Hello Everyone,

Well, I made it to Camp 18 today, which is at Campbell County Park, which is a day use area only. I was just too tired to go further and had not found a good camp site as much of the area is farms and ranches. This spot looked inviting, so here I am. Hopefully no one will run me off before morning.

Today I trekked 17.85 miles. I was hoping for a bit of a shorter day, but had an extra long lunch and found myself in the position I don’t like to do, and that’s looking for a camp site late at night.

So far on this leg of my trek from Klamath Falls, Day 18, I have trekked 238.18 miles. I trekked about 365 miles on the first leg and about 400 miles on the second. So, as of now I have trekked about 1,003 miles. That was kind of a goal I wanted to reach and I did today.

I had a wonderful night’s rest last night a few miles east of Alsea Falls. My site was well of the road with absolutely no noise, except I was next to a stream and a pond, so I could hear the loud bellowing of the frogs all night. What a great sound to sleep by. I finished my iPad book early last night and couldn’t download another and actually went to sleep by 9:30, earliest in a while and well needed.

I woke up and it was in the low fifties and started my day in long pants and wool top. The last two days I have been in shorts and a t-shirt. It warmed later in the day and went back to shorts and a t-shirt.

The large blister on my right foot was troubling me all day yesterday and I placed two layers of mole skin on it today. It help a little but it was still painful and I found myself limping. That in turn caused me to favor that foot and my arch began to get sore. It got so bad that I had to lay down on the side of the road for over a half hour to get the throbbing to stop. That’s been the Achilles’ heel of my treks, my feet. This time it was because of the wet shoes. Thank you again Merrells!

Once I dropped down into the valley near Alsea the scenery change to more open fields, but still very beautiful.

At the town of Alsea I decided to stop at the only restaurant in town for a real meal. There is only one restaurant, Deb’s, and one store.

I sat on the outside patio and had to pull the Wheelie up the steps. I take it for granted that every restaurant in California has handicap ramps, but not in Oregon. While sitting at the table three people sat across from me, Audrey, Rob, and Jane. They were very interested in my Wheelie and journey, which is one of the things I love about my trek, meeting nice people.

They were from Corvallis and had gone to Alsea Falls and had seen me on the road there, and as they put it, rather unhappy. I am sure it was before I stopped due to the pain in my foot.

They had stopped at Deb’s for their famous (I think) homemade pies and Rob offered to buy me a slice. I almost made the mistake again of saying no, rather than yes to what people offer me because I appreciate their kindness. So, I said yes. I told them to pick any type of pie for me, and they chose pear, and it was delicious.

Fortunately, and unfortunately, my lunch went for two hours, but I am glade that I took the time because that’s what this trek is all about.

I went to the store and picked up some orange juice for tomorrow as it seems to give me an energy boost when I am dragging a bit.

I was pretty tired when I came across this park and spied this hidden corner. As I walked into the parking lot I noticed several people standing around their cars with a steamer on the ground. Apparently they were steaming crawdads that they had caught in the creek. One man called me over and offered me some, but I was so full from lunch and the giant piece of pie. Again, it was a offer from a perfect stranger. I know, my rule, take it and say thanks! I think he was a bit drunk, so maybe he didn’t give me say no thank you a second thought?

It’s about 35 miles to Waldport and the coast, so hopefully I’ll be there in two days. Hopefully too, I’ll be able to send out an updated blog tomorrow.

As always, please keep sending me your positive thoughts and prayers. Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc.

Best wishes,
Ted