made it

I had an amazing bike ride. And I'm so glad to be back. So glad to not be camping anymore, and to be going to the bathroom indoors and having a really good pillow. But it was incredible. There were views like this one every day, along stretches of the most knock-em-dead pretty country roads imaginable. Most of the ride was challenging but doable, and I used all the turning, braking, and downhill skills that M taught me all year. I was damn proud that I wasn't one of the many people walking around wounded from skidding on those downhills. I rode less than I thought I would (there were some dangerous parts I decided not to do, and I was insanely tired), but I did about 260 miles.

One of the stops was in a historic town called Jacksonville. Kim & I went to the museum and saw this very old bicycle, with a cool leather bag attached to the stem.

But even on a bicycle ride of such majesty, I was always thinking of my blog. So I also got this photo of the giant wooden sock stretchers that women used in the 1800s.

Then there's the yarn we bought at Web-ster's in Ashland.

It was a big yarn store, but not the biggest I've seen (as I thought it would be). They had a few unique lines of local yarn, but mostly had the usual yarn you find in a big LYS. I guess I would have been a lot more impressed if there weren't the requisite nasty woman working there who didn't seem to want our business or want us to be happy looking at the yarn. She: 1) answered our query for a drink of water by directing us to a deli down the street to buy bottled (in Oregon tap water is almost always of superior quality, and this is like saying I can't be bothered to give you a cup, go spend 2 bucks). 2) Repeatedly asked if she could put away things we'd been looking at, like books that we'd left on the book browsing table. 3) got angry at Kim for asking her to wind her skein of La Luz. A $26 skein of yarn. That the woman is too pissy to wind up. Then she screws it up and blames Kim for asking her to do it, and shoves the mangly ball into a baggie.

She gave me such a bad feeling, I didn't ask to photograph the store.

The one refreshing element was this other woman, who was as nice as the first was ungrateful. She gave us cups for water, smiled a lot, and told us winding was easy and of course they would wind all our purchases! How do these yarn stores get so psychotic?

Here's what we bought:

From left to right: La Luz all silk (out of its baggie, gasp!), front/center is Silver Cloud Farm yarn from Ashland at only $7.50 for 210 yards, behind that is some very gorgeous soft chenille hand-dyed, and on the right two skeins of Inca Alpaca. All but the Silver Cloud are Kim's. Here she is trying her very first lace pattern at a bar outside the theater, while we wait for our play to begin. Notice the untouched wine. The grim determination. Yes, she has Lace Face.

Finally, I'll leave you with a picture of me biking, and a shot of what I'm doing with the Ashland yarn.

Here's one of my hourly self-portraits on the road.

And my Ashland Sock, hanging out with all my other essential stuff to have in a tent (That's right, lantern, maps, photo of husband, icy hot, and knitting project. Check.)

Comments

[Janice in GA]

I did the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) twice. If your ride was anything like mine, you had a fabulous time, and were thoroughly worn out by the end! Congratulations!

[beth]

***Sigh*** good customer service is just not what it used to be!! I hate rude sales people, well I hate rude people in general!

[peggy]

I guess I somehow missed you saying you were going to be away. I came every day and left again saying, "Still creamed spinach?". Looks/sounds like you had a fabulous time though. LOVE that first picture of the lake/view!!

And yes - Down With Grouchy Salespeople!

[Carrie]

Sounds like an amazing trip. That first picture is almost unreal, it's so beautiful! Your tent pic and self portrait make me smile! Glad you're back...I kept reading "creamed spinach" over and over again too.

[mariko]

Congratulations on completing Cycle Oregon! It looks like you had nice weather and had a great time. Too bad about the nasty woman at Websters. Was she SO MEAN and scary that it was almost funny? Because at least that would be good. Hope you're getting lots of rest now (and Stumptown coffee, of course).

[Kay]

Larissa----please let me know if you still need help with the Hat Thing. xox Kay

[Jaime]

I loved the pictures of your trip, especially the one of the view. But, what is the book you had in the tent? I tried to zoom in but couldn't.
Thanks.

[larissa]

The book was the Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett. I haven't read much of it yet, but it's wonderful. I'm also reading Babbit by Sinclair Lewis, and mostly that's what I read in the tent. One of the all-time greatest books, IMO.