Sunday, April 13, 2008

Quite and expedition!


     I love history. I love exercising. I love exploring. And, what's unique about my walk/ride trip is that right now it connects with Lewis and Clark and their expedition.
     With my 8 more miles to add the trip (and, by the way, ROSS CANYON kicked my bootie this morning, but I totally made it the entire way without stopping, and my friend who works for the county told me it was a 7% grade), for a total of 70 miles, I have now passed over the Lewis and Clark Bridge from Rainier, Oregon into Longview, WA.
     This bridge connects directly to Longview, in that the it was originally privately owned and named the Longview Bridge; it was built back in 1930, and to pay for its almost $6 million pricetag, they actually charged a toll, until the State of Washington bought it in 1947.
     Then back in 1980, the bridge was rededicated as the Lewis and Clark Bridge. Another cool thing about it is that it was designed by the same guy who made the Golden Gate Bridge.
     I do like that I have actually been to these places many times in my life. Right now I am two miles out of Longview.
     Longview was basically on the map after a man from Missouri, Robert A. Long moved his timber company there in the mid-1800s.
     What I like about Longview, two things. First, I like Green Day, and they have a song actually called "Longview" which was inspired by friends that the band members had on the punk rock scene who hailed from Longview. Some people think that that Green Day came from Longview, but they didn't!
     I also love the Nutty Narrows Bridge!! It's a bridge that a guy had made, using an old firehouse, to allow safe passage for squirrels that were previously being oblierated into roadkill at an alarming rate!

     So, my trip has taken me back into Washington, for a little while, and then I will be back into Oregon. I can't wait to get to Portland, one of my favorite cities in the world!
     Tune in next Sunday, for how far I travel along my road! I know that this next week is particularly busy, so I plan on making my exercise happen in the morning, and then IF I have more time, I will squeeze in more exercise when I can.
     Be healthy!

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