Biking
Since this is primarily a bicycle blog, I should probably write about some of the rides I’ve done recently. They are all rides I can do from/to my house, of course, so in that sense they’re a little limited, but they are definitely better than nothing. Plus, we’ve been blessed with some amazingly nice spring weather for a week or so now.
I’ve ridden into Tigard and on the Fanno Creek Trail a few times. It’s a fun ride, and a great workout because it requires a lot of climbing especially on the way home. It doesn’t require a mountain bike, but I usually take my mountain bike anyway so that if I need to I can “social distance” off the paved trail. At first, people on the trail weren’t getting the whole social distance thing…I think they mistakenly assumed it was an indoor-only practice. And there were no masks. That has changed…I’d say about half the people outdoors are wearing masks now, and everyone is social distancing conscientiously.
Another ride I do is basically to Downtown Portland via SW Terwilliger and Barbur Blvd. It’s a fine ride, and Barbur has a decent bike lane, but save for a couple of quick glances down to the river and Ross Island, it isn’t very scenic. And there is still quite a lot of car traffic on Barbur. Also, I’ve ridden downtown so many times the novelty of the route has really worn off. Finally, there are many more people downtown and on the river trails, so social distancing becomes a challenge. This is is also true if you take Terwilliger all the way into town, as Terwilliger is an extremely popular running/walking route due to its wooded setting and relatively light car traffic. I’ve decided I’m going to limit the number of rides on this route in the near future, and to avoid entirely Willamette Greenway, Esplanade, and Springwater Corridor.
The one remaining cardinal direction I can ride is south, which takes me into Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Oregon City. I did this ride many times in the past, but I’ve only done it once since COVID-19. I happened to choose the first sunny day in quite a while (and a Saturday, not that that really matters much now) to do this ride, so most of the side streets were choked with walkers and runners, not to mention the extra motorists who seemed to be joyriding as simply something to do. In the near future I’ll probably pick rainy, cold, or otherwise unpopular days to do this route. It’s a scenic route, a great workout and there are lots of good bicycle areas…it just wears on me to be dodging people 100% of the time.
Today is Easter Sunday, and yesterday we colored eggs, which we ate this morning as deviled eggs. It was a nice distraction but it still doesn’t feel like Easter. The world is alive with animals, flowers, trees (and tree pollen in great yellow clouds), etc., which I love, but a holiday doesn’t feel any different from other days. Before, a holiday was a great time for everything to slow down, for people to catch their breath, and to talk/be with friends and family. Nowadays, that’s kind of happening every single day, with the one difference that “being” with friends/family has to be via network…it’s not necessarily bad, but it’s a change. I can’t help but wonder if Memorial Day, the 4th of July (and Labor Day?? God forbid!) will feel the same way.
Bike Newbie 