Coffeeneuring Trip #3 and bonus Bike Movie review!

    Fall is officially here, but someone forgot to tell the weekend weather. A beautiful Saturday I set out to find the coffee shop we passed a sign for on the way to Bridge Coffee house, but it had evaporated in the space of a weekend. I decided to loop around the neighborhood and head back for home.
    Today I set off again, for the predetermined Highlands Coffee Co, this time with Ben, but to our surprise it turned out to be just a distribution office.We had taken the Interurban trail down and already filled the two mile requirement by the time we reached Bitter Lake area. The greenway down Linden dropped us off nearby a shopping center and we decided to try to find another coffee place. Looking around I saw Aurora Donuts, which is combined with a Baskin Robbins, and parking our bikes at Planet Fitness we walked across the parking lot to the shop.
    Greeted by a delicious aroma we selected pastries and medium coffees. It was a heck of a medium, larger than I'm used to, and the Bavarian Creme doughnut was far superior to Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts.  

Took a lot of will power to take this picture...so good

   We got another, I went for the peanut doughnut, which did not disappoint. The coffee had exactly the right amount of cream, not to bitter with a strong flavor rather than bite. We spoke to the guy behind the counter, he had asked where our bikes were and I explained I had seen his shop before and it didn't have a bike rack, so we parked up the way. He laughed and said we should've parked in front of the windows like most cyclists. I explained I didn't feel safe doing so, and pressing him further, found his own bike had been stolen from his work by someone determined who had jumped the dumpster fence and boosted the bike over. Even caught on the camera from the bank next door the thief was never caught. I pointed out a bike, even inside, is vulnerable if left unlocked and he agreed, the best method was to bring it inside and lock it if you could, but always to a rack.

Which reminds me: there's a special place in hell for bicycle thieves

    Frankly all the businesses on that side of Aurora owe Planet Fitness a huge 'thank you' because greenway or no greenway I wouldn't shop there if I didn't have a place to lock my bike. We finished our doughnuts long before our coffee and decided to sip them as we rode down the greenway. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon and the trail was full of the usual crowd of dog owners, parents and kids, joggers, and cyclists who must be training for a race of some kind. 

    Our laptop was down and so on the way back we stopped by a local shop to inquire about rates. LaptopSwap has a noticeable sign if you're riding the trail and I was pleased to see a bike right by the door, far closer than a car could park. Sadly, if a computer is beyond my repair its usually beyond any repair and my suspicions were confirmed. On the bright side, this post is coming from a new laptop and who knows, the future might hold video posts..... All told our coffeeneuring ride was about five and a half miles, and quite a satisfying start to the day. By the time we got home we ended up riding out again, after all, why not enjoy such a lovely Sunday?

Bonus! Bicycle Movie Review: "Aftermass: Bicycling in a Post-Critical Mass Portland

    I've been cycling since I was a child, but hadn't heard of Critical Mass until only a few years ago. On the world timeline I was learning to ride a bike without training wheels when the first Critical Mass took place in San Francisco. While interested to know the history of Critical Mass, I wasn't necessarily interested in Portland history. We cycled from my work place downtown to the Wallingford neighborhood, Well, we stopped in Myrtle Edwards park first, the view of the Sound in the late afternoon is something special, and I like any excuse to ride that pedestrian cyclist bridge back to third. Traffic was at a peak at this point, bumper to bumper, but we cruised along, occasionally forming a train with other cyclists who breezed with us by the long line of stilled traffic. We arrived at the church hosting the event with plenty of time and spoke to other cyclists as we locked up. Ben and an older gent traded notes on bike seats.

       By the time the film started downstairs the church basement was packed. The director, Joe Biel, introduced the film. A lean man, with one pant leg higher than the other in the fashion of cyclists, he spoke of gratitude to the hosts and to those he interviewed. Then the film began.

      It is hard to say whether or not this film is more important to see as a citizen than a cyclist. Ultimately, you should see it no matter what, but it is more important to see it as a citizen. Its a story of how you build urban planning, a story of how it is never to late, a tale of bravery. And in the end it is the story of how the pedals push the gears forward. I can only say the trailer is far too understating:

http://vimeo.com/46988711

http://youtu.be/KCzsqXOd2N4

I really think the film needed to be shown in a bigger venue, and I hope to at some point try to organize a viewing for Shoreline folks. Sadly, I had to leave shortly after the premier of another film, this one by StreetFilms, and did not get to stay for the panel after. Hopefully someone who reads this blog can fill us in on the after action.  In the meantime, see it as soon as you get the chance, and put the fun between your legs!

Cheers