Man Made Lake

Sauvie Island

Back in are-a-GON, Kayt and I are struggling to contain our excitment about moving. We're also struggling to stay stimulated by an environment we're both ready to leave behind. This brings us to the sticks. The boondocks. Shitsville.

Sauvie Island is 11 miles northwest of downtown Portland. The flat farm roads are perfect for cycling. It's magical really. There are beaches on the Columbia River but last time I visited there was more than a few used diapers littered on the sand. The vast uniformity of agricultural land is comforting somehow but it's not really what I would expect to like about the country. It's the antithesis, if you will, to the infinite complexity of rain forest.

In conclusion, there's definitley something appealing about the middle of fucking nowhere. But what is it exactly? I'll get back to you.

Yankton Valley bike ride

While house sitting Kayts parents' place on the outskirts of St Helens, Oregon we took a few rides through Columbia County's beautiful Yankton Valley. We suspect that greater beauty lies near the unpaved roads but with road bikes we can only speculate. The housing, however sparse, was interesting: half McMansions belonging to exurban retirees; the other half looking like Bolivian shanty towns.
The middle two photos were taken by Kayt.

Bridge Pedal

I rocked the Portland Bridge Pedal a couple weeks ago with Kayt, Kirsten and Atticus. The 24-mile, 10-bridge ride's highlight was definitley the top deck of the Fremont Bridge (which is typically closed to pedestrians and cyclists) but it was worth it just to see thousands and thousands of bicycles fuck up traffic. For the majority of the participants, this was their once-a-year bike ride. It knocked the shit out of me so I don't know how the rest of them made it through. A daily struggle I reckon.

Fin de semana excelente

I never had any intention of using this blog as a journal but my weekend was rather photogenic. I finally biked to the Columbia Gorge (after talking about doing it for years), my man Osequeda visited from Sac and I even went to a trailer party in the suburbs with Kayt's family. Simple pleasures, I'll tell you what.