I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of wind when I set out this morning! I was hoping to get to Portland early enough to see some of the city and maybe meet up with my friend Jess, who I just remembered lives in Portland last night, about the same time the first warmshowers host I contacted for Portland replied that I was welcome at his house which was only 3 blocks off the route.
The day was filled with wonderful scenery, I think the Columbia River canyon just gets better the closer you get to Portland. Another bluff to climb, but the rest of the day was pretty easy. I got to go through a number of narrow tunnels, each had a button before it for cyclists to press which lit up a light warning drivers that bicycles were in the tunnels, since they had no shoulders.
As I neared Portland the traffic increased and I got into urban biking mode. The route diverts to a bike path that then goes up onto the 205 bridge, sticking cyclists and foot traffic between the two sides of traffic in the center of the bridge. About half way across I stopped and took a picture of the Oregon sign and kept on going.
On the Portland side I rode along another bike path along the river, then onto streets, most of which had bike lanes! I noticed a lot of other cyclists out and about as I passed the university and eventually found my host's house. My host, Ethan, wasn't home yet but one of his roommates, Rob, let me in and showed me around. Both Ethan and Rob were very cool people, the house had a cool style and vibe going. Ethan came home and we chatted for a bit while he watered his garden he was keeping out back. He hadn't had a car for 3+ years and biked to work, but work had moved him to a location about 20 miles away, so he was biking 40 miles/day and while it was ok during the summer, he was dreading winter. He told me I was welcome to spend an extra day to two there if I wanted to check out the city, which would be fun, but I'm so close to the pacific coast, I think I'll just keep going.
I had been trading texts with Jess throughout the day and we had decided to meet downtown at the Rouge Ale Distillery downtown, about 7 miles away. I asked both Rob and Ethan if they would like to come out with me but they were busy, so I unloaded the bike and enjoyed the unladen speed as I biked downtown. I arrived a little after 8pm and Jess showed up not soon after. It had been a couple years since last time we saw each other, so we caught up over some beers and dinner. Before I knew it, it was 11:30pm and we both needed to get going.
I was still a little buzzed as it seems alcohol hits me harder on this trip than normal. I had an interesting time riding back to Ethan's, the roads were pretty empty and I enjoyed a night ride under the streetlights.
When I got back to the house, the back door was left unlocked for me, and I walked in to a quiet house, everyone was already asleep, so I got ready for bed and passed out in the extra room!
Start:
West Roosevelt, WA
End: Portland, OR
Distance: 96.29 miles
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