Portland was just great! A bicycle friendly, progressive city doing a lot of the right things to make their city more livable for everyone.
Again I met the people I needed to meet to help create a movement for change and a Ride for the Planet Day; Janelle Sorenson on Al Gore's climate change team and with 350.org, John Brown, Department of Peace, Carl Larson, Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Aaron Tarfman bicycle organization Shift.
Jefferson Kincaid met me crossing the St. Johns Bridge coming into town with a video camera mounted on the back of his bicycle. He was making a video documentary of my time in Portland.
I also met Satya briefly, living simply off the grid collecting food that would otherwise get tossed, giving it away to those in need. Doing good works and good things, an example for all.
I left Portland and Donna Richards home on Sunday, 1/17/10. Donna was my gracious host. Her small dog Toto never did get over having me in the house. He left dogma to show his displeasure. Makes one humble in the face of it.
At Tiny's coffee house on MLK Boulevard I briefly joined a group doing a once a year bicycle tour of the palm trees and other flora in the city. It was a Palm Sunday of sorts.
Aaron Tarfman joined me later and guided me out of the city just after noon. We stopped for a photo op at the Peace Memorial along the Willamette River. It must be stunning in the summer with an array of flowers in bloom. One segment of the trail floats on the river alongside a busy overhead freeway. Remarkable! In another place Aaron pointed out a traffic signal for bicyclists, with a bicycle symbol red light to keep turning traffic from hitting cyclists. It shows what is possible when the money and will is there.
I set up camp in the rain south of Oregon City after Aaron left in the fading light. He returned to Oregon City and caught the bus home. He left me with a set of maps to Eugene which he had stayed up late to graciously copy for me the evening before.
I presume he took the only municipal elevator with operator still running to the lower city. as we had on the outbound leg. Vertical detours are allowed. It is 90 feet lower than the adjacent hill. It was built in 1954.
A big thank you to Aaron for all his help showing me Portland and getting me safely out of the big city, mostly on bike trails.
A weather front passed in the night with rain and high winds. The rain fell and the tent shook but the stakes held. By morning it had passed. The rain ended, the sun was out.
I was greeted by the boss dog of the horse ranch where I camped, an amiable golden retriever that stayed while I packed up to leave in the morning. He made sure a less friendly dog didn't get in my way when I left.
Lauren had given me permission to stay there the evening before. The other places nearby were mud holes.
Monday got me by Canby and Champoeg. Bob gave me directions to get back on the WIllamette Valley Scenic Bikeway Trail (WV). I missed a turn passing Champoeg.
On my way out of Fred Meyers after grocery shopping I met Doug Parrow. This gets interesting. I saw him try to leave the store as I was getting ready to leave. The alarm went off when he tried to leave with a package. Something to do with the code not being deactivated after he paid for it. He returned to the cash register.
On his way out I asked him if he knew how to get to a park near the store. Turns out after some conversation that he is a Board Member for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and was involved in planning of the WV trail. There are no coincidences. Doug said he didn't think you could camp in the place I was looking at. I told him what I was doing. In that time he thought of a better place I could try six miles south, the Minto-Brown Isle Park where he thought I could find a place off their trail system.
It was on the WV trail. I went there and found a great spot in a dense copse of pine trees. It was hidden from view. It was out of the wind which again raged in the night along with rain. In the morning the birds were singing in the blackberry bushes, geese were flying, calling. The rain stayed away most of the day.
One of my best camp sites with old "friends." A jug of water from White Oak Construction on the way in got me through the evening "banquet" and into the oatmeal gruel of the new day.
So much for brevity!
A fifty mile plus day followed, winding through scenic byways. I passed the huge Brayman farm of blueberries and filberts. The Ankeny vineyard where I stopped briefly was closed to wine tasting, alas. Just beyond was the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, a wintering pasture for waterfowl. A huge flock of geese took to the air, swirling, landing in another place while I watched.
It feels at times like traveling through an alien land. Where are all the people? A few walk the roads but most travel at high speed in colored boxes on wheels. Where are they going and what are they all doing rushing to and fro I wondered? A few walk but most seem to ride. They live in square boxes each separate from one another. It must be very lonely living this way apart from community. Some of these boxes are quite elaborate, huge in fact. How can so few people use so many precious resources to meet their own needs when so many others do not have their needs met across the planet?
Late in the day I stopped for water at a home close to the road that had a Realty sign in the window. And that's how I met Margaret and Dan Hershberger. It's also why I'm on the computer this morning which they graciously let me use. After I left their place with water, Margaret tracked me down and invited me to stay with them for the night.
It is wonderful to be cared and provided for.
Margaret works in a nearby nursery and Bob runs their realty business. He worked on the Alaska pipeline in the '70's. Margaret introduced me to their three horses behind the house, animals old or rescued in need of TLC.
She understands all things are connected and we are One. It is good to hear that from others on my travels. People are waking up all over.
She left early after fixing me breakfast and Dan is just up.
Kindness is power. And I have to get going and use leg power to reach Eugene, 45 miles down the road on the WV trail..
Peace Rider
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