Final day. Final ride. Final activity.
We didn't quite get our fill on the Marine Park Trail yesterday so we went back for more.
It did not disappoint. 24 miles of good old-fashioned flat riding, overlooking the Columbia River to one side and the airport to the other. Lucky for us there was no scent of jet fuel or weird things falling from above into our eyes.
We just got to participate in the comings and goings of the friendly skies.
Each day we'd load our bikes into the minivan.
We had a system that we refined.
We loaded my bike first and named her Birtha.
She lays flat to the left.
We loaded Aunt Dena's bike second.
She does not have a name. She stands upright.
We use the seatbelts to "bungee" Aunt Dena's bike in. I load in the back, Dena loads in the side and shimmies the tires and "bungees". Every day we got better and better at it. By the last day, we could do it in under 2 minutes flat--like NASCAR or Formula 1 quickly changes tires at a pit stop.
After our last ride of the trip, we went to the Vancouver Arts and Music Festival.
We were greeted with an artistic display upon arrival of "manequins" wearing "Trashion" Apparently "Trashion" is fashion made out of upcycled materials.
Our favorite model was the cat lady who wore a stylish astroturf wrap around skirt and a brown paper bag vest. She won the blue ribbon from us.
I mean, look at that astroturf heart, isn't she so cute?
We wandered a bit more and under the trees, in the shade was the main stage where a super rad band named Astral Mixtape performed. It was 3 men on strings and one on the keyboard. It merged the Casio Keyboard/Star Wars sound from my youth with the Saturday Morning Classical chill music of my 40's all into one happy and relaxing sound. It felt magical to end the trip, under a huge tree, relaxing & listening to these talented musicians.
There was a promise of an 'Art Alley' at the event and we couldn't find it.
One woman pointed to the right.
We went right. No Art Alley.
We roamed a bit more and found it to the far left. It was a cute, short alley but nothing jumped out at me. We were also cutting it close to airport time so I had to cut my art roaming short. On the way out we were told there was more art in the Hilton hotel. Since the hotel was on the way to our minivan, we popped in for a quick perusal. When we got to the lobby we were told "the art is closed" which made us sad, but we understood. In true Portland kind-hearted hospitality, one of the men said "but there's more art over in art alley", we thanked him, told him we were had visited already and carried on.
I loved how helpful he was and although he did not work there or even know us, he was just as passionate about us finding art as we were.
This trip has been spectacular. I was so happy to reconnect with a city that I have been to so many times but experienced it in a completely different way. Making the bike rides the priority of this trip was the way to go. As much as I love hotels, staying in a VRBO where we had a home base to cook, fill water bottles, and store bikes was also the way to go. From the deeply kind hospitality of every human we interacted with to the many miles of paths lined with trees and fresh air, I have a brand new love of Portland and the surrounding area.
I was especially happy to spend this time with Aunt Dena. It's been over 15 years since we've taken a 1 on 1 trip together and I am so happy we both made the time and space for this.
Some final stats:
113 miles rode.
over 100 miles driven
8 Bands/Musicians/Poets seen
3 Farmer's Markets
2 High Schools visited
1 Play
0 Art purchased
Endless memories were made.
If you're thinking about a trip to Portland or a bike trip in general, I am here to help.
Reach out anytime.
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