The Shortcut

Redmond is a town that is divided into four quadrants.  Antler road runs east-west and splits the north side from the south side.  Highway 97 and the rail tracks that parallel it runs north to south and divides east from west. 

All the roads that run north to south are numbered (1st St., 2nd St........) and the ones that  are west of the tracks are labeled SW or NW depending on the location relative to Antler - the ones east of the tracks are labeled SE or NE, again depending on the location relative to Antler.

All the roads the that run east to west  are named in alphabetic order with Antler being the only "A" street.  One block north of Antler is Birch, one block south is Black Butte.  Two blocks north is Cedar - you get the picture.  Of course anything north of Antler is labled NE or NW depending on which side of the tracks it is on and vise versa.

All this quartering and labeling makes it very easy for a newcomer to know where he must go if he needs to get a dog license, check out a book from the library or buy a new window to replace the one the kitchen table accidently went through during the move.  Armed with an address I head in the correct cardinal direction until arriving at the correct street and then am able to turn the correct direction and go to the right address.  All without a map.  All on autopilot.  The men who laid out the town of Redmond had logical minds, and envisioned a time when Redmond would have more newcomers than old timers to tell them which way to turn.  However,  the Good Lord loves a laugh and He intervened in a way that boggles the mind.

There is a 200 foot wide canyon that runs from well beyond the northern edge of town to well beyond its southern boundary.  It meanders mostly between where 12th Street and 19th Street should be.  Sure, there are parts of these streets where they ought to be, but the canyon gets in the way and none of them can continue uninterrupted from one end of town to the other.  And worse, in some places the canyon has shear sides that are a hundred feet high.  You can't get to the east side from the west side without a rope and pitons. 

The 20th century proved to be more than a match for our Good Lord and allowed Him to laugh for just so long.  We built bridges accross the canyon at Highland, south of Antler, and at Maple, north of Antler.  Now, do the math.  Highland would be 7 blocks south of Antler and Maple is 12 blocks north of Antler.  That's 19 blocks, boys and girls.  Since I live on NW Ivy (you can figure out where I am - it's easy)  and since gasoline has surpassed $3.00 a gallon, it costs more to drive my Guzzler Deluxe to the store on the other side of the canyon to buy my Depends than they're worth.  I'd rather change and wash my shorts.

All the above was just background for the short tale of discovery that follows.

Today my wife ran out of Depends and even though I can deal with that situation, it is a major emergency when it happens to her.  I jumped into the Guzzler Deluxe and fumed about having to go so far out of the way to get from here to there.  While sitting at a light, wasting even more of the precious liquid, I noticed people turning left and dropping into the canyon.  I figured there must be a reason people would drive their shiny new Guzzlers into the canyon other than the obvious one that a bashed and broken Guzzler uses less gas than one in an operating conditon does.  I decided to become a leeming.  I turned left.

I fell into the canyon behind several others and to my surprise I survived!  I flourished!  There was a way through the canyon  that did not involve going several blocks in the wrong direction and then several blocks back!  I had discovered a shortcut.

Every day we become more a part of this town.  The shortcut is proof.