Team Rubber Chicken crossed the finish line together, all but me with a rubber chicken in their mouths (don't ask why; I couldn't tell you). Even though the riding was over, Cycle Oregon had set up the mobile showers, dining tents and a stage to provide a meal and entertainment before cyclists headed home. Years of experience have taught them how to do it right, I suppose.

But Jonathan Nicholas, Cycle Oregon's founder and board chairman, hints that changes are in the winds, saying something about less arduous routes and no (or less) camping. The implication to me is that he'd like to take the organization and ride back closer to its roots. The stated mission of Cycle Oregon is to support communities throughout the state that, because of lost industry bases (mostly timber and fishing), have fallen on hard times. Knowing that, I'd hoped to have more opportunity to be directly involved in the mission. But with 2200 riders, Cycle Oregon is larger than most of the communities through which it passes, so the hoped for direct involvement was difficult to realize. The hints about a smaller group and less strenuous route sound pretty appealing to me. Hmmmm......