"You'll find things look different here."

"You'll find things look different here." Or at least that's what the website for Dorena Lake, which we rode around today, assures us. I'm not entirely certain what that means, but we certainly felt different after a lovely day circling this reservoir about 25 miles south of Eugene.

Today's outing was meant to ease us into the tour: 35.6 miles, 1955 feet of elevation. I can't quite figure out how we went up that much, because a lot of the ride looked like this not-so-hilly section of the Row River trail.

Yep, that's me sporting my new purple-flowered bike skort. I don't want to mislead you, it wasn't all lush ferns and tall trees. Deb and I stopped to hydrate after riding through this pastoral rural landscape for a while. 

Nothing like warm sunshine and fresh air...

...and good pals.

Along our way, we saw quite a few of these signs. I've come to like them because it means we're in a pretty place that some savvy Oregonian has deemed a happy place for bikes. And how can you not love that the state has designated scenic bikeways?

Finally, we reach a part of the trail that clearly states its position in life. I debated asking whether we could join the cyclist party happening under the tree there. 

You might expect a pot of gold at the trail's end, but instead we found a sign identifying our current location as BLM land.

And we found these flowers, which one could argue are more appealing than the sign.

By this time we were pretty hungry. Good thing this bike tour is fully supported and we don't have to think about lunch because Brad, our guide, is hanging out on Dorena covered bridge, getting our lunch buffet ready.

The theme of this bike tour is Oregon's Covered Bridges, which I had nary a clue about. Turns out there are 400 covered bridges in Oregon, and they attract a ton of tourists each year. Here's a better perspective on the bridge to give you the effect:

In fact, this little section of land between Eugene and Cottage Grove, where we're staying tonight, has been designated "the covered bridge capital of Oregon" and has its own tour route.

After a good chow down, we get ready to ride across the bridge to the second half of the day's route. I'd hop right on my bike, but Don, a geological engineer, is telling me something about rocks or dirt or something. And you all know that I can't turn my back on a geologist. 

Don is one of four others (along with me and Deb) who make up our little tour family of six. There's plenty to say about these characters, but it's gonna have to wait for another post.

Quicker than we expect, we've finished the route and find ourselves back at our hotel. Hungry! Our guide Brad, always at the ready, opens the cooler. "Chocolate milk is a great recovery drink." 

It tides us over till dinner, at Stacy's Covered Bridge restaurant in not-so-bustling downtown Cottage Grove. 

Full and happy, we head to bed, looking forward to another day.