To Portland, and back again

This post is from a newsletter I sent out while cycling from Canada to Mexico in 2017

Hello friends,

I’m back on the coast after a little detour to Portland, which took me over the forested hills of Oregon. Logging trucks everywhere, which were alarming at first but now quite exhilarating; they scream past, then a brief pause, followed by a blast of cedar- or spruce-scented air.

Extended hills are challenging on such a heavy bicycle and sometimes I could probably be walking faster than I’m riding. My bike computer agrees, periodically “auto pausing” with a malicious bleep because it thinks I’m not actually moving, which is hard not to take personally when I’ve been climbing for a couple of hours and my legs are on fire.

Portland was worth the extra miles. The city is famous for bikes, beers and beards. Obviously I was only in town for one of those things. I visited every bike shop I saw, finding that many also function as exhibitions with intriguing collectible frames hanging from the ceilings.

Before that some more adventures on the coast. In the southwest corner of Washington, I met a Native American couple who took me scavenging for clams at sunset. We excavated over a hundred steamer and soft shell clams for a triumphant seafood feast at their place later that evening. I also made friends with a fellow cyclist from Ohio in possession of a drone, so this email includes a link to some bonus video of last night’s camping spot (link below).

Next time, a tale of an overnight tussle with a pack of raccoons. For now, I’ll just say that it’s not the bears I should have been worrying about.

Love, Elishka