We quickly found out, thanks in part to a friend we’d just met on the boat, that flooding was occurring in Central Vietnam and the trains could no longer get through. The monsoon season had been especially horrendous, and though the flooding of Bangkok made the headlines, nearly everyone in SE Asia was dealing with high water levels.

So rather than kicking back in front of a computer screen, we spent most of the evening running back and forth from the travel agency and the train station, only to find out… that the trains were indeed running to Hoi An.

But I have to say, although attempting to make last minute transportation changes when you don’t speak a word of Vietnamese is a huge hassle (probably the largest hassle we ran into on the trip), I am so thankful that we still had the opportunity to travel by train. My ears weren’t up to a flight, and the train was a great way to see the countryside.

Haggard and dead tired, we boarded our train close to midnight. We booked a sleeper car, so Grace and I grabbed a bunk and fell straight to sleep. Though I awoke with every stop we made that night, it was actually a very peaceful way to sleep. The jostling of the cars and the squeak of the wheels were very meditative, and we woke to lush, tropical landscapes. Emerald green mountains rising out of the jungle, sea cliffs being carved by waves, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em villages.

Much of which was under water. The trains still ran, but we’d often slow to a crawl in order to get through the hard hit areas. And water had risen just below the tracks during much of our journey.

But the longer journey was great to chill out and read, as well as take in the environment. Grace and I shared our sleeper car with Vu, a “grandfather” who seemingly knew everyone on the train. Several mothers brought their children to him to watch throughout the morning so they could have a moment to themselves, and he cajoled a young college student to come and talk with us.

Houng was at university studying to become a primary teacher and learning English. Vu threw her to the wolves, and had her talk with Grace and I about life. We ended up teaching each other songs. We taught her “On Top of Spaghetti” so she could teach her young pupils silly American campfire songs. She taught us a traditional Vietnamese song, that I can’t for the life of me remember. But the experience was enjoyable, and I know Grace left a huge impression on Houng.

So roughly 14 hours later, we departed our train in Da Nang, only a 30-minute taxi ride from Hoi An, our desired destination. We shared a cab with Tracy and Al, a couple from the train that we got to spend some time with in Hoi An (and who have talked us into making a future New Zealand trip), and chose a nice little hotel downtown with a balcony over looking the street (and, most importantly, had air conditioning!)

Apparently, we brought the sun. Visitors we first met in the hotel lobby complained of the deluge the city had received, with ankle-deep water running down the streets, but except for our first walk down to the river that was met with flooded streets, we had clear skies.

Hoi An is quite the tour attraction. There are many cultural highlights, amazing food (some of the best we had along our journey), traditional markets along the waterfront, and hundreds of stores – offering souvenirs, art, handcraft, and clothes.

Over 500 tailors set up shop in Hoi An to make you any type of clothing you want. We came up with our bags full of goodies, including some art that hangs above our mantel – and each glimpse of it brings memories of the trip crashing back.

But the historic sites of ancient Hoi An were sensory overload, and we kept going back for more. We visited assembly halls, old homes, museums, and communal houses that were packed with sights. Mosaic statues guarding the court yards, prayer coils sending blessings to the heavens, altars packed with gifts, and mural after mural after mural of symbols and history accompanying every wall around every corner. I couldn’t snap enough photos.

Just the cobblestone streets of Hoi An, with vibrant architecture and narrow alleyways jetting off in all different directions, was a wonder to behold.

And as if the sights weren’t enough, Grace and I took a cooking class to learn how to make the amazing Vietnamese foods we’d been eating. Led by the amazing Nga, head cook at Voulez Vous, we learned the art of making pho, green papaya salad, and fish wrapped in banana leaf. It was quite the treat.

And if all that weren’t enough, the highlight of Hoi An was a bike tour that took us off the beaten path. Grace and I rented bikes for a couple of hours ($1/day) and we went the opposite direction of the tailor shops and restaurants, into the heart of where people from Hoi An lived. The more narrow the street, the more likely we were to go down it, and it was a smile with each mile as we got “lost” in the different neighborhoods.

It was a treat, and it made for happy travelers.

It didn’t hurt, either, that along the journey I was reading the Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin, in which dragons play a major role. It was actually pretty fun to have the entire trip be embellished by Martin’s novels – his tales are rich with colors, banners, and sigils that were represented everywhere in Vietnam. I sort of half lived in Vietnam, and half lived in his books.

Traveling three hours east of Hanoi, we arrived in Halong City and boarded a traditional Vietnamese junk for a three day, two night tour of Halong Bay. Words can’t described how ethereal the bay is – emerald waters… giant, jungle topped islands… ancient boats… it was a different world.

I have this great series of photos of Grace as we first walked up to the top deck of the junk where she is just awestruck (and happy!) I know I had the same look(s) on my face.

The boat was beautiful. We took our meals in a large dining room which we shared with eight other couples (Australians and New Zealanders), and we spent most of our time on the top deck, just lounging about, reading, and taking in the sites.

And we had an amazing room, with huge windows to take in the sights of the sea and rock formations. It was great to wake to the sun rising up out of the Pacific Ocean.

Off the boat, we got to explore the bay and travel to island caves by kayak. Our main boat pulled into a small sheltered “lagoon” between the karsts that served as protection for some floating homes, that had kayaks available for us. It was my first time on a sea kayak, and after about 5 minutes of wondering if maybe Grace and I had found an activity that we weren‘t compatible at, we found our rhythm and quickly skirted around the islands. It’s a brutal activity, though, and I slept well that night with a soar upper body.

One of the caves we had the opportunity to explore was Kim Quy Cave – or “Golden Turtle” Cave – which, according to the myth is where a great Golden Turtle died of exhaustion after returning a holy sword to King Lê Thái Tổ to stop the Ming invaders from China (there was a lot of “stopping China” on our trip through Vietnam… a lot of stopping many imperialist invaders…)

We got to see the Golden Turtle – and touch him, which brings luck to all who lay his hands upon him (yay!) And then we headed back to our junk for an evening swim.

Swimming in the Pacific, on the other side of the world, proved absolutely magical. Splashing around in Halong Bay, I couldn’t get it out of my head that I was SWIMMING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD! And that I was SWIMMING WITH DRAGONS! Words really can’t explain how out-of-this-world it was. And the salinity of the water was so strong that you couldn’t sink if you tried (and I tried… so much so that I got a double ear infection – but prepared travelers that we were, the antibiotics we brought cleared them right up).

The second day had us heading off to a different section of the bay for more exploration in kayaks. Halong Bay is huge, and we would just as easily run across a small fishing boat as we would a globe trotting cargo ship. Halong Bay, which sits in the South China Sea, is a major shipping lane, and has historically been in much dispute as to who holds the rights to pass through (primarily China vs. Vietnam… which is apparently a never-ending theme). Being in the middle of it made the current tensions that are arising that much more real. Still, it was easier to turn off the current events and just enjoy being in this different world.

We toured secluded lagoons that were straight out of a “best-of” tourism book. One can really see why Halong Bay was recently voted one of the “new seven wonders of nature.” I am so grateful that we got to experience it first hand.

And as if that wasn’t enough, we spent the rest of the day on a secluded island, complete with a view of the bay, and a white sandy beach to lounge upon. (Grace and I wondered aloud if the beach was natural or if the sand had been brought in, but I didn’t find a for sure answer. I later read that the government, in an attempt to lure greater tourist numbers, brought in tons of sand to create these beautiful beaches. They succeeded, but there has also been an immense ecological loss to the area.)

Then we still had the sunset to enjoy back on the boat.

Our final day on the bay was spent visiting a floating village. Four villages dot the area, totaling about 1600 residents that sustain themselves on fishing, and now with a boon from the tourism industry (the government subsidizes the villages, and our floating village tour guides were employees of the national park system).

Though we were less than a week into our trip, I had an inkling at the time that Halong Bay was to be my favorite part of Vietnam. Reflecting upon, and writing about, the entire experience now, Halong Bay really was my favorite part of the trip. Though I have yet to tell you, dear reader, all of our amazing adventures, Halong really set my spirit right. It turned out to be a really deep connection to something that was beyond imagination that I, personally, needed.

There are still many more stories to tell, so stay tuned, but Halong Bay is truly a wonder of the natural world.

It's amazing what can fit on a bicycle

If the first day in Hanoi was spent getting acclimated to a new culture (and time zone, and climate, and continent…), day two was spent jumping straight in. Grace and I awoke early every day in Vietnam, and it turned out to be an insightful way into the daily life of a new country. We got to see a lot of “behind the scenes.” Our second day in Hanoi, Grace and I remarked how we hadn’t seen any other Westerners, but it was only 8 a.m…. around noon the tourists came out.

There were a lot of travelers from New Zealand and Australia, which makes sense given it’s proximity (it took me until I got back to finally look at a globe and see how close they are – being a Cascadian, I sorta always thought that Australia was on the other side of the world!) And there were a lot of Europeans as well (though not nearly as close). Vietnam is definitely a tourist destination, and getting around was easy.

St Joseph Cathedral

We quickly became established with where we were in Hanoi by wandering further away from our hotel, making concentric circles, and getting a grasp of the landscape. Though the numerous side streets and allies tried their best to turn us around. The streets in the Old Quarter are arranged so that each street sells/specializes in a certain commodity. So there’s the rice street, the fish street, the blacksmith street, etc. etc. and on and on. We’d be walking down the “shoe” street and would turn the corner and be on the “coffin” street.

Food was all around us. Portland thinks it’s pretty Bohemian with its food cart extravaganza popping up on every street corner, but Vietnam is old school. We’d sit on a plastic stool on the sidewalk and eat the most amazing meals, quickly becoming addicted to the local cuisine. Except for a hurried stop into an Italian restaurant to miss the rain (which threatened but never came), we ended up eating only street food.

phở

Language was a barrier, but our diligent study of the Vietnamese language from our iPhone app had us mastering how to order phở, so we could always order the most kick-ass beef soup ever. Pointing worked, too, and had us sampling “meat donuts” (Grace’s term) and banh mi sandwiches.

We never really got into any situation that we didn’t know what we were eating, but there were a couple of instances where we pushed tripe and pigs feet to the side to get to our noodles.

Traditional Tay house

Besides eating, we took a cab to the “suburbs” to visit the Museum of Ethnology. They had a rich collection of tribal art and artifacts (as well as an extensive display on AIDS in Vietnam) from around the country, and a courtyard full of traditional village houses that native tribes were brought to the museum to build. We climbed up into a huge Tay stilt house 5 meters off the ground, and explored the slender rooms of a long house (in which someone was napping, which was pretty awesome).

Inside the Tay house

This boat never lost a race and was retired to the care of the museum with a perfect record

Leaving for Vietnam was no exception. I had a perma-grin walking through the airport, and if you can believe it, was looking forward to the 19-hour journey across the Pacific. And the flight went fairly quickly, though there was a moment about six hours into the longest leg of our trip (Seattle to Seoul) when I realized we were only halfway into the flight and I wanted to freak out a bit, but I simply kicked back and watched another in-flight movie (did I mention that Korean Air was/is the best airline ever?)

Our hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter

The flight completely zapped us of all our energy, though, but the smartest thing Grace did was book our Hanoi hotel in advance and have them meet us at the airport to give us a ride. Though our driver didn’t say one word to us on our trip into the city, seeing our name on the placard when we deboarded was the greatest of comforts. Heading straight to bed was even better.

We awoke über early (for us) to a new city… a new country… a new culture. Though it was 6 a.m., Hanoi was well awake as everyone was up to greet the day. Many people were out walking and exercising, especially around Hoan Kiem Lake, which was blocks from our hotel.

We spent the day walking the narrow streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, eating some fantastic food, finding many treasures – including some Vietnamese propaganda posters – and generally getting acclimated to Vietnam. The city was fast paced – the fastest paced city I’d ever visited – and even crossing the street was an adventure. Though there are crosswalks and some traffic lights, the way to get  across the street is to just go.

Though every crossing was an adventure, it didn’t take long to get comfortable walking around the city. The noise drove me a bit crazy, however. I recently looked back at the emails I sent my kids while traveling, and every one mentioned how everyone honked. I kept wishing that I had a small air horn to be part of the melee, but it was probably best that I didn’t.

The weather was spectacular – which made for easy sight seeing. Grace and I would check the weather forecast for Vietnam almost religiously before we left, and every day was supposedly thunderstorms, and made us a little nervous (plus Southeast Asia was having flooding issues at the time of our travel). Our first day there was a torrential downpour in the afternoon, but for the most part, we only had dry weather (except for the excessive humidity, of course!)

Some more photos of our stop in Hanoi:

Turtle Tower, located in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake - Hanoi, Vietnam

The Huc Bridge, which crosses Hoan Kiem Lake to connect to Jade Island, home of the Temple of the Jade Mountain

Turtle Island at night

And here’s my favorite photo of Hanoi, which I think captures so much of the city:

Old Quarter - Hanoi, Vietnam

The trip was absolutely amazing, and life changing in ways that I have yet to comprehend. But to try to sort it out, I am on a quest to blog about our travels. My plan from the beginning was to journal every day, and when I returned,  follow-up with a blog post per day to share with the world. The sights, sounds, smells, and frenetic pace of traveling in a foreign country kept me from my journaling as much as I’d planned, though – I probably captured only about 40% of my real-time thoughts on paper. Worse, I haven’t had the energy – or head space – to immediately jump into the blogosphere to share it all with you. The best laid plans…

But the jet lag is finally starting to wane and my re-entry “freak out” is slowly subsiding, so I’m finding the time to sort through my 1800 photos and reflect on the trip.  I can’t promise a blog entry per day, but I’ll get it all on paper and share some choice photos with you in good time.

So look forward to several recaps on the places we visited, the sites we saw, the food we ate (expect a lot of these!), insight into the culture, and generally what it was like to be an American traveling through Vietnam.

But before I get to the details, I want to explain a bit about our trip itinerary, and why we chose Vietnam.

Why Vietnam?

Whenever we told someone we were heading to Vietnam (or now that we’re back – whenever we tell someone that we went to Vietnam) the question we always get is, “Why Vietnam?”  The short answer is, “I don’t know, it just popped into our consciousness.”

Grace and I love to travel and it’s part of our being – we met in Ecuador of all places – so we are always discussing where our next adventure should take place, and Vietnam simply came up. Asia was on top of our lists, but we wanted to get off the beaten path, so Thailand, Japan, China, etc. didn’t get us starry eyed. Vietnam, however, did. And it’s not a place where many Americans think of to holiday. The Vietnam War still weighs heavy on American’s minds, and many of those we told scoffed at us. My favorite response was, “You can’t go to Vietnam – they’re communist!” My second favorite response was, “Don’t do any hiking in Vietnam, you’ll get your leg blown off by land mines.”

I won’t deny that these comments, and the fears behind them, didn’t have me second guessing our decision at times. I was born after the war, but the impact it had on American culture was very much a part of my upbringing in thousands of different ways. And I’m quite certain that I’ve seen every Hollywood production concerning the Vietnam War (except maybe any John Wayne movies). But one of the characteristics I like best about myself is that I challenge myself to get every perspective on issues. So after being fed “our” side of the story through dogmatic revelations from western media, school, family, etc., I needed to go visit the culture first hand. So now you know why we chose Vietnam (but if you ask me in person, you’re more likely to get the quick “because we thought of it” response : )

Our Itinerary

Vietnam is a huge country, and with only two weeks, we couldn’t immerse ourselves in everything. Plus, Grace and I like to travel by-the-seat-of-our-pants. Our only set schedule was that we were to fly into Hanoi in the north on October 11th, and leave Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south on October 28th. But as you’ll see and read in the coming blog posts, we did SO much. One of my favorite stories is how we traveled: by plane (19 hours on Korean Air – which is absolutely the best airline in the world, where even in coach we were treated like royalty), by bus (not recommended… I’ll explain our hellish bus trip from Hoi An to Qui Nhon in a later post… it’s the kids’ favorite story, but it still gives me stomach cramps), by boat, by bike (!), by foot,  and by motorcycle (!!)

So please stow your luggage under the seat in front of you, return your folding trays and seat backs to the upright position, and fasten your seatbelts, as we depart for Vietnam.

And thank you for flying saypdx…

January

The new year rang in with snow, snow, and more snow in the Pacific NW. So much so that the entire city shut down for nearly two weeks. Even when it melted, we didn’t get enough of a snow fix, so we spent an extended weekend on Mt. Hood playing in the snow.

February

Hiking is something we like to do as a family during all times of the year. The late winter months are almost best because there is no one else on the trails.

This month was also a birthday for JC. He has quite the talent for music, acting, dancing, and generally spazzing out. He’s the top student in his class and the other kids think he’s quite funny. He’s always making us laugh.

March

March proved to be quite a month for us. At the beginning, I spearheaded the annual gala for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance – the Alice Awards. Drained from that event, I took off on a two-week getaway to help Grace move back to Portland. I flew down to Texas, where she had just finished a three month nursing assignment at Children’s Hospital of Austin, where we were spoiled by her extended family in Plano, Texas. We then meandered back to the Pacific NW, stopping in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho along the way.

Seeing family in Idaho, the trip included Grace going through my baby albums… (thanks Mom…)

April

April turned out to be busy for us as well. The theme of the month seemed to be community, as we helped at Lovena Farm in their barn raising. In honor of the event, the gray days melted away, and we gathered at “our” urban farm with friends to celebrate the changing season. I have to say, Lovena Farm has come ALONG way in its three years of existence, and I am excited at the opportunity to increasingly participate in life as it was meant to be experienced by being part of this community. Look forward to knowing more about this unique opportunity, which I hope to expand upon in later communications.

April was also a time of other “community events,” as the world seemed to wake up to fighting the good fight.

We also participated in traditional activities, such as coloring and hiding Easter eggs, regardless of what the raccoons had to say about it.

May

Our only camping experience of the summer happened in June. We took advantage of another extended weekend to experience one of our favorite places, Oxbow Park. Amazing what peace a regional park, only half-an-hour from us, can bring.

May was also the month for us to start our garden… a small affair on our back deck.

June

June was Pedalpalooza! And I would be remiss to point out how famous we’ve become ; )

Also in June, Syd turned 9 (nine!) Boy, time flies when you’re having “fun.”

I should also mention that Jas got “married” to Lucy this past June. I think, however, that it was a marriage of necessity, as Lucy had a baby less than 30 minutes after the ceremony. OMG, the need for the “talk” is more prevalent than ever! They grow up so quick!

July

July will justly be immortalized as time spent with family over the Fourth of July in Montana on Flathead Lake.

We had so much fun!

August

Most of my summer was spent preparing for the 2nd Safe Routes to School National Conference, but we were all able to escape to the coast for a couple of quick get-a-ways to spend time together as a family.

Also in August, AJ turned six (also, I turned “30-something”). He’s in the 1st grade, now, and loves the play and imagination that school allows him. I also love the imagination that 30+ allows, but “play” isn’t something I easily participate in anymore ; )

September

In September, I had the opportunity to participate in the 2009 Ride for Multiple Sclerosis. With the support of many, I raised over $1000 and rode over 150 miles to help kick a$$ for the fight against MS. Again and again I give thanks to all those that helped raise awareness for this crazy disease.

With help from my friends Clint and Cassandra, we raised over $3000 for team “Bikin’ and Smylin’ for MS”. And we look forward to further our goals in 2010 (with more teammates… hint, hint ; )

October

The fall turned out to be a true season of change for us. First, The BTA decided that a year with me was all that they could handle, so they let me go. Being unemployed has proved challenging, but with the help of friends, I have christened unemployment as “funenjoyment” (it works only when the checks don’t bounce.)

Figuring most prominently in October, the kids, Grace, and I moved to a new home in southeast Portland.  We now have room to breath, and most importantly (as the winter months would soon prove), we have a WARM place to live (though I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for our last house off of Hawthorne, the flooded basement, the lack of heat, and the snow in our living room made for a discomforting winter 2009).

Moving homes is always, um… chaotic.

November

This month proved busy by preparing for the onslaught of holidays. We first got ready for Halloween by picking pumpkins and apples at the Mt. Hood Apple Festival. The pumpkins we made into jack-o-lanterns in hopes of warding of spirits… the apples we made into apple butter, apple pies, and applesauce (yum!)

We spent Thanksgiving with Grace’s family in Canby, and the hilarity (as noted in the above photo) stemmed from the boys trouncing the girls in trivial pursuit.

December

Finally, the better part of December has been spent prepping for Christmas. The kids are heading to Idaho with their mother for the holidays, so we’ve already had Christmas(!) at my house, and “Daddyclaus” visited last night.

We’ve had a wonderful year and look forward to an extraordinary 2010.

May love and peace bless you this holiday season… From us to you ; )

*For a hard copy of this “month-by-month calendar”, send $29.95 to me to receive, within 3-4 weeks, your very own replica.

I really could not have made it 141 miles over the weekend without you all. There was a moment (a LONG moment) the morning of day two that I really didn’t want to ride. But you did it, so I did it – and it turned out that I completely had a blast. Of all my bikey interests, these long rides are nearing the top as my favorite activity. We had amazing support (the Hell’s Angels brought me a new tube when I blew a tire) and our team captain, Cassandra Haavisto, made it super easy for us to get up there and take care of us for our ride.

Enjoy some photos of the weekend, and look forward to a sponsor thank you party (at our new house) on October 10th (invites to come soon).

<3

Team Bikin' & Smylin' for MS

Team captain Cass in fine form WHILe putting up with the boys

The route led to this amazing ped/bike path across the harbor and along the shoreline

No time for stopping, though

The terrain got rough at the halfway point on Whidbey Island

But we conquered

Deception Pass

After warming up, day two was amazing, and the 49 miles flew by

I took the rest stops seriously

We stuck with this paceline for most of the afternoon until some yahoo screamed at us from the side of the road. The line broke up when the four "dudes" broke up to investigate (drama on the Bike MS ride!)

We won!

We found a lovely little brewing company in Olympia to celebrate

Cheers to the 2009 Bike MS ride

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for your support.

We had planned on stopping along the way up and at best get to my aunt and uncles at noon on Thursday, and I was feeling awfully tired around midnight as we passed through Coeur d’Alene, but getting cut off by a drunk driver on I-90 and a phone call with the Idaho State Highway Patrol got me amped to drive the whole way (and slowly from St. Regis, as the first mile we saw an elk on the side of the road).

Made it for the sunrise, which kicked off the weekend. Lots of fun in the sun on the water and with family. Photos say it all.

We had to wake up my aunt and uncle, but it seemed a small price to pay to be there early ; )

Sunrise over the Mission Mountains

All sorts of water toys were available for us to enjoy

The boys on their first sailboat ride

Me on my first sailboat ride

And the boys' first motor boat ride

Someone's all smiles

Okay, everyone's all smiles

And kisses

One of the few times I got to see Syd over the weekend as she was off with her cousins the entire time

But who says you need watercraft to enjoy the lake? (not me)

Playing with mud is pretty enjoyable, too

As is skippin' rocks... my favorite pastime on my favorite island (Wildhorse)

A waxing moon rising over Flathead Lake

A great weekend, but we had to say goodbye to Syd for over a month(!) as she went to spend time in Idaho Falls with her Grandma

I was lured to my morning ride by its announcement on the Shift calendar:

“Contrary to popular belief, you won’t fall off the edge of the world if you bike past SE 52nd and Powell. Join a real live native of XTREME SOPO on a tour of her neighborhood! You’ll gasp when you see the army of big-ass pickup trucks! Your spine will tingle to behold the church that looks like a bowling alley! Women will faint at the lack of sidewalks! Folks, this ride is XTREME… you can bring the whole saddle of your bike, BUT YOU’LL ONLY NEED THE EDGE!!!!”

Engaging the anthropological tools I’d recently acquired from my trip back to school, I quickly assessed that I should go dressed as one of the natives to truly embrace the experience.

I'm (almost) gangtsaVegan

As the mile markers to Milwaukie ticked closer and closer, it became obvious that to truly embrace the experience, all one needed was a pickup truck. Being on a bike, I was as out of place as a vibrator in church, and those truckers kept letting me know with their stomach-quaking revving of their engines and passing me with three inches to spare. THANKS RECENTLY ACQUIRED ANTHROPOLOGICAL SKILLS!

But safety comes in numbers, and catching up with others from my ride gave me the freedom to peruse the unkempt neighborhoods of these vast car clans without fear of harm. Even crossing 82nd, the Avenue of Roses, (twice!) was breezey compared to my attempts at crossing Powell on my own. Many people on bikes – it’s why I’m loving Pedalpalooza.

Abandoned shopping carts are re-purposed as convenient banana bread holders in XTREME SOPO.

I also love the ride leaders. Each unique in his/her own way, but always attentive to showing their “followers” a good time. Not only was Heather full of local knowledge, she was fluent in the local language – Clakimitacky – and was able to keep the crowds of gaukers at bay. She also she baked us banana bread and we ended the ride with her homemade ice cream at the park (including a vegan version).

Kelly Elementary Community SUN School, part of "Kelly Grow" - a partnership with the CCC, BTA, Growing Gardens, and Community Health Partnerships.

The bridge to nowhere, just off the Springwater Trail

The edge! Sidewalks and sewers are cursed south of the Portland line

The abundance of lush patio furniture scattered throughout the territory provide a welcome respite from the grueling hours spent on the asphalt.

For a completely different Pedalpalooza experience, the kids and I ventured into inner southeast Portland for the Multnomah County Bike Fair. It may have been that I was overheated, it may have been that tracking three kids in any crowd under any circumstance is always a chore, or it may have been watching a young bohemian crack his melon open on the asphalt that made MCBF the least enjoyable event of Pedalpalooza (okay, it was watching someone lose concious that did it).

We made it to the show at the start of “chicken jousting,” where contestants on a mini bike, with someone on their shoulders, face off against an equally crazy pair… with lances. Sounds like “fun,” and like ancient Romans in the Coliseum, I watched with drool dripping from my mouth, Pavlovian style.  The dude on the left didn’t wear a helmet, and we left after that.

Ouch

EMT to victim... "So let me get this straight - you were on someone's shoulders, who was on a bike, and you weren't wearing a helmet?"

Actually, we didn’t leave right away. MCBF redeemed itself (a bit) as we stayed to watch the always lovely “Sprokettes,” and also ran into Tre Arrow (the second time in 48 hours) and Clinty (the second time in a week – a record for us). Look for Clinty in the background of all the Sprokette picts.

Tre Arrow