Sweet Home, Oregon: Options
Sometimes being on the wrong path is the right path. McKenzie pass was still closed to all traffic including cyclists because of snow, so I rerouted to Route 20. When I stopped at the the Chamber of Commerce in Sweet Home to see what services were available in town, a local resident Lois was also there. Upon being questioned as to why I was off the normal bicycling route, I was immediately told that no way would I bike up Route 20 to Sisters if I wanted to live. Now being told what I can’t do does not normally sit well with me and those that know me understand that all too well.
I was given some options to think about. One, the senior citizen center was having a luncheon in an hour and for $6.00 I could have a great lunch and think some more about what my choices would be. Two, I could stay overnight with Lois’s family and think some more. Three, Lois would give me a ride up to Sisters, a trip over 70 miles one way.
I chose to do some shopping and then something was telling me to go to the luncheon. When I got there the line was long and the food smelled good, lasagna, broccoli, salad, bread, pumpkin cake, but best of all, great conversations with “old” people and town folks and the subject was all the same. “No way are you biking up route 20 to Sisters.” I accepted Lois’s offer for a ride.
Before we started, Lois warned me that it could be a terrifying experience for someone who had never been that way but she had done the trip many times. And you know what, Lois was right. Lois and all those town people were so right that I nor any other cyclist belong on that rode. The ride was enjoyable because I realized that I had met one of the most kindhearted people in this country. Thank you Lois and to all I had met in Sweet Home.
Feeding Kids 