Profile Response: Dress for Success, Missoula, MT

HWWLT Logo on yellowThe chance encounters of this journey are the ones that imprint deepest in me. I figured there had to be something interesting in Missoula besides bicycles and was intrigued when Dress for Success popped up in an Internet search. Probably because I am such a lousy dresser. I sent a cold email and received a warm response from Terri Griffith, Board President and Operations Manager. When I arrived at their storefront in late afternoon, her personal reception was even warmer.

What do you do if you are a fifty-year-old woman looking for your first job after raising children, a homeless woman seeking permanent employment, a released felon looking for a job to accompany parole? You may have had a job training class but you’ve still got nothing to wear for that all-important interview. Time to call Dress for Success, a worldwide affiliation of local groups that make women look their best as they step into the work world.

FullSizeRender-6Thirty-seven different organizations in Missoula, from shelters to prisons, send women to Dress for Success, where they are treated like individual beauties and given the clothes, jewelry, and the ever-important shoes, along with hair and make-up tips, to engage the work world in confidence. “We get a lot of referrals from the YWCA, which has a program to relocate battered women to different areas of the country. The transformation we see is amazing.”

The front room of Dress for Success is an office with a touch of bling. Terri has a desk, as does Susan, the boutique manager and Carol, a grant writer. But there are also stands of necklaces and trays holding earrings. Susan toured me through the back where they have racks of business attire in all sizes and styles, a pair of dressing rooms and a fitting area. “When women are referred. we set up an appointment. We guide them to business appropriate clothes and help them coordinate outfits. We want them to look good and feel good.” Everything is donated, both by individuals and retail outfits like Target and Macy’s.

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All three women radiate a generosity of sprit that I’ve learned can only come from experiencing, and overcoming, hardship. Terri is a felon who earned her degree after release and works as a Mental Health Case Manager when not volunteering at Dress for Success. Susan was a snowbird until she found herself alone and without job skills in her early fifties. Carol is quiet; she displays calm certainty without revealing details. These women are so good at this because they’ve been there and come out well. Every woman who walks in the door of Dress for Success encounters a role model.

How will we live tomorrow?

FullSizeRender-1“I live in a hopeful state every day. You get by the best you can and try to be compassionate with each other. I don’t know where my hopefulness comes from. Sometimes I see women being pushed back from feminism. In the early 70’s, when the world was changing for women, you wanted to take off by yourself, but were pulled back by your family and the community. I was raised by a single mom, yet I have always had this idea of family life with a man. How do you model that? I raised two children and have four grandchildren. I want them to self identify as smart and beautiful.” – Susan

“Somewhere, somehow we lost morals and values. The only time to help people out is in disaster. I grew up on military bases until age seventeen. You knew your neighbors and their parents. Not anymore. I hope God will slap people in the face and make people realize we should be proud of what we have, not expect what we have.” – Carol

“Ideally, how we will live tomorrow is that people will stop being so self-absorbed and realize how much we get when we reach out to others. Giving a hand out doesn’t do anything good for anyone. Give a hand out, it leads to entitlement. Give a hand up. People appreciate that and give a hand up to others. – Terri Griffith

 

 

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Trip Log – Day 142 –Bieber, CA to Susanville, CA

Bieber to SusanvilleSeptember 24, 2015 – Sun, 90 degrees

Miles Today: 74

Miles to Date: 7,477

States to Date: 24

The world is immense. I am traveling across a part of California I never even knew existed. It is gorgeous, it is challenging, and it is really, really big!

Today I passed through a series of valleys, at least six, surrounded by mountains, which, of course, needed to be scaled. Each valley was higher than the last, so climbs up exceeded descents. The largest, Eagle Lake Valley, was above 5,000 feet in elevation. All of that climbing finally culminated in a four-mile white-knuckle descent into Susanville. All my hard pedaling evaporated into my brakes!

I treated myself to a delicious meal at the local Mexican place. An $8.25 pork Chile burrito plate in Susanville beats any Mexican entree in New England.

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The woods are delightful.

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Some of the valleys appear to be former lakes.

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Mount Shasta will not go away; barely visible over 100 miles away.

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I ate lunch under a shady pinion with beautiful sagebrush nearby.

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Eagle Lake is a fragment of what it was. My first evidence of California’s water troubles.

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Profile Response: Adventure Cycling Association, Missoula, MT

 

HWWLT Logo on yellow“You’ve heard about the storm we had here the other day.” Julie Huck, Membership Director of Adventure Cycling Association was referring to the freak thunderstorm that knocked power out of most of Missoula two days ago; a prominent topic of local conversation. “I was riding my bike home just before it began. It’s 1.8 miles from our office to my house, and at least six people came outside and offered me shelter. They were gestures of neighborliness. But they also highlight that, when you’re on a bike, you’re special. That’s why what you’re doing works.”

imgresMissoula MT is Mecca for long distance cyclists; headquarters of Adventure Cycling Association (ACA). ACA publishes long distance touring routes with detailed maps, several of which go through Missoula. Their downtown headquarters includes a lounge with free ice cream and drinks for long distance cyclists where I ran into several guys I’d been crisscrossing. I also had the opportunity to talk with Julie, cofounder Greg Siple, and Executive Director Jim Sayer.

FullSizeRender-2Julie is keen on encouraging more people to become cyclists. “I organized a trip for six women on mountain bikes in a remote area for six days. It wasn’t strenuous, but we kept getting delayed because of all the interactions. People just stopped to talk with us. When you’re on a bike, you break up someone’s routine.”

In addition to my usual question, I wanted to know how the folks at ACA thought we could move cycling from a recreational pursuit to someone’s primary mode of transit. Julie said, “We have to make cycling easier, and we have to make it a habit. For most people, cars are their habit. It’s what they use without thinking. That’s why we have things like Bike to Work Week, to introduce the idea that cycling can alter that habit.” At first, biking to work is special. But if it becomes your habit, cycling becomes your norm.

gregGreg rode his bicycle from Alaska to South America with Dan Burden and their wives in the early 1970’s; the first cyclists to traverse the hemisphere north to south. Dan’s articles about their trip heightened awareness of long distance cycling, so they created BikeCentennial, a ride across the United States to coincide with the 1976 Bicentennial. It was successful beyond all expectations, popularized long distance cycling, and prompted them to start Adventure Cycling. Now, ACA supports more than thirty staff. But Greg feels the mission has not changed. “We research and create route maps, we offer tours, and we publish a magazine. That is our core. We have been doing more advocacy; that is where we will grow.”

jim2“BikeCentennial was an epic ride. Now we want to convey that bike travel can be anything.” Jim Sayers has guided ACA’s 50% growth over the last few years. “I use my bike for everything, and that is starting to happen for others as well. Look at the increase in bicycle infrastructure in this country since 2000. We are challenging the perspective about cars. One of our ingrained assumptions is that everyone needs a car. Cars are money pits, expensive to buy and maintain; yet they are our rite of passage.

“Streets used to belong to everyone. Now cars reign. Look at what the automakers did to our streetcar systems. They introduced the term ‘jaywalker’ to make streets clear. Our street markings and traffic lights are all auto-centric.” The message is to keep auto traffic moving, fast, at the expense of other modes, and at the expense of interactions.

imgres-1ACA is well known for its long distance cycling support, but Jim sees it becoming more involved in shorter trips. “We are stressing one and two night trips. If you have a bike, you have all you need to go visit a friend and return the next day.

“We’re a non-profit. We take our net proceeds and put them into improving biking conditions. Our focus is on improving the rural to urban connections.” I appreciated his concern since I have found, without doubt, the most dangerous cycling is in the suburbs.

FullSizeRender-3Jim asked if I use ACA maps. “No, because they don’t go where I go. I visit every major city along my route, ACA routes avoid cities.” Jim laughed and acknowledged that their latest project is to create a New York to Chicago route. It takes time and leg power to create an ACA designated route. “We begin with a big swath, like going from New York to Chicago. We map out possible routes and analyze them for traffic loads, road conditions, services, and terrain. We test the route before it’s published. Then we have to update, constantly, because conditions change.”

AASHTO (American Association of State Highway Transit Organization) created a task force of three non-profits: ACA; East Coast Greenway; and Mississippi Travel, to develop national bike routes. The idea was adopted in 2008 and states began to make approved bike routes in 2011. “This will be the mother of all bike routes. 9,000 miles to start; 50,000 miles eventually.”

How will we live tomorrow?

FullSizeRender“I hope to live open and willing to put myself out to others, in life and in cycling. Cycling helps communicate with others and with nature; it helps us break out of our bubble.” – Julie Huck

“ACA will keep doing what it does best.” – Greg Siple

“In a broad sense, I feel great dismay over our increasing population and decreasing resources. That’s why I support cycling, which can mitigate resources. If we keep tearing away, we will either tear the world up or trigger chaos.”- Jim Sayer

 

 

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Trip Log – Day 141 – Mount Shasta, CA to Bieber, CA

Mount Shasta to BieberSeptember 22, 2015 – Sun, 90 degrees

Miles Today: 78

Miles to Date: 7,383

States to Date: 24

IMG_4238Yesterday I measured my distance as Mount Shasta emerged. Today I kept catching her behind my shoulder.

Everything was easier today: fewer miles, shallower climbs, more benign wind, but three marked summits over 78 miles is still challenging riding. The day began with four miles straight up California Route 89 to McCloud Summit, then a quick descent into town, where I had an early lunch for fear of no other services.

 

 

IMG_4240The second ascent was more gradual, through Trinity-Shasta National Forest, but ultimately went higher. There was no shoulder, but I scooted onto the soft gravel edge when the logging tricks didn’t give any ground. After I turned on to a county road, things got much more fun: a four-mile descent in a straight line – no traffic, no brakes required – followed by fifteen miles through the gorgeous Fall River Valley to McArthur, where there was an unexpected market and very friendly people.

In the heat of a cloudless sky I had to scale Long Summit, the last and highest of my day. I got flat number seven a third of the way up, but all repaired well. I pedaled to the top, and before turning east, caught my last glimpse of mighty Mount Shasta, more than seventy miles away.

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I arrived in Bieber just after five, thankful that the only store was still open. Bieber’s not the kind of place one loves on sight, but everyone I’ve met here has been open and kind. When the Portuguese immigrant motel owner heard about my trip she said, “Well, I can only charge you half price.” I protested, but she insisted. A nice room, hot shower, fresh coffee and Internet for twenty-five dollars; cash. I wanted to take her picture, but she was insistent THAT would not happen.

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Profile Response: Bob Giordino, freecycles, Missoula, MT

HWWLT Logo on yellowWhen I walked into freecycles I couldn’t figure out whom I was supposed to talk to. Then I realized that was the point. There are people fixing bikes, people watching people fixing bikes, people giving advice to people fixing bikes, and people picking through all kinds of junk – excuse me, parts – that might be useful in fixing bikes.

Twenty years ago, or so, freecycles started in Missoula. Bob Giordino has been there entire time. It would be too restrictive to call him the boss, or even the manager. Let’s just call him the constant. (In fact, Bob is the founder and Executive Director of  MIST, The Missoula Institute of Sustainable Technology, but I learned that from others, not him).

FullSizeRender-1freecycles is nothing more than a cooperative bicycle repair garage, and nothing less than a Utopian vision of how we should all live tomorrow. It’s spacious and messy, friendly and confusing, organized and chaotic. Bob’s eyes dart about the garage looking for people who might need guidance in truing a wheel or greasing a chain. When he’s content that all is fine at the mechanical level, he turns his attention back to me.

imgres“We are going to change how Missoula’s streets are organized. Have you seen the traffic circles at intersections? They were our idea. There are sixty small circles in town and five full-scale roundabouts. There are two to five accidents with bicycles at every traffic light in the city every year. There have been none – none – at roundabouts.”

FullSizeRender-3He shows me a diagram pinned to the wall. “We are going to put the streets on a diet. Where there are four lanes of traffic, we are going to take them to three – one each direction plus a left turn lane. We are going to make bicycle lanes in each direction with the extra pavement.

 

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“Here’s our agenda for the city,” he pulls a small chalkboard off a table and reads the list. “Grow bikes; that means make them from plant material. Road diets; I already explained that. Pick axe asphalt; we need to get rid of that stuff. Portable toolboxes; we need bike repair materials throughout the city. Oh, and we’re trying to raise a million dollars to buy this building. I forgot to put that on the list.”

How will we live tomorrow?

FullSizeRender-2“This is it. It’s all on the board. Let the bikes take over. The world will be a better place.”

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Trip Log – Day 140 – Ashland, OR to Mount Shasta, CA

Ashland to Mount ShastaSeptember 22, 2015 – Sun, 85 degrees

Miles Today: 84

Miles to Date: 7,305

States to Date: 24

Today was a strenuous reminder of cycling’s rigor. It’s been some time since I rode over eighty miles or a mile of vertical climb. Today I had both.

IMG_4209The Rogue River Valley over Ashland was shrouded in clouds when I began my long slog up and out. Like most, the valley runs north/south. But the Siskiyou Mountains, the only range in the West that runs East/West, cut the valley short, leaving Ashland in a bowl that empties to the north. After fifteen miles, and more than two hours of pedaling, I joined I-5 within a mile of that Interstate’s highest point. It’s an unpleasant place for a cyclist. The fog was dense, the shoulder as wide as the road, but many trucks pulled over to check their brakes before the descent.

Within a minute, literally, of rolling downhill, the fog lifted and the skies were crystal blue. Welcome back to California! I had to remain on I-5 for twelve miles, through the ritual produce checkpoint, until I reached the Klamath River Parkway.

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The ride between the Klamath River and Yreka is spectacular. The road was built in the 1930’s, with graceful, narrow bridges high above the Shasta River. About halfway through I caught my first glimpse of Mount Shasta, framed between two hills with its namesake river running beneath me. It looked so tiny in the camera frame. Little did I know that it was over fifty miles away and would just grow bigger as the day progressed.

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I stopped for lunch in Yreka, the epcienter of the independent State of Jefferson movement. Signs for ‘No Monument’ and ‘No Dam Removal’ were everywhere. It’s not clear why back to the earther’s don’t want a Klamath River National Monument designation or local dams removed so they can run free again. Then again, they don’t want to be part of California; they don’t want to be part of the United States. They are just much better at ‘No’ than anything ‘Yes’. Does that attitude have anything to do with why I went to three eateries for lunch before I found one that took my order? Kitchen folks in the first two simply didn’t bother to come out as I stood at the counter.

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No matter, the third place had tasty burritos. I left Yreka and made my way along tranquil country roads just beyond earshot of I-5. Mount Shasta evolved from an occasional presence to a fixed point. Problem was, I never seemed to move in relation to the mountain. The winds picked up, the grade tilted, and I worked hard, but my perspective on the mountain never changed.

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Of course it did, just not as quickly or as easily as I might have liked. That’s when cycling is like yoga. So I took a break, breathed deep, fixed my attitude, and pedaled on. Finally, after moving toward the mountain for hours, I began to move around it, to approach the City of Mount Shasta.

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It was almost seven when I arrived at my warmshowers host. The pain of the day scrubbed away with the grime on my shins. By the time I sat to dinner, it seemed fortuitous that the mountain chose to be such a constant presence.

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Profile Response: Garden City Harvest, Missoula, MT

HWWLT Logo on yellowMost everyone in Missoula has heard of PEAS Farm, though few can tell you what the name signifies. “Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society” Josh Slotnick explains. Josh has been affiliated with PEAS for over ten years, so he recalls.

PEAS is a ten acre farm northeast of downtown that fuses agricultural and social initiatives. The farm includes open fields, a greenhouse and two hoop houses. It grows food for a 100 member CSA as well as mobile markets that serve senior centers throughout Missoula and the local Food Bank. In addition, PEAS utilizes a diverse staff model that includes full-time employees, summer youth workers, interns from University of Montana Department of Environmental Education, and eight to ten at-risk youth who receive a stipend through the Missoula Drug Court Program.

FullSizeRenderI met with Josh at PEAS Farm on a sunny weekday morning. Other members of the farm joined in our conversation, as well as Genevieve Marsh, Marketing Manager, and Jean Zosel, Executive Director of Garden City Harvest, the umbrella organization that coordinates eighteen local food initiatives including school and neighborhood gardens. PEAS Farm is the largest and oldest component of Garden City Harvest’s efforts.

FullSizeRender-4Jean explains, “What makes this place sing is the transformative effect of such diverse people meeting, and working, in agriculture.” The college interns may have never met kids with the problems the high schoolers face, who in turn haven’t been exposed to what college offers. The dirty hands work of drawing nourishment from the ground strips away those differences. Working the land is a great equalizer as well as an opportunity for young people who don’t find success in traditional learning environments to shine. “The kids that work through the Drug Court Program staff our mobile markets. It’s great to see how they bond with the seniors they meet every week.”

FullSizeRender-1Garden City Harvest attributes its success to working flexibly across the entire community. CSA members are required to pick up their produce at PEAS Farm, so they understand the operation better and meet the people who grow their food. The School Department, Parks and Recreation, senior services, neighborhood groups, and local businesses all partner with Garden City Harvest in different ways. People choose to be involved for different reasons: to enjoy better food; create a greener world; or save money. From Genevieve’s perspective, it doesn’t matter what motivates people to participate. “Growing food empowers people. Everyone benefits as a result.”

How will we live tomorrow?

FullSizeRender-5“Not how we live today. But if you look at recent history – two days ago – you get an idea. Missoula had this big storm. We had no power. Business ground to a standstill. But we rallied and got things up and running very quickly. We do not show foresight, but we are great in crisis. We cannot imagine a post-oil, post-grid world, but when that comes to pass, we will address it. “ Josh Slotnick

“That’s what we do here. We create the community that can deal with this.” Genevieve Marsh

“And we do it in the context of the other organizations in town. During the storm, the power companies brought in the resources and coordinated the effort. The community supported that. We work toward being well integrated.” – Jean Zosel

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Trip Log – Day 139 – Ashland, OR

Grants Pass to AshlandSeptember 21, 2015 – Sun, 80 degrees

Miles Today: 38

Miles to Date: 7,221

States to Date: 24 

Another perfect day in Ashland, which I spent visiting Ashlanders. My host Steve set up appointments with the Director of Scienceworks, a hands on museum in town, followed by coffee with John Javna, freethinker and author of Fifty Simple Things You Can do to Save the Earth. Then I cycled up to Medford to meet with Steve and his partners at Lime Rock, a design and manufacturing company specializing in motion tracking devices. Finally, I met with Neil Smith of Airscape Fans. By the time I finished talking with these fascinating guys and pedaled back to Ashland, it was dark.

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Cycling-wise, I enjoyed riding the Ashland/Medford trail again. First, because its a beautiful trail. Second, because I don’t often get to retrace my steps and experience something familiar from a new perspective. Third, I had another serendipitous meeting along the way.

IMG_4158 IMG_4177A few miles outside of Ashland someone has installed a Bike Journal mailbox. On Sunday, I wrote in it on my way into town. Today as I rounded the bend near the mailbox, a man was reading the journal. His wife pointed to the book and called out, “Are you that guy?” Of course I had to stop and chat with Robert, Denise, and their dog jazz.

imagesSteve and Dorothy treated me to a delicious dinner at The Loft in downtown Ashland. They are in the middle of the ‘Whole 30’ diet – no sugar, not gluten, no bread, and a few other ‘no’s’ I cannot recall – while I just eat large quantities of anything. Explaining our order to the wait staff was a 21st century version of When Harry Met Sally. We laughed about it while we quizzed the staff about each ingredient. Alas, there was sugar in the mustard vinaigrette. The waiters took it all in stride, but I imagine they laughed about us later.

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Profile Response: Ethel MacDonald, Missoula, MT

HWWLT Logo on yellowEthel MacDonald leaned forward in her chair, extended her frail arms wide and proclaimed, “I hear people say, ‘so and so is a good family man’. That is all well and good, but it is not enough. The community I am concerned about is the whole world.” It was nearly midnight; her voice was strong. I was certain that Ethel could debate politics and economics for several more hours, but I’d been up since dawn and needed to sleep. I was no match for my 76-year-old host.

FullSizeRender-5Ethel married a smokejumper and raised three sons, got divorced 36 years ago, taught English and French in Missoula, and then in Benin. One of her sons is a Microsoft executive in Seattle, another  PR Consultant, while her youngest is a mentally slow 50-year-old who recently moved into his own assisted living apartment nearby.

FullSizeRender-2Ethel is a delightful combination of liberal thought and traditional manners. She served me dinner with cloth napkins while extolling the virtues of Naomi Klein and Bernie Sanders. She makes no differentiation between the global and the personal. “The Benin kings sold their own people into slavery. That is inexcusable. But I liked it there. The students were much more respectful than they are here.”

FullSizeRenderEthel is both physically and mentally fit. She ran her first marathon in Seattle and has several quilts made from her T-shirts. Ethel qualified for Boston in 2000, when she was older than I am now. “I didn’t think I could do it but the crowd carried me on.” She bicycle tours in Europe every year, and keeps a cycle there to avoid the hassles of transport. She rides her age on her birthday. “I was in Spain when I turned 75 and rode 75 kilometers instead of 75 miles. That’s not the same thing. This year, I am thinking of riding 76 miles here in Missoula, so I don’t have to carry panniers. I can’t stop though. I have a friend who’s 85 who cycles her age every year. I have to keep up.”

FullSizeRender-3Besides, like many avid cyclists, Ethel has certain routes yet to conquer. “I still have to do Seattle to Vancouver to complete the Pacific Coast and cross Texas to finish the Southern Tier. That will be a hard one because I keep returning to Europe rather than go to Texas. I don’t understand the South. I have a sister who lives in Alabama. What’s with keeping so much food in your house, and guns, and protecting yourself against the future?”

How will we live tomorrow?

FullSizeRender-1“The word that comes up is fearfully, although that is what we don’t need. Those in power know how to use fear.”

When I awoke the next morning Ethel was long up. She had already listened to NPR, made coffee and breakfast. Later that day she sent me a text with an additional response:

“As I was biking this morning I thought about your question and my answer, and wanted to add this: Yes, my fear is that we will live fearfully, but my hope, my dream, is that we will live peacefully and lovingly in harmony with all beings on the earth. And of course this means that, as Gandhi said, I must be the change I want to see.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Trip Log – Day 138 – Grants Pass, OR to Ashland, OR

Grants Pass to AshlandSeptember 20, 2015 – Sun, 80 degrees

Miles Today: 51

Miles to Date: 7,183

States to Date: 24

There was no traffic on Route 99 early Sunday mornings. Just me, dense trees, steep hills and bright sun creating sharp shadows as I eased my way up to the town of Rogue River. I crossed the Rogue at this cool bridge and then enjoyed a meandering bike path through Rogue River State Park.

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My route paralleled I-5 for several miles. The valley spread out, the forests became scattered and the scenery became reminiscent of the mountain West.

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IMG_4154Medford, Oregon has suffered a series of unfortunate shopping malls and the highway slicing through downtown such there really isn’t any downtown left. The bike path follows Bear Creek, literally under the highway. But there are some cool murals painted on the Interstate’s belly.

IMG_4160I got to Ashland mid afternoon and spent evening with my friends Steve and Dorothy Miner. Ashland is a lovely place. We strolled the city park and watched a Mexican dance troupe; there’s a daily performance at the Town Green sponsored by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We also had a great meal and conversation well past dark.

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