This Coffeeneuring Challenge I’m trying to make each ride unique in its own way. This doesn’t mean that I’m aiming for “epic”, though my first ride of the 2015 challenge did go in that direction. No, it’s something a little different than that. Maybe a little more personal. And for the fourth ride of this challenge, I decided to head back into my personal history and ride to Five Points Coffee Roasters on SE Division St and SE 35th Place.
The ride itself wasn’t exciting, a seven-mile jaunt through the familiar territory of NE and SE Portland. But Five Points has significance to me because it is founded and owned by Chris, my first roommate in Portland! It’s great to see him doing so well. He bought the property in early 2011 (it was originally a coffee shop called Haven), changed the name to Coffee Division, then started roasting beans under Five Points. He decided to change the cafe name to match the roastery about a year ago. And now he’s expanding: He’s opening a new cafe in the Fulton/John’s Landing neighborhood in SW, on Macadam Ave (blocks from the Willamette.)
We caught up on things, since it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him. We talked a bit about how the city has changed since the days of our ratty old apartment on SE Morrison, the place I lived at from 2001-2003. Beneath our apartment was the office of a local music magazine, edited by Marissa Madrigal. If that name sounds familiar to you Portland people, there is good reason: She became Multnomah County Chair after Jeff Cogen left in scandal, and is a name being bandied about as a mayoral candidate for the 2016 race. Stranger things could happen! It was good talking to Chris, as he helped me put some things into perspective.
I had a cup of the house coffee (Brazilian, I believe), and took a bag of High Score beans (their espresso roast) home for later. But I wasn’t going to head home yet! First I had an obligation to take care of. Then I headed up to Mount Tabor for the hope of watching the sunset. Tough luck, it’s too cloudy. And to make things worse, mosquitoes! They must have come out with the recent rains. And from the big tour, I learned that mosquitoes love black, and I was almost all in black! Ahh! I retired to the east side of Tabor with Norm and Oliver (who met me on top) to catch the moonrise. Andy, Chris, and Coconut Bill also arrived. The clouds also obscured most of the moonrise, but we did have a few minute window where we saw it all in its orange-hued glory. Then we headed for tacos on SE Division. A good night after all!
- Bike taken: Bantam Rambleneur
- Distance: 6.7 mi/10.8 km
- High temp: 63F/17C
- Coffee: Five Points Coffee Roasters
- Bike friendliness: Mostly bike lanes or low traffic streets
- Route map: Ride With GPS (only from home to coffee)
Chris has keys to like half the city.
Self portrait atop Mount Tabor, pre mosquitoes.
Urban Adventure League 