Always good to start the school year off with a bike ride! Kiddos on their own Islabikes, even though jose was picking them up after school. No need for a minivan, Babe the Blue HaulaDay did a double bag-and-drag to take the bikes back home.

This summer has been spectacularly busy and yet, like always, we never quite get to everything we'd like to. After an awesome trip to the Columbia River Gorge with Adventure Cycling Association, an amazing two weeks in Portland at the United Bicycle Institute, and another wonderful Paul Bunyan tour (again with Adventure Cycling Association, I have to admit that I'm ready for school and work to start! 

I had a ton of fun exploring Portland's bike infrastructure, both the good and the not-so-good. Despite its status as one of the top bicycle-friendly cities in the US, there are many areas in which Portland still fails its bike riders. On the last day I was in town, a bike rider was killed by a car driver just a couple miles from where I was staying. I had a difficult time with the route Google suggested I take on my daily commute as it was fraught with impatient, aggressive drivers but I was able to find a better route after a couple days of stressful riding. In one of the more poorly designed separated bike stretches, we were almost creamed by a speeding and scary driver. Still, what they do have available is incredible compared to the typical US city, including Sacramento. 

I only had two weeks getting to know the routes and city, I'm sure people who have lived in Portland have many strong opinions about the bicycling culture and support. I welcome all to share their experiences as these are just a small sample of some of the things I got to explore in my PDX travels.