Finish Line Celebration

Fifteen months ago, I began a quest to bike to every community in Washington County, Oregon. With Timbuktu, I've finished my herculean task. 

It's time to move.

But seriously, I set out to mix up my normal rides and became fascinated with my adopted home. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the project and discuss what comes next.

After 1000 miles of farms, forests, cemeteries, mountains, and radio arrays my initial assessment remains:

Washington County is a premier biking destination for cyclists of all stripes.

As far as my primary objectives go, the journey has been a rousing success. On the biking front, I have several new ride staples, all to places I had never even heard of (Hillside, Snooseville, and Kinton to name a few). The planning before each trip gave me the motivation to dig through historic records. 

But there was more than that. I learned about changing architecture and urban planning over the decades to the point where I can sometimes pinpoint the build date of a neighborhood based on street layout and home morphology.  

I found that city roads have bike lanes and rural roads have low traffic and are both great to ride. The problem areas are unincorporated zones within the urban growth boundary. They tend to be a mess of high-traffic, low infrastructure, and disjointed streets that make for unpleasant travel, no matter what your vehicle you're sitting in. Sorry Aloha (and let's be honest: Bethany).

I learned why other cyclists are reticent to take pictures. I found I have no patience to setup and properly frame a photo. I will never schedule a ride around ideal lighting conditions of a historic church. I refuse to carry a DSLR camera; a cell phone is good enough. I am now adept at drive-by snapshots: why stop pedalling if you can grab a few images while you roll by. 

I now know that there's a proper way to photograph a bicycle (drive side out!).

I learned that I wasn't the only one looking for new routes. After my trip report to South Saddle Mountain, I watched in excitement as the roads I promoted slowly lit up on Strava. 

Barney Reservoir saw a similar boost and I expect more of the same around Timbuktu. From there, other, more ambitious gravel cyclists may have used my route as a launching point to push further into the forest. 

So YES: I am taking credit for single-handedly spurring a wave of gravel bike exploration across the coastal range based on one quick Facebook post. That was all me and you're welcome.

And as much as I believe this quest helped other riders find new trips, the project was just as beneficial to me, introducing me to a lot of people I wouldn't have met otherwise. Commuters, local historians, bike advocates, and wilderness enthusiasts, all with suggestions with more places to go and what to see. 

Everything I accomplished turned out better thanks to your support, encouragement and assistance. I'm glad to have made this a group ride.

Things I missed

Thousands of miles and hundreds of communities sounds exhaustive but if I've learned anything during my travels, it's about all the areas that weren't on the maps. 

For every non-town that WashCo declares a community on official resources (Detour! Cipole! Timbuktu!) there are probably a dozen that aren't (Cooper Mountain! Rockton! Milkapsie! Greystone!). 

Before 1900, information is spotty. In all probability, I'm missing dozens of pioneer forgotten towns (Example: I know there was a Rock Creek, but I could never pinpoint it's location). The community structure of the Atfalati seems lost to time. 

Then there are the contemporary local landmarks that I couldn't cram into my framework. The airplane home on Holly Hill Rd is undoubtedly a unique attraction but it's firmly beyond the boundaries of any meaningful community.

I also had problems with including some of the most prominent businesses in the county. Laika Studios, the beloved animation studio behind Coraline and Wildwood has a inconspicuous office too far from Hillsboro downtown (or other Hillsboro non-neighborhoods like Sewell and Mahan).

 Next Level, the pinball museum is frequently awarded as the best arcade in the country. Located within the Hillsboro Airport complex, a perfectly fine place to bike to, although I tend to only visit on rainy days.

Same for Old Trapper, the manufacturers of excellent jerky headquartered in Forest Grove. The aroma of curing meats surrounds their facilities but there's no obvious signage.

All that is nothing compared to the hundreds of miles of gravel roads on the west edge of the county. So, no, I'm not moving, while my documentation of the local communities may be wrapping up, my exploration of the county is just beginning.

What's Next?

The site will remain where it is. I may retool the layout.

I'm also not done. The original project had many constraints (only bike, only communities, only Washington County). It's time to branch out. 

Going forward, I will cross county lines. 

I will sometimes swap the bike for a kayak, skis, or trail runners.

I will continue to pursue adventures that highlight all the ways that make this area great. Suggestions for a unique outdoor experience? Reach out to me on any of the socials at the bottom of the page.

For, I am tired. I've stuck to a weekly cadence for over a year. Each trip requires hours of prep and several more hours of writing. Fussing over camera angles saps the fun out of riding. I took a several-week writing break before this article and it has been glorious! 

I need to slow down. 

Outside of this site, I have been trying to increase my participation in the local biking community. To that end, I joined the Washington County Rural Road Committee and begun attending some bike meetups.

In summary, The site stays. Adventures will be less structured. Updates will be less frequent. I'm thinking maybe once a month. We'll see. You may start to see me around advocating for non-motorized recreation and transit.

Thank you again for joining me on the journey, I hope you'll stick around for what's next.