Bikes, Cars, Bars, Guitars, and Cigars

What do they have in common? I don't know. It just sounded like a good title for a blog since I haven't written one since my birthday last month. I guess if I really had to think about it, the title of today's blog would have to do with things I've either done, ridden in or on, listened too, listened in, or smoked, in no particular order.

I ride my bike when the spirit moves me to do so. I got in good enough shape that when Katie and I went to Portland to do our yearly ride in the Providence Bridge Pedal, that I could do the 37 miles relatively easily and handle all the climbs. While the course is closed for the most part you do have to deal with cars on occasion. The worst part of the ride is the other 17,999 cyclists that are vying for the same piece of blacktop that you are. The Bridge Walk could be another name for this event as in places there is just no room to ride. When there is room you have to be careful for the liesurely riders who are out for a Sunday spin and are completely oblivious to you and could care less when they abruptly move in one direction or another messing up your line, and in turn the lines of the riders behind you. I'm surprised there aren't more 'domino' type crashes in this thing.

For a brief moment while riding across the Hawthorne Bridge I did for a moment think I was going down. They place 4 x 8 sheets of plywood across one lane of the brides to cover the metal grate that is the surface of the bridge. The stagger the panels and there is always a seam somewhere. I found one and my front tire went right into it. Fighting it get out the bike and I lurched to the right. I could feel it coming, and all I could think of is 'fuck this is going to hurt.' Not only did I think I was going down, I thought for sure I'd get run over by about seven bikes. For whatever reason, I pulled out of it and kept on going. Man, was I lucky.

The ride was on Sunday. Before that we had managed to see our friend Lloyd Jones play at a small bar in Northeast Portland called The Old Halibut. Small little place that had replicas of Dean, Frank, and Sammy, in the corner of the bar where the band plays. I thought they might break out into 'You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,' but alas, they just sat there.

Lloyd is a longtime Portland bluesman whose history goes back to when I was just a kid and I heard his band 'Brown Sugar,' play at my grade school gym when I was 12 years old. This band had Lloyd, Jim Mesi, the late Paul DeLay, and a guy to be traded later. Sorry dude, to lazy to look up your name. Anyway, these guys were great. Lloyd I think played drums. A friend of mine challenged him to play 'Wipeout' which I think he declined.

No stop to Portland is complete until I've stopped in at Rich's Cigar shop on 8th and Alder in downtown. Best cigar shop in the city. Picked up a couple of Padron 5000's and I was good to go. Only problem is you can't smoke anywhere in communist Portland except Kell's Iris pub, also in downtown. Kell's has a smoking area downstairs which is part bar, part dungeon, but it works. Great place Kell's. Went there for an Irish breakfast after the Sunday ride.

So there you have it. I rode a bike. Drove in and negotiated not getting hit by a car, went to a bar and listened to some guitars, and later went to another bar and smoked a cigar. In between, we went and had sushi for dinner, but it didn't rhyme so it wasn't part of the title.