Sunacation, November 20 - Leif Erickson Trail & Blue Moon Cafe

I slept like a rock. I woke up at 705am PST (1005am EST). The sun was just beginning to poke above the horizon like a little turtle head. I did get up in the middle of the night and take some Advil. That was a smart move. I had a headache from the beer and martini the night prior. After some sit-ups and push-ups I readied for my run. I was excited about the run too. Vancouver has a fascinating waterfront along the Columbia River that is runner friendly. And with the morning sky being so clear, I was sure to get a glimpse of Mt Hood in all her glory. There was a light coating of frost on the ground and a quick check of the air temperature showed it to be 33 degrees. I bundled up in my normal winter running gear and wore my MP3 player. I was out the door at 745am for my first vacation run. I was juiced! The air in Glenn’s neighborhood has the distinct smell of seasoned firewood, and the smell is sweet & fruity, not the pungent, wet wood smell you often can detect back home. It’s very pleasant. Glenn’s home is about 1.5 miles or so from the waterfront and a straight shot at that. Before hitting the water front you pass through Ester Short Park which is a lovely park in the center of town with huge evergreens, lush green grass, beautiful landscaping and fountains, and a talking Glockenspiel. I love running through it. Once on the waterfront I was in awe of the breathtaking vistas. The vastness of the Columbia nestled in amongst some remaining fog was a photographers dream, Couple that with the steel bridges basking in the sun and you have another breath taking view. The waterfront, which is visited by many runners and walkers alike, is so picturesque. My guess is that it’s about 2.5 to 3 miles to the turnaround. I was back after about 45 minutes and ready for some coffee. Glenn didn’t get up until sometime around 900am. I spent the quiet time journaling. Once awake, Glenn offered to make a hearty home style breakfast. How could I refuse? I’m not too used to that. He made eggs, sausage, baked potatoes, and toast with cream cheese. We discussed the day’s activities and decided on a mountain bike ride in Forest Park on Leif Erickson trail. After a little prep, we loaded the bikes on the back of his Honda. I wisely opted to remain in my running gear as it would double nicely as bike riding attire. Having never mountain biked, I had little idea of what to expect aside from a sore ass and the realization that the muscles used for biking are different than the ones I use for running. Forest Park is located in the foothills northwest of downtown Portland. The trail is 11.22 miles long and winds though the forest, and the greater majority of the trail is up hill. For convenience sake, we dropped the bikes at the trails head and Glenn took the car down the hill a little to park. This was a very, very busy trail. Lots of runners and lots of mountain bikers were out and about taking in the surprisingly beautiful Portland weather. While waiting on Glenn to return I did some gazing into the forest, and I am glad I did. I spotted an owl (later learned it was a horned owl) about 100 feet away resting about 25 feet up on the trunk of a tree. It was huge and it was beautiful. And hey, just a week or so earlier, I had shared with Mindy that I’ve never seen an owl in the wild. No longer! I was so excited that I stopped strangers to point it out to them also. They all were amazed too. I was happy to share my joy. Soon, I was off on my first mountain bike ride ever. The first few miles were almost exclusively up hill, albeit gradual. We had originally talked about turning around at the 6 mile marker, where there’s a scenic overview. And it began getting a bit laborious after about 4 miles, so that sounded good. However, once we hit the 6 mile marker we agreed to continue on to the eight mile marker. To my surprise, Glenn was the one getting tuckered. I was doing great! Glenn reported having a hangover and a raw ass for wearing jeans. I wore my running tights and wicking clothes which left me very comfortable. Once we hit the 8 mile mark I suggested that we press on all the way to the top. We did. However, no longer was I being awed by the scenery. Instead, it became somewhat of a quest to reach the end. The last couple of miles were very taxing. I had to stop occasionally, have water and eat a power bar. By the time we reached the pinnacle, we were both exhausted. My best guess is that the ride out was 75% up hill. But that meant that the ride down would be the opposite. The thing I didn’t consider was my depleted energy level. I was spent. After resting for about ten minutes at the top we started back. Glenn looked a little piqued. On the return trip, every time I hit even the slightest uphill, my legs were cramping. I was out of energy, plain and simple. The water I had on board was like nectar – it was delicious. I took several breaks along the grueling trek back. Thankfully, once back to the 3 mile mark, it was downhill the rest of the way, and I coasted most of that. Once we reached the end my ass was sore! Glenn complained that he felt like shit. I was fine despite the sore ass. After loading the bikes, we headed into NW Portland for some dinner and beer. NW Portland is a trendy district with lots of refurbished Victorian style homes. It’s inhabited by a bunch of yuppie looking folks driving expensive cars. We ended up at the Blue Moon. It’s one of my favorites. They have a decent assortment of microbrews, a good selection of pub food, and a warm inviting circular fireplace table. Over the next hour and one half, I had a Pumpkin Ale, a Kris Kringle, along with a Gyro. Everything was good. We left the pub and headed back to Glenn’s some time around 6pm. On the way home I decided to give Mindy a call. She was just getting in bed. After all, it was a school night. We talked for a while – the whole drive home. She seemed to be doing well and shared her weekend stories. It sounded as if Mindy and her friends raised a little bit of hell Saturday night. Glenn wanted to patronize the Tip Top lounge before calling it a day. It’s only a few blocks from his home, so we drove over. There were only two other patrons there. We had one beer each and then headed home. I was tired, plus I had a sore throat. Once we were back at his place, we watched the movie “Old School”. Very funny. By 10pm, I was done! I went to bed.