In January of 2021, we wrote about Micah Tuttle having run all the streets of Corvallis. So, how well do you know Corvallis?
Tim Holt, who has lived here since 1979, thought he knew it pretty well. Until he was crossing the street by the Harrison Bridge, looked over and realized he had never walked across the bridge. Since then, Holt has walked 385 miles exploring all of the city’s streets.
During the pandemic Holt, who started a new position at HP, found himself sitting at the computer all day. He was never a runner or bicyclist, as many in Corvallis are, so – as “brain breaks” – he started taking walks during lunch. At the beginning, his walks radiated out from his house. Instead of walking the same blocks, he asked himself “why not mix it up?”
Mapping the City
Holt started using the Citystrides app to keep track and to plan out his course most efficiently, then decided to not double back on any street. He used the Strava app for the GPS technology and imported it to Citystrides.
Citystrides is a running app, so he had to pretend he was running, which was funny to him because of the encouraging messages they would send to what he presumes they considered “a very slow runner.”
Using the apps was about optimization – he didn’t want to miss a street, though he sheepishly admitted he did miss one in South Corvallis, near a house where he used to live. He organized his walks by sections of town, at first using apps to figure out where to go. But as he progressed, he became able to figure out routes on the fly.
His walks started as one hour, and then sometimes two. Eventually he enjoyed the project so much, he’d take four-to-five hour walks on the weekends. “It became a mind game not to duplicate areas.”
On his map of places traveled, it looks like he missed areas. Holt said that some of the dirt roads seemed private, and he was very careful not to trespass. He also noted that many of the manufactured home neighborhoods have their own roads, and while shown on public maps, their roads are posted as private.
In Timberhill he discovered cut throughs – designated easements that enabled him to go from one cul-de-sac to the next. There were only two streets he didn’t walk down due to a sense of safety. Another one south of downtown had pot plants – though while probably legal, he didn’t want to take chances of looking suspicious.
The roads organized in grids were easier to plan than the curvier neighborhoods.
Walking Bring Alongs
Holt listened to podcasts on his walk. At some point he discovered a deep-house radio station out of Cork, Ireland to keep him company. The base beat helped him keep moving.
Over the 385 miles he covered, he wore out his first pair of Hoka Trail Running shoes and feels he’s halfway through his second pair. Holt brought a bottle of water and a Cliff bar on his walks.
“One stinking hot day I had finished my water, and was starting to feel dehydrated. I was out near the Brooklane Cemetery – too far from my car to get home for more water,” he said. “Fortunately, the cemetery has water spigots so people can water the flowers on the graves, which saved me. After that I bought a water backpack to make sure I always had enough H2O.”
One road near Philomath had loose dogs that were eyeing him. After that walk he started bringing dog treats.
Corvallis’s Secrets
When asked, Holt couldn’t name one space that stood out the most for him. While he enjoyed the fairy gardens on Grant, the artsy yards on streets behind Les Schwab’s location on SW 3rd, and the alleyways of Van Buren and Jackson, Holt loved the secret paths and sidewalks between roads. “Secret sidewalks are the coolest thing.”
SW Oetjen Ave has a sidewalk that bends past side yards and into another neighborhood. The area between Circle Drive and the First Alternative Co-op North also offered off-road paths that were fun to explore.
Walking down NW Fernwood Circle there is a “very cool one way street” that feels more like a country lane.
Over on NW Bryant Street, south of the hospital, Holt came across a unicorn carved from an old tree. Other locals share the story that the unicorn, whom one resident dubbed “Periwinkle,” was rescued in 2018 when the artist’s home was being sold and the new owners didn’t want to keep it.
Holt also enjoyed the handmade ceramic figures that adorned wood fence posts near Willamette Park and SE Goodnight Ave.
Corvallis Built Up & Filled In
Having lived in Corvallis for over 40 years, Holt has seen it grow up. He saw the expansion of North Corvallis when HP’s PC division grew in the early 1980s. During his walks, he finally saw some of the truly wealthy houses that border the nature parks.
When OSU actively grew its student base, Holt saw apartments built filling in many of the former open spaces. It saddens him how many of those apartments make the city look trashy.
During his walks he enjoyed seeing South Corvallis’ art community with yards filled with creative pieces and the community farm stand.
Run for Mayor?
Throughout the time he walked, Holt wondered if anyone would stop him. His last street, Highland Terrace, he finally had a conversation with someone in the neighborhood who wanted to know what Holt was doing. Since he had learned to bring dog treats, he was also able to help that resident socialize their rescue dog.
Holt says that since he’s explored the entire city, his friends tease him about becoming Mayor. While he loves Corvallis even more, he has no desire to explore its politics. He does encourage others he discovers through the app to complete their walks of the town. He feels great satisfaction in completing his adventure in exploring Corvallis, street by street.
By Stacey Newman Weldon
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