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- <p>The first half of this day had easily the worst conditions of the trip. Having left beautiful
- Corvallis, there was a lengthy stretch through the Willamette Valley before I would come to another town with
- any services. And there was a gnarly headwind, making things tough.</p>
- <p>The thing about headwinds is that they sap your energy, both physical and mental. And there is no reward
- for the difficulty. At least when struggling to go uphill, there might be a nice view and breezy downhill
- descent. With a headwind, there's no reward for the suffering. You just get to work extra hard to go extra
- slow.</p>
- <p>So if that wasn't enough, my allergies kicked in with full force and no warning. Suddenly I'm pushing against
- this headwind and</p>
- <blockquote>My eyes were so dry and also shedding endless tears. My nose was unbearably stuffed and also
- running. And of course I didn't have kleenex or anything, so I had to <b>[redacted due to graphic and
- unpleasant description]</b>.
- </blockquote>
- <p>I would have died for some antihistamines. My nose has never been so raw and sore. But the next pharmacy
- wasn't going to be for another 20 miles--20 miles of futile pedaling against stiff and unrelenting winds.
- I stopped at several houses (really more like farm houses out here) asking for something ... anything! but no
- luck.</p>
- <p>The worst part was the sneezing fits. I was sneezing uncontrollably over and over and over
- while trying to ride a bicycle. I would sneeze, the bike would swerve and just as I'd correct course, another
- sneeze was throwing me askew again. This was one of a handful of situations that I'd like to be able to watch
- on a video. It was so silly! Panting and mouth breathing through the Oregon countryside, sneezing so hard I
- almost fell off my bike!</p>
- <p>But it did nothing to diminish my spirits. I did eventually find a pharmacy, stumbling in looking like I've
- got the consumption. From my journal:</p>
- <blockquote>Looking back, it wasn't <u>that</u> bad. That's been a pattern. I'll be miserable and suffering,
- but in hindsight, the experience mellows out.</blockquote>
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