After my ride on the STP, I stayed it Portland for a few days.
Here's my post about the STP. Unlike last time, however, I didn't have my bike shipped back to Seattle on the truck and had it with me the whole time. Similarly to my STP post, this'll mostly be tweets and photos. You'll find even more photos from last year's album, too.
More after the break…
Sunday, 13 July
The only riding I did this day was from the finish line to my motel.
The motel was listed on a hostel website, and the hostel from last time didn't have any available rooms when I was booking. This hampered me a bit, as motels don't have kitchens. I'll have to book earlier next year!
Accidentally reserved a four-person room for myself. Whoops! (@ Banfield Value Inn) http://t.co/ZtocprUHRO
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
A two-person room would've actually cost more, oddly enough.
.@CascadeBicycle It's raining in Portland.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
@ZappoMan You'll like the rain in Portland.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
@meganddubs The rain feels good after the burning #bikestp finish.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
I could swear that I smelled cannabis growing in Lewis and Cowlitz counties.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
I think the 'real' training from my rides has been the high-speed spinning brought on by caffeine. I can do it for hours now!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
I went with my aunt for dinner at a Cuban place, followed by browsing through a few shops and a trip to the grocery store where I got some food. I didn't have any plates or utensils at home, so I had to make due with the stuff Whole Foods has for eating stuff, and handsoap for washing the utensils for the night.
Here with my aunt. (at @PambichePdx) http://t.co/9mPJYxyaEE
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
(The photo is from 14 July, but it's the same place.)
Thunder and lightning.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
I'm at Whole Foods Market (Portland, OR) http://t.co/9A3y4ZNOxf
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
@brianwisti You aren't the only one, no.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 13, 2014
So excited that we finished another #BikeSTP pic.twitter.com/kkx8c59tGr
— Nancy Lane (@petepenguin10) July 13, 2014
I saw some of these on #bikestp. http://t.co/9yHyg2J0l2
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
Look at all the police reports. pic.twitter.com/xob3QpgHBX
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
Monday, 14 July
I can hear MAX trains going by.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I rode around Portland throughout the day, seeing sights and stopping for food and water periodically.
It seems like replacing lawns with vegetable gardens is pretty popular in some areas of Portland.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
The bicycle-centric streets in Portland seem to have some of the worst pavement.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I'm at Caffè Umbria (Portland, OR) http://t.co/8nq0nRvHQl
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I'm at Fred Meyer (Portland, OR) http://t.co/smQTvtDbwV
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I got some camping utensils and dish soap here.
OR 99W isn't half bad.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
There's a cool cluster of small, old buildings here. (@ Multnomah Neighborhood) http://t.co/mwNdXBrTio
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
Those who think Seattle is hilly have never been to Portland.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
Using my GPS to scan the roads in the area, I found a route back to Portland via Lake Oswego.
Lake Oswego is like western West Seattle: lots of tight turns and steep hills; a safety hazard.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
The road I was on was closed for construction, but signs said that cyclists and pedestrians were allowed.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
The Sellwood Bridge construction mess was a bit scary.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I'm at Sellwood Park (Portland, OR) https://t.co/meT7xaCPoU
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I saw the closed Oaks Amusement Park and the full view of the Sellwood Bridge replacement.
The Springwater Corridor is pretty cool.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
To parallel the Willamette back to Portland, I took the Springwater Corridor. At the northern end, I saw the Tilikum Crossing under construction.
While there, I chatted with another guy who talked about how he tours a lot of the Fuji bicycle he was riding.
I also saw the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, but it was closed.
I'm disappointed because it's not open at all today. (@ Oregon Rail Heritage Center) https://t.co/26sFKVDgTT
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
From there, I continued northeast.
I stopped at a tea shop where I learned a lot about Dragon Boats in the US.
I'm at Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants - @thejasminepearl (Portland, OR) https://t.co/SBIEKv1YQw
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
Just learned about this. http://t.co/4tfyiryZOJ
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I wish I had friends in Portland.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
(In response to that tweet, my mother contacted me later the same day and told me to get into contact with a family friend.)
I stopped by the Rose City Food Park for dinner since the folks at the tea shop advised it.
Food please. (@ Rose City Food Park) https://t.co/PzypT0Ke7N
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
The drivers here are nicer to cyclists than the drivers in Seattle are.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
@BikePortland What are some good day tour routes around Portland? I'm hanging around now after the STP earlier.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
Needed some air. And look at that, automatic doors! (@ Bike Gallery - Hollywood) https://t.co/QZUuXSUmNW
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
I saw a guy with a Gunnar bike earlier today. #waterford #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
"Gunnar" is the lower-range set of frames from Waterford. I've been contemplating getting a Waterford for quite some time, but it'd be quite an investment and I'd be out a touring bike for some time while the other components are moved over.
I headed straight back to the motel after I was done at the shop.
@MAndersson1968 I prefer the topography of Portland and its suburbs over that of Seattle and its suburbs.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
@MAndersson1968 I climbed it earlier today and it really wasn't too bad.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
@MAndersson1968 Maybe if Seattle had fewer obstructive waterways I'd like it more.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 14, 2014
In all, I got 48.04 miles in.
Tuesday, 15 July
The ride today was from my motel to southwest Portland to visit someone.
Seattle Sets Ride-Service Companies Free http://t.co/zNK97gIze5
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
Going to visit some family friends later, so had to pick up something for them. (@ Pazzoria Bakery & Café) https://t.co/aLK72dwyFU
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
Killing time since I left too early. (@ Starbucks) https://t.co/WUgLn1l36m
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
I tried to talk to a homeless guy who had a bike about bikes, but he was just using it as a push cart and wasn't interested.
I ended up riding around a bit to try to find a park, but was unable to find it…because I overshot it.
I'm at Driftwood Coffee (Portland, OR) https://t.co/CP424osTD9
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
While at the coffee shop, I chatted with a local cyclist about some things. He told me to go to Southwest Bicycle, but it wouldn't have been open for a while by the time I got there, and I had somewhere to go sooner than that.
I thought there was a park out here, but it's actually a private school.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
Wow, it really IS hilly out here.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
After fighting the steep hills there, I hung out at their house for a few hours.
My host over in southwest Portland had lots of the drink called mate.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
I then zipped down the hill to Portland, then went back to the motel.
Seattle could really learn from the light timing in downtown Portland.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
That was fun.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 15, 2014
I'm pretty sure I trust my touring bike more than I trust most people.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
And this day ended up being 30.26 miles.
Wednesday, 16 July
I first rode to the train station with all of my luggage on the bike.
On my last day, I just packed up and headed to the train station.
Good morning and farewell, Portland. (@ Union Station @Amtrak (PDX)) https://t.co/QrlbtHyRr4
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
Why does America always seem fatter when I travel?
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
It'll be nice to not travel by motor vehicle for a while after this.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
I chatted with a lady behind me for the last hour or so. I also read a bit of 1Q84.
I'm at King Street Station (SEA) - @amtrak (Seattle, WA) https://t.co/AdfZq9gSyj
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
A crowd of people waiting for bikes to be unloaded.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
Of course, I rode from the train station home.
My cats missed me.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
Epilog
Something of note was how there seemed to be few 'racing' cyclists during commute hours in Portland than in Seattle.
Got some groceries done earlier so I can finally relax now. pic.twitter.com/nLS0YZz8AZ
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 16, 2014
My snap peas have been producing very well despite the hot weather. pic.twitter.com/zx6b1VplHY
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 17, 2014
I also learned that zucchini has separate male and female blossoms.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 17, 2014
And as it turned out, I ended up sick for a few days starting the following day.
I'm almost certain that I've come down with a light cold.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 17, 2014
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