Thanks for the supportive words, Steve. It’s pretty bleak down here right now alright, but I don’t know that I’d write off the whole country just yet. For myself I’m looking ahead to the day when we can start feeling comfortable cycling the parts of the country that we love the best, most of which are deep red. Our month in John Day this spring was revelatory. If you could look past all of the angry and belligerent signs and flags, I enjoyed nearly all of our personal encounters. We need to find a way to reengage with each other as people again..

This morning it looks like he’s a winner alright, so thank god for that. I’m anxious to see how quickly people can start to disarm and let life return to something normal. You’d like to think that folks Just would be exhausted by all the craziness of the last four years and ready to get on with life.

Sad is the word, alright. This morning at least there’s cause for some optimism as the election outcome is becoming clear; there are undoubtedly dark days ahead though. There were destructive rioters downtown running amok and breaking windows two nights back, and Gov. Brown has to call in the National Guard. It weeks like it will be along time before the city feels normal again.

I think today's post is in the finest tradition of cycle blogs - documenting the cultural/economic nature of a place, and the writer's reaction to it. Unfortunately what you documented is profoundly saddening to us, your friends watching from North, and everywhere else in the world.

Most likely, Grampies will never actually enter the US again. But I must say, the last time on the way to Seattle and walking in a Walmart it felt much more like a Rainbow Coalition than a right wing dictatorship. Maybe we can all just cling to the very narrow blue rim down the coast. So I just pulled "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" by Spring and Kirkendall off the shelf and blew away the dust.

Yes second Tricia's wishes. It's certainly hard to conceive that 68 million people in your country are that self interested or living on a completely different planet. But it is looking hopeful and I think Biden will do it. Here's hoping and that this may be a turning point. As you note there is still so much beauty when you look in the right places.

We wake up to a third day of trolling the news networks. Then I read your post and we both feel incredibly sad. In the early seventies we lived in Portland (Beaverton actually). Ken was working for Albert Starr, a pioneer in artificial heart valves, and although exhausting the work was extremely stimulating. Living in the suburbs with small children I found my neighbours and those at the school and preschool inclusive and kind. Our youngest son was born there and when we came to be discharged from hospital Albert had picked up the bill. The opportunity came for Ken to have a job at St Vincents Hospital and we were torn eventually deciding to return home to one here. I find it so hard to reconcile my personal experiences with the ugliness I am reading and hearing now. Actually I feel not a single person I know in the USA would be sufficiently brain dead to vote for the psycopath
We both feel for you and more than anything hope that once this ugly election is behind you there will be healing
Tricia and Ken

Yes!

ABC!

Nice! Goose Hollow? Alphabet District?

Gotta love the fantastic palette of colors sweetgums have in the fall!

Yes, there is a place to stand on the other side - the drawbridge, about fifteen feet below.

Cool photo! She planned her outfit well .. to not only have the interesting head piece, but also to be the only person not wearing dark muted colors.

Also .. looks like the photographer is sitting on the wall, but there must be a place to stand on the other side?

Thanks so much for your wonderful comment! I sure hope we get a chance to meet someday!

Relieved to read you two made it home safely. Here's hoping the world turns to a more positive future in the coming months and that we all have more cycling adventures written into our futures...

Maybe you should count the hundreds of places where you have been and no disaster ensued... Or maybe disasters are everywhere...