Sunday Parkways Southeast: ride report

The morning began for me a little after 10am, where I'd invited friends to meet up with me if they wanted while I got some iced coffee. I stopped in at Good Coffee on SE 48th and Division, where I ordered a tall iced mocha. While I waited for my drink I looked around at the space. Lots of natural light, staffed with young, hip white people, a copy of the Sunday NYT on the large communal table in a room with ins-set shelves painted almost entirely white. The whole place felt rather Hipster Twee to me, and when I was charged a whopping $4.75 for my drink (in my own cup, with ice cubes made of water instead of coffee and chocolate so bittersweet I had to add sugar),  I knew this was not a coffee shop I'd be likely to visit again. The gentrification of SE Division St. has about reached its zenith (or nadir, take your pick).

I sipped my drink and waited for half an hour. No one showed up, so I figured I'd see them along the route. It was sunny and warm, but not nearly as hot as it's been the past couple of days. Plus, there was a nice light breeze that felt tingly on my face as I pedaled.


I enjoyed the ride, even though I had NO repairs to make during my shift. I rolled along at a mellow pace and stopped to say hi to friends who lived and worked along the route.

A couple of times, I helped motorists negotiate crossing the car-free route. Other than that, the rest of the ride was uneventful and pretty pleasant. I did see my friends riding in the opposite direction as I stopped to use a restroom but I never caught up with them. I hope they had a fine ride.

Home now, and ready for a little nap.

This will be my last Sunday Parkways of 2016. There is one more scheduled but it's being held October 2 -- which is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. Technically I could do the ride and still get to services in time, but I would rather take the day to mentally and emotionally prepare for the High Holy Days so I'll stay home that day.

If you decide to ride on October 2, the route goes through Sellwood neighborhood and parts of Milwaukie, and includes the Tillikum Crossing with it s scenic views and beautiful modern architecture. Check it out. Or consider signing up to volunteer as a Parkways Superhero. Volunteers get a t-shirt, water and snacks and work shifts of 2.5 hours. You meet lots of people and it's fun.
Happy riding!

(photo: teaching a young rider how to fix a flat at the 2009 Parkways.)