Day 4, Bike Rides Bookending a Car Ride

Got in a 15ish mile bike ride before breakfast and before the temperatures started to rise. The Rogue River Greenway Trail is an easy, paved 7.2 mile trail that runs both ways from the campground. Riparian, both sides are green and partly shaded, running along the river. Only down side is it also parallels 5, with its traffic noise.

On our way to the next campsite, Hwy 5 passes through green rolling mountains, farmland, and wildflowers planted by the state through a highway beautification project. We passed through miles of white flowers, sometimes dotted with red crimson, yellow, and orange.

Aside from cheaper gas (at least a dollar less than California), another benefit of getting gas in Oregon is that it is one of two states, the other being New Jersey, where gas is pumped for you. Such a nice treat for motorists and it provides jobs.

We needed to drive through miles of farmland to reach tonight's campground. One of the crops is hops. I don't remember having seen it growing before. I imagined their harvest supplies some of the many and growth number of craft breweries here on the West Coast.

It is cooler here, not by much,

but the bike path that runs from the campground and along the Willamette River is beautifully shaded by tall trees. That, along with a breeze, and no highway noise, made it a lovely way to end the day.


Location: Champoeg, OR 97137, USA

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