Hey - just wanted to say "good job" in regards to your long and potentially complicated commute. I've lived a couple of places in Portland and work in Salmon Creek, on the north side of Vancouver. I've found only a couple of sketchy dark sections (like around the I5 bridge/Jantzen Beach/Delta Park area), and I've only been harrassed a 4 or 5 times in the last 2 years of doing this ride (always in Vancouver, which has a generally lower level of understanding and acceptance of the "sharing the road" notion).

Has the "Bike There" map been useful? I'm pretty sure it saved my life when I first moved here. Some side streets through residential neighborhoods can shorten a lot of those routes, but it does take some extra experimenting (i.e., getting lost). At least the Bike There map can show where the bike lanes are - a bonus, I think. Do you also have the Clark County bike map?

I have to admit that I've never ridden from Portland to LO - I'm thinking you must get a couple of nice hills in there! You must get to eat whatever you want, with that commute. I'd be curious to know what bike you're riding this winter...?

OK, I'm saying a whole lot of nothing - if you have any specific questions about the stretch through Portland or between PDX and the Couv, let me know.

Kudos!
-shoe