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...
_____
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment