Jenne Butte
Running Time: 56:48.5 + 2-minute kick
One last run on the old home turf before we make the long drive back to Utah, to pack up our worldly belongings to move to Michigan. We stayed the last two nights at our good friends’ Debbie and Dennis, where we enjoyed wonderful food, wine, beer, and spirits, as well as fun and invigorating conversation. My wife has been saying that she does not miss the place where we once lived, but she misses the people.
Jenne Butte is one of the several wooded cinder cones between Mt. Hood and Downtown Portland. It has no maintained trails, which means it has less foot traffic than other local buttes, like nearby Rocky Butte. The locals have their own trails, from one street to another, and they made for excellent running on a warm sunny day. I did have a brush with some stinging nettles, though, which gave me a boost.
The slopes were steep, which made for some great uphill running. I tried a few sidetrails, which did not work out. I came across one local who was sitting in some kind of self-designed sanctuary, partaking of the legal weed you can enjoy in Oregon. I suppose I was just part of the trip.
I will miss our friends in Oregon also, although we have been gone nearly a year and it does not feel like I have seen most of them much less than normal, because I have been back to Oregon three times since we moved to Utah. I will miss some things about Oregon – the beer and the Coast Range, mostly – but not our old house. We picked up some kitchen stuff we left there when we moved, and it definitely did not arouse sentimental memories, at least the garage didn’t. I doubt that we are as attached to our places and our possessions as we think we are.
Oregon is certainly picturesque. Having driven so much of the country, as well as some of Western Canada, the past 15 months, I was struck by the beauty of the Columbia Gorge as we left town Saturday morning on our way back to Utah. The Gorge is truly a special place, and I have driven through it many times, but you get a better sense of how majestic it is when you compare it to other regions.
For the next few weeks, we will be packing and moving, which is sheer turmoil. I would just as soon pay someone to do all of it, but that is beyond our budget. We are better prepared for this move than the last one, and we survived that, so we will get through this one as well. My running rituals will be disrupted, but I will fit it in when I can.
Don't Make It a Habit. Make It a Ritual. 