We are into day number 3 here in Portland, OR and things are clipping along nicely. We decided we wanted to take some extended time to explore Portland since we've heard such wonderful things and we have a hospitable host willing to put us up and put up with us for several days.
Yesterday Lani and I hopped on the bikes with the intention of heading southeast towards the Portland Zoo about 6 miles away. It's nestled in Washington Park which is situated several hundred feet above Portland proper. My understanding was that we would take the light-rail (the MAX) up the hill and then spend the better part of an hour careening down the hill. Kyle's girlfriend, Caroline, mentioned that it would be quite the undertaking to actually try and bike up it since it's steep and long. Lani thought it would be an excellent training opportunity to actually see how far up we could get before we couldn't go any further. With skepticism in one have and hope in the other we set off....only to get REALLY REALLY lost. This city is set up to make non-Portland natives look like assholes as they happily giggle while gaining speed down one of the many hilly areas only to realize you've gone several miles in the wrong direction. I blame my iPhone for not being equipped with a warning bell that tells you when you've gone off course, but I also concede that I could just be poor with directions...you be the judge. After several attempts to make it across the river we just packed up shop and headed back to Kyle's feeling a little defeated, but still optimistic about our navigating skills (well...maybe not optimistic, but in denial for sure).
After a nice long nap in the tent and some regrouping Lani and I walked to a neighbor and pal of Kyle's for some actual peer to peer contact, vis-a-vie a PAAAAAARTY. We were 2 of the 6 party goers and that was all the party we needed since it had been a long day of trudging up hills and getting haplessly lost. After a few hours we called it a night and walked back to Casa Drake. Feeling adventurous I camped out in the tent in the backyard while Lani posted up on the couch.
That brings us to today...after some milling around and shaking off the failures of the day before we once again mounted our bikes and headed out. We decided to keep our goals within reason today and biked around the neighborhood. Despite the short ride we both were incredibly tired due to lack of an actual meal being eaten. Until then we had been grazing on snack type foods and whatever was free for the taking (i.e. party snacks and free coffee at my AA meeting) All and all, not super nutritious and we were FEELING IT, especially me, since I have been trying to overcome my nervous tummy since departing from Minneapolis on Monday. After a quick jaunt to the local grocery mart we came home and Lani whipped up some amazing Asian style turkey burgers. We got a bunch of other meal-type foods and swore to ourselves to eat healthier and with more frequency. It's only been a an hour since the meal and I already feel like a new person. So...lesson learned...eat often and eat well.
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| GET IN MY BELLY! |
Until our next encounter,
Marge
P.S. Lani and I are setting out on the open road tomorrow mid morning so until we find another hot spot with WiFi we might have some radio silence. Fear not, we'll be back.
