food carts, funky farms, and college.

I could sum up our Portland visit with mostly one adjective and a couple nouns: good food, good cycling, good host and good yoga. Tricia, Hannah and I ate our way through (part) of Portland, and jeepers, Portland really does do cycling right.

While in Portland I had multiple treats and loafs of beautifully multi grain teff, or sourdough bread, a piece of delectable vegan gf pumpkin pecan pie, a pint of locally brewed gluten free beer at one of the hundreds of craft breweries in Portland. There is a serious cart food culture in Portland - and you're probably thinking, oh yeah, carts selling hot dogs and hamburgers - nope. These were full on, artisan, variable food trucks, stands, stalls that were permanently located around sets of picnic benches on different city street blocks. The first set of carts we visited, I got a gluten free vegan lemon sugar crepe. And could have also chose to have loaded french fries (with even something as strange as pb and j), Indian food, Venezuelan arepas (which i had for lunch the following day, while Tricia had rice and beans in a waffle cone and Hannah had a yum looking homemade savoury mushroom pie). These carts amazed us! Real food, made fast, with fresh sometimes healthful, sometimes local ingredients, all definitely independently owned. How neat! Small spaces are continuously winning my heart over!

And then there was the Portland farmers market - vendor after vendor selling their organic local harvest veggies, their cheese, wine, apples, bread, mint, mushrooms, preserves, fresh hot food, meat, etc etc etc. We were in wonder as we wandered, tried samples, and had lovely conversations with these farmers! We followed our farmers market visit with a really inspiring talk with the authors of the feminist mag BUST, who just printed a rockin' DIY guide to life! So fun to look at and get ideas for future projects from. Over the next days in Portland we cruised the bike lanes all over the city, checkin out nook's and crannies, visiting the food co-op, checking out the unique niche cafes and restaurants and shops on Alberta ave, and attending a couple yoga classes. Good times Portland was...

As I mentioned in my last post, I've committed to buying nothing new for a whole year, to re-examine my consumption, to reuse, and to get creative about what I use and how I come to use it. My first challenge arose in Portland when I went to put on my helmet and the plastic head casing bit broke in two. Jeez. Can you buy a used helmet? Will it be as effective at protecting your noggin? Is there anyway to repair it? These were questions I pondered as my broken helmet refused to stay on my head. In the end, Tricia and I agreed that our commitment to buy nothing new would not compromise our ability to remain safe, so I purchased a new helmet from the bicycle co-op and left my old one there, with a volunteer promising that they have folks who recycle all the bits of old helmets. hmph. On a positive buy-nothing-note, I have avoided buying new toothpaste - did I tell you that? Made my own with baking soda, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, a pinch of salt and water. It's as easy as that.

And as fast as the daylight is disappearing, so did our time in Portland, we set back the clocks and two mornings later Tricia and I woke super early and rode 68 miles down to a farm just south of Salem, where we were connecting with a friend of mine who has recently moved onto his family's land to see what he can create with it there. We arrived in the rain, and unloaded our bicycles into his old, cozy work in progress, heritage homestead. And, he had more delicious food for us - a warm croc pot full with vegetably lentily goodness. It was a welcomed meal after our 60+ mile ride. We chatted and snacked into the night, played some cards, and shared dreams of what living a simple farming life could look like. We dreamed about communities creating sustainable homes and lives on the land. We visited his goats, picked some figs and grapes, and cozied up in our sleeping bags for a solid sleep in this mystical old farm house. The next day we got up and out early enough to ride another 64 miles before darkness falls during these shortened fall days. And, we safely made it to Eugene, OR.

We were warmly welcomed, once again, by an Otesha Olumni on her University of Oregon Campus, where we would be sharing her dorm with her, and living the American university life for the next few days. We did a fun presentation last night about Otesha and about cycle touring to 6 interested students, attending a class with Jessica on media, cycled along the very well cycled paths of the university here, and we heard and saw many a sterotypical American university quality while on campus. Football competition reigns high, students go 60 thousand dollars in debt just to finish college as fast as they can, and sororities and fraternities are prevalent.

And now, here I am. Sitting with my wonderful host for one last warm night before I head out again on my bicycle tomorrow, in the rain no doubt. Hannah headed back to Canada from Portland, and Tricia headed back northbound this evening. Now, I'm heading to the wild wet coast to catch up with two other familiar cyclists. Feels real funny embarking on this next leg without my team mates at my side. Soon enough I'll have other cycling buddies, but the solo travelling butterflies (as Tricia so perfectly described them tonight) have come into my belly, and I know now that my Otesha experience has really come to an end, and this adventure, is now my own. Scary, exciting, exhilarating.

Cheers to confidence and Independence. To warm nights and to safety. Cheers to cycling buddie reliance and google map reading. Cheers to warm hosts and cool nights. Cheers to the privilege to choose to embark on this adventure. To being out of my comfort zone, in a healthy way. Cheers to this strange, wonderful life.