Serendipity

This is one of the really cool things about this trip so far – once in a while something totally unexpected will pop up, and really make your day. At Frank’s suggestion, I went into Pioneer Courthouse Square, which is the hub of the city. My cab driver told me about an event called the ‘Tour de Fat’, which was taking place down on the riverside, just a few blocks from downtown. I caught a free tram down to the river and wandered along a bit, enjoying the lovely sunny weather, and the general ambiance of the place.

The abundance of bicycles was my first clue I was getting close. The second clue was the live music, which I can only describe as a fusion of Jazz, Punk & Rockabilly. The venue itself was just a big fenced off area of grass on the riverside, but with free entry – the fences just being to keep things contained. The Tour de Fat itself, is a celebration of bicycle culture, beer, and sustainability. The whole shebang is solar powered, features two stages of all sorts of really entertaining ‘fringe’ music, comedy, whatever. The beer is served in plastic ‘glasses’ which are made from corn, and are biodegradable – what a cool idea! While I was there they were holding bicycle races to see who would win the 2007 Portland Slowest Bicycle Rider championship. This was eventually won by a dude on a seven foot tall unicycle, who seemed to be able to balance himself in one spot for as long as he liked, whilst drinking a pint of beer.

As well as enjoying the beer and the very friendly buzz of the festival, I was dazed and confused, amazed and enthused, about the sheer variety of bicycles, skin art, wacky hairdos and outrageous costumes on display. It appears that mutton chop whiskers are very much in vogue in Portland this summer. I did get a few photos on my cellphone, but will have to wait to get home to retrieve them.

After a couple of hours of sitting in the sun giggling, I figured I had better wend my way back to Union Station. I could have cheerfully stayed much longer, as the whole thing was an absolute hoot. Anyway, after a few minutes gentle amble, nature was calling (one only rents the very fine Organic Amber Ale for a short time, sadly), so I repaired to Paddy’s Bar & Grill for a pee. Not wanting to be rude, I thought I had better have another beer, and sat at the bar marveling over their ‘top shelf’. This would have to be the most amazing collection of liquor I have ever seen – seven shelves, about 35 feet long, full to the gills with anything and everything one could possibly imagine. I briefly contemplated sampling a single malt or three, but after not being able to choose, opted for a Tia Maria for the road, and asked the barman to call me a cab.

My cabbie, Jeanette, duly arrived and we wandered off, arm in arm, towards her cab. I think she thought I was much drunker than I thought I was. I’m still not sure who was right, but we did have a fairly lucid conversation, so I can’t have been too far gone. In fact, I was her last fare for the day, and as we got chatting, I discovered her Dad is a bit of a train nut too. Discovering I was likewise afflicted, she decided she was going to take me to see some old preserved locomotives heaven only knows where. I said that it sounded like fun, but I was running out of ready cash, so not to rack up a big fare. ‘Not a problem,’ quoth Jeanette. ‘It’s about $5.00 from here to the station’, and then she switched off her meter, and off we went on a tiki tour. The closest we got to the locos was a distant view from an overpass, as by the time we got that far we were both starting to run out of time, so it was off back to Union Station. However, I did get to enjoy the company of an awesome lady for half an hour or so, and a free tour of Portland, with a lot of laughs beside.

Jeanette duly delivered me back to Portland station with a comfortable amount of time before my boarding call, we swapped business cards, and that essentially, was Portland. What a fabulous afternoon it was, and all totally spontaneous. I was sad to have to leave, as it was just such a cool place, and I would like to have been able to see more of it. In fact Oregon generally rates as a really cool place in my book. Still, another 25 odd states to go, so we shall have to see if it holds up long term.