It's ALL Interconnected

Earth Week started off with the de Ronde van Oeste Portlandia bike ride: a loosely organized 50-mile, 5,000-ft urban climb. The grueling course starts up an old grade through the middle of Forest Park and then follows a series of 'Lion of Flanders' stencils through Portland's West Hills.

Spring SPRUNG in the last couple of weeks, and Portland's historic neighborhoods are electric with blooming colors. I rode with Atom, a fellow bike comrade on the cusp of turning 40 and father of two little children. We rarely hang out, so it was great to catch up on life when our schedules aligned with de Ronde. As a brewer at Dragonfly Chai, he's been mastering a new Mate recipe that I looked forward to sampling.

The following day, Bunny and I had a rare opportunity to escape from the kids for the day, so we bolted for the Gorge and hiked up the short but STEEP Dog Mountain Trail - a little early for the annual mountain meadow wildflower explosion but caught hundreds of blooming Phantom Orchids along the forested trail.

At the summit, we relaxed in the warm sun and soaked up views of the Columbia River and surrounding volcanoes. A perfect Sunday to share reverence for Mother Nature and release any worries into the calm wind.

The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day was one of those funny days in Portland where multiple paths criss-cross in cosmic cadence. I had a hankering for another West Hills climb and planned to meet the family for a picnic at the Audubon Sanctuary in Forest Park.

I love visiting Hazel there, the spotted owl whose eyes pierce my core and transcend the entire universe. I know it sounds exaggerated but her enchanting gaze is a truly wild experience in the City.

On my way out of the office, I ran into Jason, an old acquaintance from Peoples Food Coop and irregular soundman at Holocene. Many years had passed since our last encounter, but I had just seen him working the 4/20 Guidance Counselor show a couple days earlier. We joked around and moments later ran into eachother AGAIN at a Vietnamese sandwich cart. Combined with a series of other community connections, this happenstance got me appreciating how Portland's musicians, artists, foodies and environmentalists are all intertwined together by a common thread of sustainability. A few moments after that, I ran into Darin, another foodie-cycle-friend who's been looking forward to Spring rides together.

Energized by the moment, I climbed up through Washington Park, cruised along Skyline Blvd and flew down Balch Creek Canyon to meet my sweet family in the ancient forest at Audubon. We walked the trails through buds of Spring green and towering Doug Fir giants ending with an interpretive sign describing how the Earth's communities are all interconnected.

The theme of ubiquitous interconnections would continue the next day at Bunny's Studio Nia celebration of Mama Earth. AND, again at today's annual City Repair Earth Day extravaganza where we ran into a bunch of bright-eyed friends and thoroughly enjoyed a fresh brew of Atom's new Mate Chai...It's all INTERCONNECTED!