Three Miles in Portland

Monday, October 28, 2013:

We three visited Portland, OR for a few days, and were advised of running / biking trails on both sides of the Willamette River right in downtown Portland.  We partook.  We parked on the east side, and I ran a loop which included the east side trail, the Morrison Bridge, the west side trail, and the Hawthorne Bridge.  That turned out to be just a mile and a quarter, so I did it twice for a total of about 2.5 miles in about 30 minutes.  Not fast, but I did get photos and waited for a couple of lights.  I wasn't in a hurry, with a marathon coming up in six days.

The Hawthorne Bridge was an education in Portland culture.  We ran in the morning, and as I ran east on the bridge I faced a swarm of bicyclists, all apparently heading into work, like bees going into the hive.  Some guys wore white shirts and ties under their coats, and many women were all made up for work, with lipstick, eye shade, the works..  All cyclists wore helmets, of course, but some women wore an especially large helmet, bringing to mind a World War One infantry helmet, presumably to protect their hairdos as well as their heads.  Or maybe it's just a safer helmet.

No whining.  That's a good thing, heading into another marathon.  Last run of October, it's a masterpiece.