We are fortunate to have had a perfect day for a ride, a ride like no other that Blueberry Rides has done before. Over twenty riders of varying abilities and interests gather together at Share-It Square, the common thread being the desire to know more about Portland's Natural Buildings constructed of Cob.

We have a bit of a late start as riders continue to arrive, but it is such a beautiful day that, who is counting! Louie hands out "Cob Cookies". One of the founders of "Share-It Square" is there to greet us and tell us all about the Square and how it came to be. He comes with us to explain the Solar Sanctuary, our first stop.

We pick up two more guides at People's Co-op. They ride with us and explain all the structures. They are the best part of this ride. We get to go behind the scenes and see all of the structures, even the ones in back yards. Our guides are gracious and knowledgeable. They teach us all about how hard it is to do something different, even if that different thing is being done all over the world. It took much convincing to get the buildings past City Hall.

For some in our group 15 miles was a big ride. We also had riders who have ridden many century rides. Such a diverse group is difficult to lead, but everyone understood and held together quite well. Louie and I coached new riders through some of the more difficuly areas of the route. The more experienced riders slowed their pace to enjoy the day. Logistically, this ride is one of our most difficult rides of the year. We had to develop a route from scratch that would be both safe and enjoyable as well as show riders some of Portland's more interesting areas such as Ladd's Addition.

We thank everyone who participated and especially our guides. They were terrific.

Louie and Becky

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