#31…

A few years ago I posted that I’d run in 28 different states and since that time, I’ve added three more: Nevada, Arizona, and this past week, Oregon.

I travelled to Portland for a work conference and upon arriving, I initially figured that my Oregon miles would need to be logged by running loops in a nearby parking lot. Downtowns are usually tricky for running and though I’d gone to Google maps and found a path along the Willamette River which was about a half mile from my hotel, while walking to the conference the first day, I spent a little while looking for an access point to that path and couldn’t find one, at least one that didn’t involve going through rail yards or over concrete barricades.

While setting up the conference at the convention center, one of the warehouse foremen heard me lamenting the lack of running options in the area. It turned out he was a runner and knew the way to the river. Using his instructions, I set out the next morning and voila, there was the path.

Downtown Portland has acquired a less-than-savory reputation over the past eighteen months but since I was there for a total of six days, I doubt I have deep enough knowledge to fully comment on the city. However, though I had found a way to the river, I kept my hopes moderate for what I would find.

The river path was a small gem in the city. The first morning I ran, it was post-sunrise and running along the water was quite pleasant. A group of us met well before sunrise the next morning and wound our way down to the path. The lights from the city provided a vibrant backdrop for the run and cemented my view that the path was quite the find.

Often when travelling I keep my runs in the 30-minute range and there was a good turnaround point on the path that seemed designed for that length of run. Some chunks of basalt columns at this spot intrigued my geologist friends who were with me, who took a look at them before we started the trek back. While the path didn’t allow me to absorb the area as I might on other urban or rural routes when travelling, it was a relaxing stretch of running, a good getaway.

(One final note. Another gem of Portland is Powell’s City of Books. For any long-time Denver residents, it reminded me of the former Tattered Cover store at Cherry Creek. Multiple levels and shelves upon shelves of books. They don’t have just general sections. There are sections within sections of genres to help guide your search.)