The view from our front door says Spring has finally arrived, which means while the rain might not let up for another month or so it's no longer so wearing because island life is returning to Kodachrome.

I know the exact day everything changed...it was April 15.  Travis and I were out in the pasture and for the first time this year I could actually see the soft green haze of the leaf buds in all the deciduous trees.  Since then it's been a rush of new colors and sweet scents.  I love Spring.

To take a break from the (hopefully) last of the drizzly grey Penni and I loaded up the Screamer and headed south to sunny tropical Portland.  With Travis boarded at his favorite play spot, a week's reservation at The White House, our favorite Portland B&B, and a stack of Portland area cycling maps, we figured on some wonderful riding in what's easily the northwest's most bicycle-friendly city.  The mattress store not far from our B&B has a sign in the window that says, "We deliver by bicycle."  Well day 1 was one beautiful sunny day so we spent it on some of the city’s great bike trails.  Nothing like some sun and heat to bring everyone out, and we didn’t want to miss a moment.   

Of course in true Northwest fashion it didn’t last.   The next two days were gray and rainy so we abandoned the Screamer.  We spent that first drizzly day wandering our favorite Portland sights including the amazingly tranquil Chinese Garden in the center of the city.  If you get to Portland this is definitely a time-out-of-time...a portal to a completely new space. 

The next day we headed off down the Willamette Valley to visit some wineries.  At each one we took turns being the designated driver…probably not what the law intended.

The last day we had in Portland started with a drizzle but soon moved on to a downpour.  But we brought rain gear after all, so why not ride.  So bundled up in rain gear that mostly keeps salt water from mixing with fresh, and we headed off east on city streets looking for a major bike trail that would take us north to the Columbia, then west along the river until we finally were to loop south then east back to the White House.  It was pouring, and it was cold.  Our first 'rest' stop was after just a few miles...we came across a man lying face down and bleeding on the sidewalk in the rain.  Penni, the true medical professional, leaped into action while handing me the phone to call 911.  Strange thing about events like these...nobody stopped to see if they could help until we did.  Then people came.  I guess no one wants to be the first.  The fire department and then the paramedics soon arrived to take over and we continued on our way...totally lost.  When the rain stopped and the sun finally appeared we stopped at a Starbucks for directions and something hot to drink.  No one really seemed to know where the bike trail was but they could all point to the location of the river so we headed off again, this time in bright sunshine.  And we found the trail!...just in time for a flat tire.  I got the rear wheel off, found the hole, patched the tube and we were off again in record time.  But now the weather looked ominous... were heading into gray-black clouds and it was clearly raining around the edges.  And the clouds were moving quickly in our direction.  And then all of a sudden, "tssssssssssssssssss..."  I figured my quick patch job had blown out, and I was getting really nervous about what looked like a major storm moving directly towards us.  I must have set a world speed record for getting the tube repaired.  And it wasn't the original patch that blew.  

With the wheel back on we headed off again as
first it began to drizzle, and it quickly changed to pea-sized hail.  That stuff really hurts. Penni was riding with her hands over her face - not a choice for me.  Eventually the hail turned to a downpour and we decided a warm shower and some wine sounded great.  It was. 

The next day was Saturday and we had to head home, but not before visiting the Burnside Market for a couple of hours and reveling in the warm sunshine.  I love Portland.