Man Made Lake

Postcard from Portland

I was surprised to find Portland even more bicycle friendly than when I left three years ago. But it was the summer weather and the culture of frugality that really had me longing.

Cycling in Kyoto

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.