Cyclists find scenic escapes on back roads outside Portland

As laid-back as Portland is, it's still a city with hustle and bustle. My escape is right at my doorstep: a picturesque slice of Oregon that appeals to my urge to aimlessly wander on lonesome roads.

My father, a native Vermonter who passed away two years ago, had a life-long love of exploring the Green Mountain state's back roads. Bud Petty would be driving his pickup along a dirt road and when he saw one that was unfamiliar, he'd take the turn to see where it led. Then he'd take the next turn, and the next.

I wasn't fully aware I had inherited this trait until I started cycling in Oregon, my adopted home, about a dozen years ago.