It's not everyday that the BTA has business in Beaverton.  There's a few schools we teach, city and county staff we meet, but otherwise the BTA doesn't go out there too often.

Except for me.  I grew up in BeaverTron, as it is so lovingly dubbed, and last Friday I got a chance to show some staff the wonders of Beaverton.  Five of us attended a training on Scholls Ferry near Washington Square Mall and we decided to make an adventure of it.

First on our itinerary was a MAX ride out.  And it was an adventure.  We debated what time and which stop to meet at.  "At 7:30 people are getting off Downtown so we should get on later," I said.  "But there might not be any bike hangers, so we should get on sooner," LeeAnne said.  We took LeeAnne's advice and tried to finagle Stephen's recumbent onto one of the racks, which worked out surprisingly well.

Secretly harboring a fantasy to be a tour guide, I had to show everyone my old stomping grounds, so we got off at Beaverton Transit Center and made a slight detour to the Beaverton Bakery on the outskirts of downtown Beaverton (yes, there is a downtown).  After a quick purchase of their delightful coffeecake we rode the rest of downtown to go to the scariest railroad crossing in Oregon.  Portland cyclists fear Streetcar rails.  None of them compare to the 3-4 inch lip on Watson at Farmington.

We passed the beautiful Beaverton Library to get to Hall Blvd. and ride one of Beaverton's longest, fully connected bike lanes.  Joel was very impressed with the bike lanes in Beaverton and thought they were much better than in some parts of Portland.  I told him to wait until we used the trails.

We got to the training and found very limited bike parking.  A single upside-down "U" for 4 bikes and a recumbent.  We made it work and went inside.

Locking up in Beaverton isn't always easy.

During the training, we talked, we ate, we laughed, we trained hard.  I think Kristin broke a sweat while she ferociously learned very advanced Excel processes.  During lunch we checked out Greenway Park, one of the greats containing a fun 9-hole disc golf course.

Then it came time to go home.  Should we take the MAX or ride home?  Sitting in front of a computer all day just to get cramped with all the commuters…no thanks  We rode!

And what a ride it was.  We decided on the Fanno Creek Trail.  A pair of bicyclists decided to follow us thinking we knew where we were going.  Oh, ho, no they shouldn't have done that.  We led them to a trail end that stopped at the back of a school bus depot.

The Fanno Creek Trail is an interesting trail.  In the springtime it is one of my favorites because you feel like you are riding down a green and leafy tunnel.  But at times the trail ends at dangerously busy roads which causes tricky maneuvers and unclear directions.  There are even gates that forced us to stop and lift Stephen's recumbent (not a friendly task) to continue on our way.  However, the trail itself is serene and peaceful.  It winds through Washington County in a safe, picturesque sense.  It functions very well as a transportation corridor without the title, funding source, and availability of one.

We got off the trail and took fast, downhill routes the rest of the way to downtown – Multnomah to Barbur.  Overall it was a very fun day with very fun people and an exciting bike ride.  If you haven't ridden in Beaverton before, don't let its suburban, not-Portland connotation stop you.  There are many places to explore and fun rides.  Wind through the Wonderland neighborhood, dine in downtown, hustle the hectic trails of Highland.

The gang crossing one of Beaverton's bike boulevards.

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