A good-sized gang showed up at my place Saturday morning for french toast. We had a great time catching up, eating toast, drinking way too much coffee and even touring my newly "renovated" basement.
We headed down the hill and onto the path. Pedaling felt hard and even weird. My legs felt like they had been moth-eaten while in some forgotten storage outpost. Anthony captured the feeling, which we all shared, saying these are our "Winter Edition" selves.
Between a depressing and frightening political climate, an unusual frequency of snowmageddons here in Portland, and general laziness brought on by malaise, guts have gotten pudgy and legs gooey.
Luckily, nothing is forever, and we kept pedaling anyway. We stopped at Linneman station to find the bathroom doors locked. The too much coffee sensation started to elevate into a where's a potty feeling. Anyway, I've emailed the city of Gresham and I'm sure they'll get right on it.
A rider peeled off. The sun shone. The rain did not fall. Nor the snow. The wind did not blow. It was exquisite to feel that old sensation of hurtling forward through space and smelling nature between giant inhalations of car exhaust. I wish people would limit or stop driving, but that's a fantasy for another post.
We regrouped at the Sandy River, near the Stark Street Bridge, and split into two groups, reminiscent of when the motley crew of ring questers in the Lord of the Rings had to part ways. Onward and upward, up and around and down the hill, we regrouped again near the Troutdale bridge.
After a nice bathroom and playground stop, we crossed the Sandy River yet again, using the river valley as our own bicycle playground. We were lucky to find our way across the new bike path and onto the old secret bike path.
Marine Drive makes my legs itch so I pedaled harder. Following our theme of regrouping near bridges, we put a foot down at the 205 Bridge before heading south to Velocult, where I pretty much spent the weekend.
After sandwiches and sushi and goodbyes, some other friends descended on Velocult to remind me of our Oregon Out N Back planning meeting. In case you haven't heard of that, it's a bastardization of the Oregon Outback. We'll start in Klamath Falls the Friday before Memorial Day, head north until it's time to turn around, and finish in Klamath Falls six days later. For more information: http://rideoregonride.com/diy-adventure-oregon-outback/
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