Around Town
Last Saturday, September 27th, Greg and I went on a ride around town. We had planned for weeks. Because we were going to be gone most of the day, we made arrangements for both grandfathers to take 2 and 3 children so they wouldn't be home alone for so long. We left about 6:00AM with lights. Unfortunately we were going to miss shopping at Farmer's Market, but it was a treat to see the venders unloading their trucks, talking, laughing, preparing for the morning under lights of their own. I was apprehensive about the first part of the 
trip; not because it was dark, but I knew there would be a lot of hills in the beginning and I don't like the warming up stage. Riding while the sky lightened with the rising sun was calming and encouraged me to endure the stage with patience. It is about 8 miles to the zoo (mostly up) and then we rode through Washington Park as the first rays of sun streaked through the trees. Coming in to downtown we rode by the Old Church
and then to the Waterfront. It was a beautiful morning and the day and time made for light traffic. After riding along the water we crossed the Steele Bridge and began a trek north. We saw a bike light at a traffic stop. I don't mean a light that goes on a bike, but a traffic light in the shape of a bike telling us it was our turn to cross as our lane went from one corner of the intersection to the other. We felt so special. We had been hoping for a coffee shop, but hadn't planned exactly where we would be or what shops might be there. Greg decided to go down Killingsworth hoping to find something and find something we did. About 30th we passed a sign reading Extracto Coffeehouse.
It was authentic and delicious. After that wonderful break we headed north again until we met up with the Columbia River and took a path that leads along it to the east. The sun hadn't been up long and the clouds rolled in and we were cold for a while, but nearing the river it warmed up surprisingly and we were comfortable. We did have to pull over to let a dump truck pass, but other than that it was probably my favorite part of the ride. At 148th we headed south again, cut over on Glissan to 122nd and a stop 
at Safeway for some juice and bananas. Continuing on 122nd we ran into the Springwater Corridor Trail after about 2 1/2 miles; about this time the sun came out and it was summer again. (As we began our journey we decided to count how many people we saw riding bikes. It was at this point in the journey when we reached 130 and stopped counting.) We headed toward Sellwood where we met up with the Willamette River and then north along the water until we again crossed the Steele Bridge and headed back the way we came, stopping once along the waterfront to enjoy the sun and take a break. (Counting bike riders in this area would have been a larger task than we could have accomplished, they were everywhere.) Actually, not exactly the way we came. We rode through the Portland Farmer's Market; what a test of patience that was! There were an unbelievable number of people and trying the walk through with a bike... We certainly didn't stop to look at or buy anything. We decided to ride back along Barber as the hills are lower, 
stopping at Fred Meyer for a candy bar for Greg; he needed it badly. Then we turned toward Multnomah Village and stopped for a slice or two of amazing pizza at the Lucky Lab. Greg was feeling great after getting some food, but my body was way done riding. Thankfully the path home was fairly level and relatively short and we reached the end of our journey, 65 miles, at about 3:00PM. A hot bath and quiet nap restored me quite well, but some arnica on my sore muscles before bed and a great night's sleep and I felt brand new. (I must confess that the next day Greg drove me to the stores to do all my grocery shopping.) I am looking forward to our next mega loop.
Last Saturday, September 27th, Greg and I went on a ride around town. We had planned for weeks. Because we were going to be gone most of the day, we made arrangements for both grandfathers to take 2 and 3 children so they wouldn't be home alone for so long. We left about 6:00AM with lights. Unfortunately we were going to miss shopping at Farmer's Market, but it was a treat to see the venders unloading their trucks, talking, laughing, preparing for the morning under lights of their own. I was apprehensive about the first part of the 
trip; not because it was dark, but I knew there would be a lot of hills in the beginning and I don't like the warming up stage. Riding while the sky lightened with the rising sun was calming and encouraged me to endure the stage with patience. It is about 8 miles to the zoo (mostly up) and then we rode through Washington Park as the first rays of sun streaked through the trees. Coming in to downtown we rode by the Old Church
and then to the Waterfront. It was a beautiful morning and the day and time made for light traffic. After riding along the water we crossed the Steele Bridge and began a trek north. We saw a bike light at a traffic stop. I don't mean a light that goes on a bike, but a traffic light in the shape of a bike telling us it was our turn to cross as our lane went from one corner of the intersection to the other. We felt so special. We had been hoping for a coffee shop, but hadn't planned exactly where we would be or what shops might be there. Greg decided to go down Killingsworth hoping to find something and find something we did. About 30th we passed a sign reading Extracto Coffeehouse.
It was authentic and delicious. After that wonderful break we headed north again until we met up with the Columbia River and took a path that leads along it to the east. The sun hadn't been up long and the clouds rolled in and we were cold for a while, but nearing the river it warmed up surprisingly and we were comfortable. We did have to pull over to let a dump truck pass, but other than that it was probably my favorite part of the ride. At 148th we headed south again, cut over on Glissan to 122nd and a stop 
at Safeway for some juice and bananas. Continuing on 122nd we ran into the Springwater Corridor Trail after about 2 1/2 miles; about this time the sun came out and it was summer again. (As we began our journey we decided to count how many people we saw riding bikes. It was at this point in the journey when we reached 130 and stopped counting.) We headed toward Sellwood where we met up with the Willamette River and then north along the water until we again crossed the Steele Bridge and headed back the way we came, stopping once along the waterfront to enjoy the sun and take a break. (Counting bike riders in this area would have been a larger task than we could have accomplished, they were everywhere.) Actually, not exactly the way we came. We rode through the Portland Farmer's Market; what a test of patience that was! There were an unbelievable number of people and trying the walk through with a bike... We certainly didn't stop to look at or buy anything. We decided to ride back along Barber as the hills are lower, 
stopping at Fred Meyer for a candy bar for Greg; he needed it badly. Then we turned toward Multnomah Village and stopped for a slice or two of amazing pizza at the Lucky Lab. Greg was feeling great after getting some food, but my body was way done riding. Thankfully the path home was fairly level and relatively short and we reached the end of our journey, 65 miles, at about 3:00PM. A hot bath and quiet nap restored me quite well, but some arnica on my sore muscles before bed and a great night's sleep and I felt brand new. (I must confess that the next day Greg drove me to the stores to do all my grocery shopping.) I am looking forward to our next mega loop.
3 comments:
What an awesome day and great idea! Maybe, just maybe, someday I could get Rachel to work up to something like this! I like all the food stops the most :-)
How inspiring! We have kids but never seem to take a day and go riding, just the two of us... Great that you did it! How fun!
PeggyD.
momonbikemob.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for your comments. It was a lot of fun, but I never would have done it if Greg hadn't planned it. I like to have every inch planned, but he can just meander and have a great time. So, I follow him. It is hard for me to be away from the children all day, but they all had a great time with the grandpas. Thanks for following my blog!
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