On Friday morning I woke up in Seattle for the last time. After taking the bus downtown, I boarded the train to Portland. The train was very comfortable – lots more leg room than the bus, free wifi available, and a deli-type restaurant on one of the cars. The conductor was great too – every ten minutes or so he would point out something interesting the train was passing. For an extra $5 I was able to take my bike on the train – without packing it up! What a relief.
When I arrived to Portland, I grabbed lunch and decided to bike along the Willamette River while I was waiting to be picked up by some family that live there. I enjoyed a really nice trail on the west bank for a while, but then as I approached the Sellwood Bridge, the trail suddenly ended and I found myself on a very busy and unsafe road. I pulled over at my first opportunity and waited to be picked up. Although I could have gone further, I decided to end my ride at 11km for my safety.
This was my first time meeting my family in Portland, and they were so nice! They took me back to their place in Silverton, OR, and from there the whole family packed up and we left for Bend, OR. There we met some friends of theirs at a house they had rented for the weekend. In total, a fairly small house was now occupied by seven adults and seven children! I was in for a wild weekend.
Beyond the Automobile 