I slept about as well as can be expected in a full hotel on a Saturday night next to a highway. Took a bit to go to sleep but I managed to sleep in till a little after 6. I took my time eating breakfast and got off at the normal human person hour of 8 o clock. So normal a time that an actual coffee company enshrined it in its name. I decided since I had so much flat pavement and a tailwind in store for the day I could afford to at least swing by downtown. I rode a bike path and a few streets but I didn't go far until I had to cross back over the river to get back to the path south. I rode by the morning stirrings of workers at the annual county fair, probably tired from the previous night. The path ran right beside an already busy I-5. My first climb of the day was extremely steep gravel. 14% most of the climb. But it was pretty short. I approached the crest and saw a Chevy Lumina from the mid nineties parked at the top. Suddenly a man emerged and began pushing it down the hill. At length he finally noticed me and I asked if he was ok. He replied he just needed to get to the bottom. The man was shirtless and the door panel had nothing but bare steel adorning it, and it didn't even have a door handle. I asked if he had brakes, he replied in the affirmative, and hopped inside as he grabbed a strap tied to the door and pulled it shut, and rolled down the hill slowly. I gave him ample head start before I rolled down as well. Slowly too as it turned out, there was bad washboard and it was just as steep, narrow and twisty as the other side. After only a half mile or so, I realized I was basically right beside I-5 the whole time, and descended right next to its impressive concrete wall, the highway itself was a good 100 feet above at one point. The little valley I descended into was irrigated pasture with what must have been 500 cows chowing down. The green of the pasture contrasted drastically with the dry crackly brown of the surrounding hillsides. As I rode on through the valley of the South Umpqua river beside the railroad and interstate, changing places with them a couple of times as I threaded my way south. I rode on past several sawmills, and several small towns. I had the luxury of a store every few miles, although I didn't really need anything. After being in civilization for awhile on my second and much longer fire reroute I was ready to head back to the woods. After passing a gigantic plywood mill and warehouse I finally climbed away from the river up Cow Creek into BLM land on a smooth paved, quiet road. I am pleased to report that I didn't see a single cow the entire time I was in the cow creek drainage. I did see several deer. I had a strong tailwind and it was so gradual that it took 20 miles to climb 400 feet. The temperature was lovely despite warnings from my Garmin about an excessive heat watch. I stopped at the creek after finally crossing the railroad but before the big climb, for a little lunch. Refreshed I began the long and steep climb up into the mountains again. The forest was dense, but not tall enough for complete shade, and the road was very smooth oil treated and packed pea gravel, essentially like asphalt. After cresting the climb the terrain undulated gently and I had a miriad of options, a vast web of roads running in seemingly all directions. There were actually signs, and one that actually had an arrow with the word Coast on it. That would be for me! One of these had flagging tape and a TAT sticker on it, alongside an Absolute Bikes sticker(Bike shop in Salida, CO). In a little while I turned onto gravel again and was treated to one of the most special rides I have ever experienced. A patch of old growth forest. Nearly every tree was 4-5 feet in diameter and they were just so dense it didn't seem possible. It was shaded to the point of being dark, in the middle of the day. The gravel road had a carpet of needles covering the rocks. This is the Oregon I had dreamed of and actually experiencing it was better than it ever was in my mind. After a longish descent I found a creek and filtered water since I was getting low. I climbed a short hill and descended down into National Forest, and Eden Valley. I stopped at the campground, empty, primitive, and free. I looked at the board and the other two campgrounds further down I was showing on another map I had weren't on the board and I was tir in ed so I decided to call it a day. It is one of the best campsites I've ever had. Only thing that would make it better is if the creek were rushing beside me. Big gigantic trees casting dark shade, and very quiet all around. Only the sound of the birds and the wind through the treetops.