Library Ride #1: Washington County Edition, Home to Tigard

Well, with every goal there is often an obstacle (or two, or three). One of this year's goals was to run a fundraising 5K once a month for a year. I made it to July, but in August I was forced to take a break from running due to Achilles and heel pain that was not getting better by on-the-fly modifications (switching to a track, sitting down more at work, etc). To replace the running for a while, and hopefully keep some fitness going, I took out my trusty (not rusty) old bike and started riding it. Then this weekend, it struck me (a thought, not a car), how about a Library Ride Challenge, as opposed to last year's Library Run? Something to take my mind off possibly (well, now probably) having to skip this year's Portland Half Marathon in October.

So, in the spirit of Freddie/Queen: "Get on my bike and ride!"

To start off this first leg of the trek, I left my house and after a short while arrived at the Fanno Creek Trail entrance near the Garden Home Rec Center. It's a short and sweet little trail that joins up with Allen Boulevard after about a mile and a half.





After a bit on Allen, I headed toward Denney Road to pick up the second portion of the Fanno Creek Trail, noting this stony large bear along the way, before immediately running into a more literal obstacle, a path closure:





However, I noticed a "detour" sign, so dutifully followed it, going past some nicely palatial names (Duke, Princess, King, etc) and very quickly joined up with the Trail:





This is a fun section of the Fanno Trail, where you can watch people having a go at Frisbee golf (and every time I see them I think "I've gotta get the kids down here!").



But whoops, another path-block, this time an actual fence built right over the path that's been there for years! So, time for the "path less traveled," in this case a dirt path clearly worn by people who weren't satisfied with the longer detours being suggested, this one running just to the left of the paved path. As I proceeded, looking down at the path, I saw that it had turned into quite a little pond/stream of its own, with happy ducks and all. Where destruction goes, a new ecosystem quickly establishes itself (always look at the bright side, I say).







Exiting the Fanno Creek/pond/lake area, I exclaimed "Helloooo Tigard!" A couple of nice Old West style buildings on this road to welcome a visitor:



Nice skate park here too. Fun watching the kids go around and over obstacles. One kid flew right up to me and jumped off his board, uninjured. Sorry I didn't catch that on my camera phone in time - quite impressive. I used to want to try it, but rehab from injury is something I'd rather spend as little time on as possible these days!



About a mile or so later, I arrived at the destination: The Tigard Public Library.



As per my habit, I anticipated going in and enjoying a coffee (maybe even a donut) but OH NO! It was closed, with the dreaded "until further notice," which generally means "we have no idea, probably never again." Oh well, better for my health anyway. Yay...



After a short scan of the CD racks, I decided this time I would pick up two items: One, something new and unfamiliar, and Two, something known and sure to be enjoyed again. In this case, the former was an artist called Land Of Kush, the album The Big Mango being described on Amazon as "a love letter to Cairo." Yeah, that works: Very world-beat-y, tribal sounding, with not a lot of rock instrumentation but that's okay every once in a while; and the latter, a David Bowie live from 2003 double CD set called A Reality Tour, which is as the Allmusic review describes: "no surprises but plenty of pleasure." Indeed, I enjoyed playing it very much, with lots of old favorite songs as well as some of his newer stuff played with enthusiasm by his band in front of a very charged up audience in Dublin, Ireland.



Next week, I'll continue my journey south, from Tigard to Tualatin, and see what new sights and sounds await.