken wings and 2 bread rolls.

I was about to ride away when I saw the wonder cuts hair salon. The old bonce was in need of a shave so I went in and had it clipped for $10. There were two ladies doing the hair cutting and they were really chatty as all stylists are. One said, “oh I just love your accent”. I have had this said earlier on the trip and I asked her why she thought it was nice. She said it just sounds so different. Now I have always thought that out of the local versions of the midland accent, mine is not very broad. I’m certainly not a gu instead of go or a dow instead of don’t but I would not have described it as nice by any stretch. I asked her what was the American accent that when she heard it spoken on TV she would immediately think how awful it sounds. She replied, Canadian

(American humour).

I have also noticed that Wolverhampton is not as well known as we may think. Out of umpteen people I have spoken to not one has heard of it. The one thing everybody has heard of as a connection that we can make is Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin. Above everything this is the only way you can get anything other than a slack jawed gawp when talking of Wolverhampton. Steve Bull, nothing. Slade, nothing. Industrial revolution, nothing. Mention the Led and on cue they either start singing stairway to heaven or whole lotta love.

Talking of slack jawed. I was just packing my bags outside the hairdressers when a local yokel came over and said hi. How far you riding?, where in Australia you from?, are you enjoying it? He then went on to speak what I can only describe as the biggest load of unconnected nonsense I have had the misfortune of hearing. There was something about his “Pa” and being told “You ain’t no son’a’mine”. Taking acid with unicorns that had lazer beam eyes. Never being allowed to leave the country and wishing for better shoes. Make out of that chaos whatever you want but I should of seen it coming. It’s under the radar when they speak and you have to get ready as it comes out. Have I found Jesus?........His babble then started to make more sense. He was on drugs until a first century middle eastern fisherman found and saved him. “I was in a bad way and the Lord saved me and he can save you because Jesus hates drugs”. I could have stayed and debated the fool but I simply said “I lost you at unicorns mate” and rode off.