Day 1 Part 2

You think you're someplace unfamiliar, and it's amazing how familiar it can be. Running up Burnside, past the Jupiter Hotel, where Jeanne and I stayed after one of Jewelia's shows. A very cool hotel, not recommended for a good nights sleep, but very cool in all other ways. Then straight past Falcon Studios where Jewelia's Shame EP and A Quick Look Back CD were recorded. We spent a lot of time in this neighborhood. Past the great greek deli, and the tequila bar, the bass shop....yes Chad that still creeps me out too, I suddenly realized I know great coffee shops in this neighborhood, and coffee sounded really good.

The arches introducing Laurelhurst looked like a mini Arch de Triumph, and having just watched the Tour finish I was excited to be welcomed through the arch....Apparantly I was the first victorious person over five feet tall to pass through the arch because a HUGE spiders web was all over me!!!! There are some beautiful older homes in Laurelhurst, I wondered how many of them had Air Conditioning because it was starting to get hot.

I was crossing one of what seemed like a million streets on my way out of Portland, and noticed a guy running up the cross street. He must have been about 20 meters behind me at the corner and I then could hear him behind me. As he pulled up along side me I made room for him to pass.....I HATE getting passed, but I had reason to be taking it a little slow.....he said, "mind some company?".....I didn't mind so I said "sure". He introduced himself as Stuart and commented that we were running about the same pace and I told him my name, and took notice of the fact that he was breathing pretty heavy. After a pretty long stretch of silence he asked "how far you going?" I seemed to know this question was inevitable, but replied "Today?"....he stammered, "Um yeah"......"Bidal Veil Falls", I said....it was a lie, I wasn't going quite that far but I'm not sure how to pronounce Latourell Falls and didn't want to say it wrong....."Jesus Christ" he said, "are you going all that way on one bottle of water?"....."No, my girlfriend is meeting me up the road a ways and give me a new one"......He dropped back and I never saw him again?????? I guess we weren't running the same pace after all????

I still can't get over seeing the Sandy River green and milky....not Steelhead Green, gross green. There seem to be a lot of people dying or flirting with dying on the rivers this week....Everybody is trying to escape the heat, I should find some wood to knock on, but I can't help laughing to myself how many people have told me I'm crazy for doing this run this week...or how many people I passed that warned me to make sure I drank plenty of water, or to "take care of myself". Running down the road seems about as safe as anything else these days.