Portland Bridge Pedal

Eighteen thousand people turned out for the third largest mass bike ride in the country and among them were Windy, Chris and Phil. Riders of all sizes, colors, and ages on a wide variety of bikes, trikes, and unicycles. I was there, one of the few on foot, walking across the Steel Bridge from the Rose Quarter and meeting them at the finish line.

The route took them back and forth over the Willamette River on these bridges (north to south): St. Johns, Fremont, Broadway, Steel, Burnside, Morrison, Hawthorne, Marquam, Ross Island, and Sellwood. The actual route wandered back and forth so the ride was not exactly in that order. Entrants chose different lengths: 6 bridges, 8 bridges, or the killer full loop of 10 bridges. The troops rode the full loop – 36 miles round trip. This was a fun ride, a fund-raiser for Providence Hospital (from the entry fees). No timed race, no prizes. Just a banana and a bottle of water for finishing.

After the race, we wandered through Portland’s famous one-and-only Saturday Market under the Burnside Bridge. The crafts range from awesome to awful, but for the most part you see quality as the booths are expensive to rent. We saved our money and managed not to load up on gee-gaws and gimcracks. (Hard to carry on a bike.) After a lunch of Himalayan food, I hopped on the Max back to the Transit Center. The bike riders rode home. A fun time was had by all. [See photos at http://littlegraham.blogspot.com]