Getting out of Portland

he airline industry is on tough times. Northwest Airlines wanted to charge us $300 to take bikes on the airplane. they also wanted to charge $15 per checked bag. Airlines are a really unique industry in that they set thier prices on how much they can gouge the customer instead of how much the service actually costs.

And Northwest really wanted us to pay the $300! The published charge for taking a bike on a plane was $175 - but Lorraine, the sweet soul behind the counter, asked three different sets of supervisors to see if she could not get the higher price. finally she had to give up and "save us some money" by charging us only $175. Our tickets did not cost $175! those bikes had better be getting some hot meals on the plane! Sweet, sweet Lorraine. I bet she is just a wonderful person when she is not at work. Probably really helpful.

We spent the first night at our Cousin Ben's house. Ben is a great guy - very well educated. He is what I would call a non-traditional JDMBA in that he now works construction. He picked us up from the airport in his silver nissan T-top, which miraculously fit in the bicycles and us. Snug, but we are family. On the way home from the airport Ben talked to us about the city. he said the neighborhood we would be sleeping in is decent - he had only been shot at twice. Apparently last weekend he also saw a gentleman get mugged (or shot?) on the corner and had to run when the muggers came after him.

then, as we are walking in the house Stephanie says: You know Bill, it is really nice outside... we could just set up the tent out here!

On Sunday we went to Church. We left at 8 to walk to the closest ward which we thought probably started at nine. it turned out to be a spanish ward that started at ten, so we trucked another mile or so in the opposite direction to find an english speaking ward that really did start at nine.

Church felt comfortable. lots of the same type of people as go to our ward; a hodgepodge of young families, old retired couples with walkers and middle-agers. Everyone was impressed that we were riding across the USA, but then told us about thier close family members who did the exact same thing. Apparently Portland is the biking capitol of the world for a reason!

Ben, the Champ, took us to the coast in his yellow 4 speed pickup truck that he bought for $150 from an old farmer. the last we saw of ben he was driving away from the coast, waving out of his window. Ben, we sincerely hope that the pickup truck got you home again.

Then we went to the ocean to dip our bikes in. I had this mental picture of a lovely beach with sunbathers and volleyball. nothing of the sort. The beach was cold, the wind was blowing and there was the rusted out hull of some ship standing like a warning for anyone who dared enter the water. There will be no swimming tonight!

that is all for tonight. the first day was easy: we did not ride at all on our bikes. day two will be long. pray for us!