multimode meander
Okay, I admit it. I’m a James Davis groupie. Dude leads incredible nature walks all over the Portland area. So when I found out that he would be leading a combined hike/float with the Tualatin Riverkeepers, I jumped at the chance. And hey—why not bicycle to the launch site and make it the bike/hike/boat trifecta of human-powered transport?
multimode meander: 24 miles total
From the wholesome suburbia of Reedville, SW 229th Avenue yields to farmland and golf courses. A zigzag on Rosedale takes you along the Urban Growth Boundary. It’s kind of a surreal experience to surf along the hairline between subdivisions and spaciousness.
Along Clark Hill Road, the cars evaporate and leave behind a residue of gentle hills. The legs toil, and the mind spins along with the wheels. Before long, the Munger property rolls into view.
Well, sort of. Everyone’s website just says, “oh, hey, it’s at the intersection of Munger and Scholls-Sherwood,” but no one seems to have made the conceptual leap to realize that people need to know how to get from that intersection to the actual property on the river. Well, I’m here for you. It’s easy, once you know how (thanks, passing guy in the truck!). East on Munger, south on the gravel road, and look on your left for a little grass parking lot.
The nature walk and paddle trip were awesome. Among the things we learned:- Owls eat moles, but they don’t digest the claws—they just vomit them back up in the form of little pellets. Ewww, and COOL!
- Spittlebugs live in foamy stuff that looks like spit, but it’s really their own pee.
- The Tualatin River has freshwater mussels! Who says critters can’t live in that silt?
Afterwards, I took the Scholls Ferry route back into Beaverton, where I met up with my fellow revelers and went to the pre-launch party for the Portland Vision Vessel (more in that in a later post). PBR may not be a stellar brew - heck, it may not even be an adequate brew - but you’d be surprised how much of a reward it can feel like on a hot, humid day. And to top it all off: a lightning storm, which is a rare treat in these parts.