12th Leg: Gregory Heights to Hollywood Library

Date of run: March 21, 2014
Time of run: 2:08 pm
Temp: 54 degrees F (feels like 54)
Conditions: Mostly sunny, wind 7 mph, chance of rain 0%
Distance: 2.8 miles out, 2.7 miles back (5.5 miles total)

How do you make running five and a half miles feel like a vacation? Run 14 miles the week before. Oh and what perfect weather too: Not too hot, not too cold, and almost no wind. Happiness!

And, I was running to HOLLYWOOD!



Well no, not that Hollywood, this one:



So, I set off on my grand adventure, sailing south by foot on 72nd, spotting swales and pirates (no comment) along the way, and being careful not to get sucked in by the vacuum store:









Approaching Tillamook Road, I wondered if this Boy Scouts sign meant "Troop 117" in an ironic way (you never know where Portlandia mentality will strike), and gazed longingly at the green of a spring-in-bloom golf course.





And more green: Rose City Park, including frisbee throwers relaxing in the sun and the sign that states "Open to 12:01 AM" which I like because if a sign says "Open to 12:00 AM" the police may hear "But that's not midnight, that's noon!" in order to try to justify some after-dark in-the-park shenanigans.





And a 90-degree turn, to head westward on Tillamook Road. Love these less urban streets in the middle of the city:



One thing about the Hollywood neighborhood: the sidewalks have ramps. Not only helpful for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, but to prevent tripping by runners with tired legs. And these were the best sidewalk ramps I'd ever come across:



Now at the aforementioned Hollywood Library branch, I turned around at the front doors to see a lovely bakery attached to it, complete with an assortment of sugar-free treats. (I didn't stop there. This time, anyway.)



Stepping in, I saw a mid-sized space with rows and rows of bookshelves. But as always, these by-foot trips aren't for reading, so I headed past those to find the CD racks, tucked away in the back, and made my selections: Adele's 21 (something 'mainstream' - let's find out what all the fuss is about), Cymbals Eat Guitars' Lenses Alien (intruiging band name), and Rick Wakeman's Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (guilty pleasure from my teens, like spending time with an old friend...note the English spelling of 'Centre').





CDs in pockets, I headed back out, first north then east on Wistaria Drive (no, not Wisteria Lane where the murder happened). Lovely stonework and flowers along the way, and a bit of gentle incline for some leg strengthening.



Working my way further east and north, I saw more signs of spring and improving weather, including a deck party, and chalk art in a large intersection. I get happy seeing these things!





Nearing the end of my run, as I started to tire and looking for a boost, I saw...the cavalry! Oops no, that's Calvary, as in church. Never mind...



Almost back to the Gregory Heights branch now, I passed a sign for Addie's You and I Travel, which reminded me of a certain lengthy and beautiful song. Yes indeed!



One last sighting before returning to my car: the biggest one I've ever seen...I'll dub it...Moby Swale:



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LAST WEEK'S MUSIC

Apparat, The Devil's Walk

Judging by the cover art and the album title, I was expecting something quite different, but instead this is contemplative, slow building, and grand. And this video is a nice way to show off some found object art installations:




Swans, Children Of God/World Of Skin

This band has had a long (over 30 years) career, and this re-release of material from the late 80's is pretty interesting stuff, finding sonic and spiritual ground somewhere between Dead Can Dance and the more Goth-like tension of Bauhaus/Peter Murphy. Not something I would spend a lot of time listening to these days but could've had an impact in some of my angst-ridden days of young adulthood.

11th Leg: Rockwood to Gregory Heights Library

Date of run: March 14, 2014
Time of run: 2:00 pm
Temp: 57 degrees F ("Feels like 57")
Conditions: Partly cloudy, mostly sunny, wind 7 mph
Distance: 6.9 miles out, 7.2 miles back (14.1 miles total)

"This post is brought to you by the letter K, and the numbers 2 and 4." (See music notes below.)

This was a LONG run. So I didn't. I ran about half of it and walked the rest. Was hoping to run more of that but the old legs weren't up to the task, cramps set in at about 10 miles and I walked back the final 4 miles. Always frustrating when you're trying to get home on time. If only I'd noticed I was going to run out of gas BEFORE I hit the halfway point (Gregory Heights Library), but even if I did, I HATE to bail on a goal-setting quest.



First, a looong run up Burnside Street, to the west, along the Light Rail line and occasional auto traffic, taking in some nice sights like a little league field about ready to get used this spring, and some "graffiti" on a long stone wall reminding me of the town I was in:







At the end of this long straight stretch I noticed a sequence of signs letting me know I was passing through the Gateway district (I think it's a district, and not a community, or township, or...?), a section of Portland that has its own symbol (somewhat reminiscent of McDonalds arches). I then crossed the overpass above I-205 and I-84 highways. Always love these views, watching large volumes of traffic zoom by while I plod along by foot.





On the other side of the big highway, the vibe was much more "neighborhood." Always loved this street name (Brazee): Sounds a little wild, and it's fitting that the sign is a little cockeyed:



Heading north for a couple miles, I arrived at the Gregory Heights Library. Another "cute" little library, welcoming and nicely decorated with hanging umbrellas and lanterns, but again with that locked door. Hmmm. This one had a printed photo attached to it showing where and what the key for it looked like (helpful).







CDs selected (by Apparat and an early release by Swans), I headed back east, this time to the north and east down Sandy, with second look at the busy freeway:





On the long stretch of Sandy Boulevard, I passed two small but serene looking cemeteries, and in keeping with the pioneer theme, a statue of "The Immigrant" as well as a plaque for Immigrant of the Year, to be filled in each year up until 2048 (guess they'll add another one after that). Very nice.







I nominate this for street sign of the year. Great typesetting can really bring in the customers:



As Sandy runs parallel to the airport, I got to see lots of planes coming in for a landing. Also saw some interesting/weird/nice greenery along the way.







As I slowly (painfully) made my way through the last of the 14 miles, passing through the Wilkes East neighborhood, the Talking Heads song "Road to Nowhere" came on my iPod. Just perfect. (I love in the video where Tina and Chris get old and kiss, and flap their wings fast like birds taking off, about the 3:14 mark. So cool.)





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Last week's CDs:

Eternal Tapestry, Beyond The 4th Door
Great band name, great album title, but my reaction was "I've heard this all before" (per some influences noted in this review). Formless and meandering, I prefer the structure (and yes, repetition) of modern psych practitioners Wooden Shjips. That being said, in the right environment, it has its uses:




Relient K, K Is For Karaoke
This was a happy surprise. I'm not a fan of modern "pop punk" (two words that shouldn't go together) but these guys have been at it for over a decade, and really show their performance chops on this diverse set of cover tunes, including Cyndi Lauper ("Girls Just Want To Have Fun"), They Might Be Giants ("Doctor Worm") and Tears For Fears:




The Doors, Live At The Aquarius Theatre, The Second Performance

I've heard a few Doors live albums, but this one was really good: A complete concert on two discs, including the introduction and between-song chatting. The audience started out quite subdued but was totally won over by the end. Jim was charismatic and explosive, and the band cooked, fully showing why they were such a sensation in their short but spectacular run. No sir, they don't make 'em like this anymore. A great listen.

10th Leg: Gresham to Rockwood Library

Date of run: March 7, 2014
Time of run: 3:00 pm
Temp: 61 degrees F (feels like 59)
Conditions: Sunny with white fluffy clouds, almost no wind
Distance: 3.1 miles out, 3.1 miles back (6.2 miles total)

This run was perfect, for two reasons: One, the mileage was just a little more than my training program for the Edinburgh Half in May, and two, the early March weather was AMAZING...sunny, no wind, and 60+ degrees. I wore a short sleeve shirt, and sweated happily.





Running north and west, I passed through a mini-malltown (these places weird me out: a mall, but with roads, stop signs, street lights, the works, and yet not in any way a real "town" at all. Fortunately, this scene soon gave way to established neighborhood streets lined with oxygen giving old trees.





This street soon turned into a newly developed area, but with a "secret path" leding off to the right. Without Google Maps I never would've seen it. I soon came to a fork and headed east, hopping around quite a few large potholes filled with rainwater.





I emerged at 202nd Avenue, which led immediately to Burnside Street, the main road leading to Rockwood Library. Along the way, there were unexpected visual treats: A red circle mosaic made of small pieces of glass that glittered in the sun, our solar system comprised of large concrete spheres representing the planets, facts about each and their orbits painted on the pavement with deep colors, and a light rail stop with architecture that was quite eye catching (no apparent functionality, but certainly made it easy to see from several blocks away).











Apparently this is all fairly recent. I was looking at Google Maps "street view" of the area and noticed that it was all under construction when they came through with cameras. To the left of the light rail stop, across the intersection is where the new solar system installation went. Nice!





Another surprise find was a mini-amusement park, complete with a couple of kiddie rides, cotton candy vendor, and a ride that I found most tempting, but in the end opted to just film it and run on...





Then to the destination, Rockwood Library: Small, unassuming, with lots of patrons. Unlike most other branches, it had a bathroom with a special access key. I also noticed a security guard (not pictured, didn't want to stir things up), which seemed a little much considering the size of the place. But you don't usually have a security presence unless there's been trouble. Ah well. At least she was smiling as she walked past...







I made my music selections: A pop-punk covers album by "spiritually oriented" Relient K, a psych-rock effort by yet another Portland-based band, Eternal Tapestry, and a live release by The Doors, from the summer of 1969. I've heard a few live Doors releases already, and they seem to be second only to the Grateful Dead in documenting their (well, quite short actually) live performance history. But the Allmusic.com review looked good for this one, so why not one more?



CDs safely tucked into three pockets of my shorts, I headed back to Gresham, this time directly down Burnside. I came to this sign (oh no!) and promptly ran right past it, on the shoulder. "End of Walk" eh? Fortunately I wasn't walking.



Approaching the turnoff from Burnside to Eastman Avenue, I saw both a reason why people would move to Gresham - stunning mountain view! - and a possible reason why they wouldn't - a strong police presence, as also seen in this photo, issuing a ticket to a driver pulled off to the right of the road.



And back to the car (nestled in the trees of the Gresham Library parking lot). A little stretching, some dry clothes from the trunk, and home...



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Last week's CDs from Gresham Library:

Wooden Shjips, Dos (2009)
Ooh, this is fun stuff: Droney psychedelic rock, but somehow fairly warm and friendly. Nice for night driving or lying in bed with the lights off and headphones on. The title is probably a play on words, because not only is Dos their second album, but listening to it is like taking a "dose" of something mind altering.

I'm now checking out some of their more recent stuff, and it's happily more of the same, if not a little better. They're slowly perfecting the formula. Side note: Apparently all roads lead to Portland, because this band recently moved from San Francisco to here.




Musiq Soulchild, Yes (2011)
This neo-soul artist sounds at times like Stevie Wonder, and at times a modern hip hop/R&B singer. Good stuff. This song is a tribute to women fighting cancer; the video starts fairly predictably but gets pretty deep as it goes along. Powerful and beautiful.