Just back from a weekend in Portland with the family. I thought Seattle seemed filled with hippies and extremely liberal. Portland makes Seattle look like Dallas Texas. I saw a man shooting heroin into his leg, in broad day light, sitting on a busy street. That was a first.

I did get out for a long run on Saturday afternoon. Forest Park in Portland is a gigantic bit of wilderness a little over two miles from downtown. It is three times the size of the Wissahickon and totally untamed save for a few trails that wind through. Didn't really know where to access it but I ran in the general direction of the park which was 100% uphill for a couple miles from our hotel. With google maps, a little luck and the help of a cute runner I stumbled upon the Wildwood trail. This is the main path through the park and I was told I could run it for 30 miles. I decided to run 30 minutes further instead.

The previous two days it had rained well over an inch which made for muddy, slippery trails but I loved it. Each interminable climb was followed by a long downhill filled with switch backs. Tall forest, heavy with moss and wet with the recent rains lined the path. I tried to take it all in while gasping for breath and minding my footing. It was awesome. This park alone would make me want to move to Portland.

One of those days where I felt like I could have run for hours but eventually had to turn around and head back to the hotel. I have no idea of the distance but it took 1 hour 45 minutes.