No alarm clocks were needed this morning, as it was a gentle sunrise that awakened us in our cozy tents in agrestal Maryhill State Park. Just like Thoreau finding his own path through nature, we climbed the crudely paved hills and country roads on our way to our first rest stop: McDonald's. From there we biked onward to Oregon, seeing Mount Hood and Mount Adams in the distance. Along our "Oregon trail," we met several other touring cyclists who wished us well on our way. Because we had many tough climbs today, their words of encouragement were invaluable. At long last, the pertinacious team arrived in Cascade Locks, OR, our home for the night. We made ourselves comfortable at the local high school and became acquainted with the local ice cream drive-in across the street. We will rest easy tonight knowing the excitement of Portland awaits us within just a day. It's hard to believe that the accomplishment of San Francisco will arrive within the fortnight.A huge thank you to Cascade Locks School for opening their doors, washers, dryers, showers, and computers to us. We could not be more appreciative! Also thanks to East Wind Drive-In across the street. Your flavor blasts to your ice cream cones were delish!Happy trails,The Illini 4000Fun fact: Oregon is the only state to have an official state nut. That nut is the hazelnut. The more you know, I4K style.