Friday seemed like a good day to take the bus & my bike into Portland to explore a bit so I caught a bus to downtown. It took a little over an hour to travel about 16 miles due to traffic. I was glad for a bike rack on the front and a friendly passenger sitting near me. This passenger was sure to tell me numerous times that I wasn't going to like the Portland area & to give NO thought to moving up here once she learned I'm from California. As I got off, I thanked the bus driver for being a good driver & for being so friendly and helpful to her passengers.
After getting let off downtown, I may have wandered into the Apple store. Since I wasn't purchasing a new iPhone, I could pass by the 50-60 people who were lined up hoping to spend some good money. Since it was near lunch time, I texted Troy to see where he'd suggest I go. He made an eating, a coffee, an ice cream, & a donut suggestion. I figured three out of four would work just fine.
I rode over to the Willamette River, rode down river until I
had to turn back towards the city & lunch. The meal was tasty as Troy had
promised. The coffee, located on the same street, was also excellent. What do
you think was my third stop before returning to near the bus stop? I went back
towards Pioneer square and got to talking with a woman who also was riding an
electric bike. When her husband returned they both suggested that I just cycle
back to Oregon City and proceeded to give me directions. Since I had a GPS and
iPhone with me, I figured I could probably manage the turns. I did but some of
it was just guessing when the GPS & iPhone gave conflicting directions. I
came to a sketchy section of town with some scruffy looking people so I took a
short detour. Basically I just kept near the river, headed south. I took about
the same amount of time as taking the bus but it was more interesting as I
followed bike paths & some neat neighborhoods.
I returned safe & sound after riding 14-15 miles,
hitched up my Honda and set out for Boring. The McMurray’s (former Sonora
pastor for 20 years) had invited me to stay on their property but when I
arrived, the trees surrounding their property were so thick that I stopped
& texted Betty a couple of times. I reminded her I was towing a car &
would I have room to turn around, would I fit through the gate, was I at the
right place, etc. She assured me that all would be well. I crept in to find
room to park 40 motor homes & to discover that they owned one larger than
mine. They have power, water & sewer which made parking there a great
option. They were most hospitable and put me to work helping Betty finish canning
some home grown pears. House sitting their 4-5 dogs & 5 chickens when
they’re gone is Jeanette Esquer, a former student.
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| Nothing like a good river to make California boy happy. |
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