Well, this Saturday's ride didn't turn out - exactly - as I'd planned. But I think it turned out okay.
We had planned a 40-mile ride out to Colleen's house in SE Portland, via the I-205 bike path, Marine Drive, and returning via the Springwater Corridor Bike Path.
Except the I-205 bike path was closed. Not just in one spot. Generally - closed. That was a bummer. So we trekked through SE Portland on Powell Boulevard - not the scenic route, mind you - until we got up to 148th, which connects to Marine Drive (a bit further east than we'd hoped, but...).
Except that Marine Drive was closed! AUGH!! There was a triathlon going on at Blue Lake, and there were road blocks - real, actually staffed roadblocks - keeping cars off the road. We went up to 158th before we figured it was probably okay to at least ASK if it was okay to bike on Marine Drive. (We also took a look at the lady working the roadblock and figured that if worst came to worst we could bum-rush her, but we'll forget that uncharitable thought.) She said we were just fine, so off we went. Lots of women out doing the sprint-distance triathlon (750 meter swim, 20K bike, 5K run) while we were on Marine Drive, so we cheered for them as best we could.
When we got to Colleen's it was apparent that she was facing some roadblock issues, too. She was hoping to see the new Harry Potter movie on Saturday, but they'd called for a paratransit a bit too late so they were going to Plan B - take the bus. And if the rain didn't let up, Plan B wasn't going to be a winner, either. Still, she was cheerful and glad to see us, opening her home to us with an easy grace, and providing some much-appreciated refreshments.
On the way home, which was mercifully free of re-routes, I had a chance to kind of put this together. We're all facing roadblocks all the time. We've just got to figure out how to get around them.
Have a great week, folks! Looking forward to an excellent weekend of riding.
Sandy
