Bike project Day 26: To Mirador

The Bike Project:

In which I attempt to ride all the yellow, green, blue & purple streets on the Bike There Bike Map while increasing strength, stamina, aerobic capacity and exploring Portland’s nooks and crannies.

Day 26

Weather: Sunny and hot.

Normally data such as ride speed, distance, etc. goes here, but I didn’t bring along any of my data collecting devices.

The Ride:
Lombard and Denver Ave.
Take Denver to Rosa Parks Way
Check out Recycling Center
Continue on Denver
L on N. Ainsworth
R on N. Vancouver
L on NE. Skidmore
R on N. 18th
R on NE Tillamook
L on NE 16th
Follow that around the Lloyd Center
L on Irving
R on 16th, follow that to Ladds Addition
L on Division
R on 21st.
Stop at Mirador

Route comments:

• I needed to check out the Portland Recycling Center before I had my day-o-errands and I also wanted to get some two-quart sized canning jars at Mirador, so I decided to ride my bike. It was a good day for riding: hot, but with a breeze.
• The ride itself was pretty uneventful. I’m still having that problem with my neck hurting if I spend too long riding. I think a more upright stance needs to be in my future.

How fun that I came across these children riding safely in a line. I suspect they were part of the Community Cycling Center’s Summer Camp, a program that I am very enthusiastic about, if not supportive monetarily (at this point.) Children learning to properly ride bikes = good adult riding skills!
Ladd’s Addition was sketched out by William Ladd himself. He was inspired by Pierre L’Enfant’s design of Washington DC. If you look at a map of Portland, Ladd’s Addition is easily identifiable as the suddenly diagonal portion on the map in a city of north-south and east-west grids. Unlike DC, there are not important buidings where the diagonals meet, but rather rose gardens. I enjoy getting lost in Ladd’s Addtion and admiring all the houses.
Mirador was good, as usual. They have all sort of household things: things for cooking as well as canning and other preserving, but also natual fiber shower curtains and bedding, etc. I even got some cute stationary made from recycled maps. After purchasing my large canning jars I rode the fast way home (along the Eastbank Esplinade) and stopped to pick some black berries at this bush. Luckily, I had a container to place them in.