I am off on this summer's bike trek ... left Portland, Oregon two days ago and have been riding in the rain for the past day and a half ... honestly, what did I expect ... sunny Arizona-esque weather? This is the fourth summer I have started riding in either Eugene or Portland ... rode in the rain for many a day each time. Memory of these rainy day rides seems to have been erased by the good weather during the remainder of the rides ... either that or I just may not be the brightest light in the marquee.
Woe-is-me aside, it feels good to be back out on the road.
Spent a day in Portland on Saturday retrieving my bike from the Amtrak station, then moving around the downtown area running a few shopping errands. I would say "traveling", but that denotes certainty in route. Never did figure out the street patterns nor the compass points of downtown. Through sheer luck, I accomplished my missions and found my way back to the streetcar which enabled me to return to my motel.
Long-time friend Bill Burk, who has lived in-and-around Portland since the early 70s, gave me a car tour of the downtown area ... including such sights as "that used to be Kelly's Bar", and other such in-the-past landmarks. Portland downtown is really quite beautiful ... I should try to spend a week just getting to know the downtown area (with map and compass in hand).
That evening, Bill and I shared dinner with my long-time nephew Sky and his girlfriend Min ... they live in L.A., but decided to visit Portland for the three-day weekend. As good as the food was (and it was very good), the conversation was even better. Great way to end an otherwise frustrating day.
Sunday I left Portland for the 62 mile ride to Lakeview, WA, then Monday I rode the 52 miles on to Astoria. Rain, rain, and more rain. Cold, cold and more cold. Lots of climbing in the late afternoon covering the final 30 miles in to Astoria. As bad as it seemed, I realize that I am blessed to be able to do these rides.
In lieu of my usual (and admittedly somewhat obnoxious) "Life is good", I will end by saying "Gears are good".
Great, Now I can get in Shape! Take care, ride carefully, see you in July
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