Originally Posted by
Clownbike
McMenamins eh? That should have been...burger, fries, and a couple of pints. One of the pioneering brewpub outfits, glad to see they're still thriving.
Nice writeup and photos.
Ha! Thanks, but with 45 miles yet to go that day (in the heat) ... the only pints I was drinking were root beer.
Originally Posted by
Foldable Two
Great write-up and pics, too. Presently sitting in Ocean Shores, WA - on coast directly West of Olympia, WA. We drive through the general area described getting out here from Vancouver, WA. Will have to try those rails-to-trails, plus the one out to Pacific City.
Nice looking Swift, too. Being STEEL, assume it came from Center for Appropriate Transportation in Eugene - more great paved bike trails there and also reachable via the 'Cascades' train.
FYI, McMenamin's is doing really well - almost 60 establishments, most very distinctive.
http://mcmenamins.com/
Highly recommend the "Poor Farm" (the former Multnomah County Poor Farm) a sprawling establishment in East Portland and reachable via bicycle from PDX and MAX + Bicycle from the Amtrak Station. Our other favorite is their Columbia Riverfront location in Vancouver (USA, not B.C. & WA, not D.C. - local joke)
Lou
Actually, my Swift is the aluminum Xootr model. I did think about riding down to Eugene and taking the Cascades back, but the temps were also forecasted to be in the mid 90s through most of the valley. It is high on my to-do list though ... the only downside is the train timing isn't great. The last train from Eugene back to Portland leaves around noon, and it's the Starlight. The last Cascades leaves mid-morning. There are a couple of "Amtrak" departures in the afternoon, but they're both "Amtrak Thruway" buses operated by another carrier. Not sure whether they are Greyhound.
The trip I REALLY wanted to do, if it hadn't been so scorching hot, would have been an Amtrak-enabled ride through the Gorge. Here's the plan (unless there are strong westerlies): Take the Empire Builder east on Friday, which drops you off in Bingen at 6:20 pm. Camp at Bridge RV, which has nice tent sites. Saturday, ride east on SR14, crossing the river at The Dalles and riding back to somewhere between Viento State Park and Cascade Locks (numerous camping opportunities in this stretch). Sunday, ride the rest of the way back home. Ends up being about 110 miles or so in total.