When the sun finally arrived recently, we Portlanders poured out of our homes in celebration. It was time for J and I to throw the bikes in the back of the truck for a nice long ride on the Springwater Corridor. The ride starts for us at OMSI on the east bank, offering really gorgeous city views. The Willamette looked like a crowded toddlers tub, choc a bloc with boats of all sizes, including the Dragon Boats out for their practice runs. As we rode south towards Oaks Park, the real views turned out to be the people, the trueist cross section of Portlanders you can imagine. Punk girls with multi-colored hair and all black clothing, serious cyclists with skin tight riding jerseys, families yelling at their kids to stay on the right side of the pathway, mom and pop types in tie-die ambling along, well behaved dogs taking their owners for a walk, even a few homeless with their belongings in milk crates on the back of their bikes shared the trail.

While the trail can be a bit congested between OMSI and Oak Park, it opens up considerably on the small stretch through the Sellwood neighborhood before the trail begins again, crossing McLoughlin and heading out through Gresham and over 20 miles total into Boring.

We were content with a 14 mile round trip, enjoying the greenery of Johnson Creek and the light industrial beyond. A great coffee stop reward near OMSI, if you haven't tried it yet, is Water Avenue Coffee. They roast their own award winning beans, offer lovely pastries and sandwiches, as well as a "side car" of espresso next to your espresso drink. What a great city we live in.