Departure - North to the Balkans - CycleBlaze

April 26, 2018

Departure

The beginning of a tour seems to be getting more stressful for me every year.  There are so many details to get right and so many ways things can go wrong: packing errors, unexpected delays, baggage handling issues, blah, blah, blah.  It’s getting harder for me because my memory and focus aren’t as sharp as when I was younger, and I’m more prone to mental errors.  And it’s harder because - well, because I’m getting too old to be merely middle aged any more, and all sorts of things are gradually getting a bit harder.

This departure is stressful too because it’s more complicated than usual.  It’s a triple transition: we’re leaving the condo for the last time, we’re leaving Amy’s B&B for the last time, and we’re leaving Portland on the longest tour we’ve ever taken.  Lots of change, lots of ways to go wrong.

So far, so good though - we’re in flight on our way to Chicago, where we have a five hour(!) layover before flying to Helsinki where we have a second five hour(!) layover before our final leg to Chania.   We did have a narrow mistake this morning at our motel at the airport - we woke up at 3:50 (yawn!), in plenty of time for our 4:30 shuttle to the airport; but we got distracted by some question that had us both researching on our cellphones and almost lost track of he time.  Devices can be so dangerous!

A nice thing about traveling with a partner is that you can specialize a bit. I’ve never checked us in, and haven’t flown alone in twenty years. If I ever fly alone again I’ll have to pick up a whole new skillset.
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Yesterday, we finally completed our Great Escape.  The day began with us evacuating Amy’s, piling everything - the gear going to Greece and the gear going to storage - into the Jetta.  Incredible that we’re still carrying so much stuff around with us after all these incremental downsizings.

Amazing. There’s still so much stuff.
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Then, off to our storage unit - where we stowed away our leave-behinders, checking and triple checking that we split the mountain along the right plane.  We are so lucky that Rachael had the last minute brainstorm to research bike storage units.  This would have been a pretty unhappy morning if we were trying to cram Rodriguez and the Straggler into this box.  As it is, it’s quite a good arrangement- it will be easy to get to belongings when we return to town, and there’s even space to hang up some clothes.

Yeah, sure - plenty of room for two bikes in there. Not!
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Then, one final bike ride: to Sauvie Island, arguably our favorite biking destination in town.  It begins by returning to the condo for what I’m sure is really the last time, to pick up Rodriguez and the Straggler.  We knew they wouldn’t fit in the car this morning so we brought them down last night and dropped them off before the Alvin Ailey performance.  

Rodriguez and the Straggler talked us into letting them have one last sleepover at the only home they’ve ever known together. Such romantics!
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It’s a beautiful day to be out on the island, and today I enjoyed seeing and hearing all of the ospreys that summer here - I counted at least six active nests.  The ospreys and cranes just about completely cover the calendar on the island - one species leaves just about the same time that the other arrives.  I’ve never seen them together on the island, but there’s not much gap.

Looking across Multnomah Channel to Rocky Point
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An old General Motors Truck and a nearly new Rodriguez Adventure
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Back in town, and we swing by our real estate agent’s office to drop off the keys to our condo, so they can be turned over to the new owners late next week.  Then, off to Pambiche for a late afternoon lunch.  Most people are dining on the sidewalk outside, but it’s hot - over 80, I’m certain - and after biking in the sun for fifty miles we’re happy to sit indoors in the shade.  I’m strictly a beer and wine drinker, but for some reason a glass of sangria sounds perfect for the occasion, and is.  It’s probably the first sangria I’ve had in over a decade.

We love Pambiche, our favorite Cuban restaurant: great food, great decor. It’s packed during normal dining hours, but in mid afternoon you can find a table.
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If you’re only going to have sangria once per decade, this is a nice setting for it.
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Next, off to our bike locker downtown to drop off Rodriguez and the Straggler for their eight week long (unchaperoned, in the dark, in close quarters - gasp!) sleepover together. We’ll have to look closely in the unit when we get back, to make sure we’re not leaving behind some tiny newborn bike still on its trainer wheels.

On foot, we walk back to the condo to pick up the car.  Finally, we drive out to our airport motel, fighting horrible rush hour traffic the whole way.  We’re out of here.

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Comment on this entry Comment 11
Steve Miller/GrampiesBon voyage you two. We look forward to reading about your Greek adventures, since it is a country that has long been on our bucket list. Have a terrific time.
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5 years ago
Bruce LellmanA great pre-journal; a perfect combination of explaining how involved it is to downsize the way you have and taking long rides around beautiful Portland. I really enjoy your relaxed style of writing and your photos are wonderful as well. I'm looking forward to following you on your trip. I'm sure it will be a good one.
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5 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesThanks, Steve. It seems like it’s been such a long time coming and it’s hard to quite believe it’s here. We’ll do our best to show you a good time.
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5 years ago
John ElsonHi Scott and Rachael,
We want to send you off with our best wishes for a wonderful trip - and a great blog so that we can emulate it one day!
In the meantime, huge thanks for the inspiration and information that helped us have a great tour of Sicily! We followed an abbreviated version of your route (just twenty days of riding) but used your gps routes whenever we could (we only got lost when we thought we had a better idea) and enjoyed your observations more and more as we came to make some sense of that amazing island. We talked about you two daily; as in “Did S & R have to get off on this hill?” Or “I can’t believe S&R never take a day off!”
It was unseasonably cold in Europe this spring and the first two weeks of our trip were cool and wet and windy, but by Easter things dried and warmed up and we were able to ride less anxiously and with fewer worried glances skyward. So, in general, March is a pretty good time to be there. (Of course the wildflowers were astounding and the green hills and valleys of the interior were breathtaking.)
So again, many thanks and all the best on this adventure!
Cheers,
John and Chris
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
John ElsonHi Scott and Rachael,
We want to send you off with our best wishes for a wonderful trip - and a great blog so that we can emulate it one day!
In the meantime, huge thanks for the inspiration and information that helped us have a great tour of Sicily! We followed an abbreviated version of your route (just twenty days of riding) but used your gps routes whenever we could (we only got lost when we thought we had a better idea) and enjoyed your observations more and more as we came to make some sense of that amazing island. We talked about you two daily; as in “Did S & R have to get off on this hill?” Or “I can’t believe S&R never take a day off!”
It was unseasonably cold in Europe this spring and the first two weeks of our trip were cool and wet and windy, but by Easter things dried and warmed up and we were able to ride less anxiously and with fewer worried glances skyward. So, in general, March is a pretty good time to be there. (Of course the wildflowers were astounding and the green hills and valleys of the interior were breathtaking.)
So again, many thanks and all the best on this adventure!
Cheers,
John and Chris
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
John ElsonHi Scott and Rachael,
We want to send you off with our best wishes for a wonderful trip - and a great blog so that we can emulate it one day!
In the meantime, huge thanks for the inspiration and information that helped us have a great tour of Sicily! We followed an abbreviated version of your route (just twenty days of riding) but used your gps routes whenever we could (we only got lost when we thought we had a better idea) and enjoyed your observations more and more as we came to make some sense of that amazing island. We talked about you two daily; as in “Did S & R have to get off on this hill?” Or “I can’t believe S&R never take a day off!”
It was unseasonably cold in Europe this spring and the first two weeks of our trip were cool and wet and windy, but by Easter things dried and warmed up and we were able to ride less anxiously and with fewer worried glances skyward. So, in general, March is a pretty good time to be there. (Of course the wildflowers were astounding and the green hills and valleys of the interior were breathtaking.)
So again, many thanks and all the best on this adventure!
Cheers,
John and Chris
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
John ElsonHi Scott and Rachael,
We want to send you off with our best wishes for a wonderful trip - and a great blog so that we can emulate it one day!
In the meantime, huge thanks for the inspiration and information that helped us have a great tour of Sicily! We followed an abbreviated version of your route (just twenty days of riding) but used your gps routes whenever we could (we only got lost when we thought we had a better idea) and enjoyed your observations more and more as we came to make some sense of that amazing island. We talked about you two daily; as in “Did S & R have to get off on this hill?” Or “I can’t believe S&R never take a day off!”
It was unseasonably cold in Europe this spring and the first two weeks of our trip were cool and wet and windy, but by Easter things dried and warmed up and we were able to ride less anxiously and with fewer worried glances skyward. So, in general, March is a pretty good time to be there. (Of course the wildflowers were astounding and the green hills and valleys of the interior were breathtaking.)
So again, many thanks and all the best on this adventure!
Cheers,
John and Chris
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
John ElsonHi Scott and Rachael,
We want to send you off with our best wishes for a wonderful trip - and a great blog so that we can emulate it one day!
In the meantime, huge thanks for the inspiration and information that helped us have a great tour of Sicily! We followed an abbreviated version of your route (just twenty days of riding) but used your gps routes whenever we could (we only got lost when we thought we had a better idea) and enjoyed your observations more and more as we came to make some sense of that amazing island. We talked about you two daily; as in “Did S & R have to get off on this hill?” Or “I can’t believe S&R never take a day off!”
It was unseasonably cold in Europe this spring and the first two weeks of our trip were cool and wet and windy, but by Easter things dried and warmed up and we were able to ride less anxiously and with fewer worried glances skyward. So, in general, March is a pretty good time to be there. (Of course the wildflowers were astounding and the green hills and valleys of the interior were breathtaking.)
So again, many thanks and all the best on this adventure!
Cheers,
John and Chris
Reply to this comment
5 years ago
Scott AndersonWow - 5 comments! I’ll save myself a bit of time and just respond to one. Thanks for your well wishes; we are so excited to finally be on the way, and to be landing in Chania before long. Before we visited Sicily we swore that Greece was the best place we’d ever been. Sicily has been on my mind a lot lately because my sister is there now on a two week Road Scholar tour of the highlights. She’s been sending daily posts to the family, and is obviously having a great time.

I’m so glad you two were able to make it over there; and rain or not, I think spring must be the best time if you’re on a bike. A friend of ours biked there in autumn, and found it too hot.
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5 years ago
Scott AndersonTo John ElsonWell John, if you can comment multiple times I can too. I’ll try to bring a bit more variety to the table though. I went back to CGOAB and was reminded that you’re from Vancouver Island, like nearly half of the folks on here it seems. What is it with British Columbia and bike touring, anyway? One of these times we’re going to have to plan a trip up your way and stop in to visit a few folks.
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5 years ago
John ElsonTo Scott AndersonAnd when you do, Scott, we’ll supply a fine bottle of Nero d’Avola!
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5 years ago