I’m leaving Eugene today, biking through Veneta, Oregon, when I see a sign for a good place to have lunch, a restaurant called “Our Daily Bread.” The sign on the highway had an image reminiscent of an arched window, so I figured it was probably in an old church.
And it was. On top of a hill was an old church where a lot of older people were lunching. It was charming:
I had a great conversation with the waiter. Apparently the church is about 100 years old, but not native to Veneta. It was brought down from Corvalis about 40 years ago by a Pentecostal congregation. But the Pentecostals didn’t stay, and the church closed, just like so many are these days. So, 15 years ago, it became a bakery with great bread.
Here’s the inside, still covered in religious memorabilia:
It hasn’t been the nicest day. It rained half the time I biked. But the scenery was amazing. The trees were dark, dense, and misty, rising high on either side of me. It was quiet, romantic, and there were long shadows everywhere on the road. I thought I was in the land of dreams.
Especially for a biker. Oregon has got the be the most biker-friendly state I have ever seen. I came across a tunnel today on the highway, with narrow lanes and seemingly no way to pass through safely. This is normally a nightmare for a bicyclist born in Pennsylvania, the land of impossibly long overhill bypasses to short tunnels. But here, it’s no problem. There’s a button to push that causes lights to flash and signs to warn, “Bicycle in Tunnel: 30 mph Speed Limit.”
I love Oregon.
Anyhow, it’s election day. I stopped in a small diner in a smaller town, where I watched it on Fox News. If that didn’t belie the leanings of the proprietor, this certainly did: When it seemed like Barack Obama was inevitable to win, he changed his front sign to read, “God Help Us.”
Not that I agree, but I’ll leave it at that.
