I awoke to a pissfest of a downpour outside my window. No worries, I thought; most Rivendellians come prepared, and a little rain wouldn't both them, right?
I showed up at Peninsula Rose Garden and waited. By 12:10, there three of us: me, Lynne and Cal, who'd brought his bike with him on a business trip from southern Oregon after hearing of the ride. We stood around, introducing ourselves and admiring each other's bikes.
Cal's Saluki:
By 12:15, no one else was in sight and we decided to just take off. In a warm, muggy rain we enjoyed a gentle, drippy loop through Sabin, Alameda, Cully, Hollywood and Grant Park neighborhoods. Along the way we talked, admired good old houses and gardens, and taught Cal about group ride leading techniques -- living where he does, he says he does most of his riding solo. Eventually, we looped around the back of Rose City Park golf course, crossed over into southeast Portland and ended up at Ladd's Circle.
Three non-wimps at Palio:
We tried going into Palio Cafe but every table was in use, mostly hogged by dour-faced single-occupants with laptops; so we continued on to the Lucky Lab Brewpub where I enjoyed a hot bowl of Chicken Bento and a glass of Stumptown Porter (my favorite), and we chatted some more, with Lynne pronouncing everyone who'd skipped the ride as "wimps" and we had a laugh about it. It was drizzling lightly when I said goodbye and headed home, damp and happy.
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