We've arrived in Stevenson, WA for the first day of the 2009 Organic Summit, which will begin in about an hour. So far, the story of how we got here has been every bit as interesting as the places we've been -- to us, at least. Before arriving in Portland, the first leg of the OrganicNation Kickoff Tour was completed entirely without the aid of a personal car.

After flying into San Jose, CA, we relied on the San Jose light rail system to get us around town, and then caught the regional Caltrain into San Francisco. In SF, we used the Bart and Muni rail systems, and again rode the Caltrain out to the Maker Fair in San Mateo. On Friday night, we boarded an Amtrak train and enjoyed the scenic 17-hour ride through the Cascades to Portland. And in Portland, we took advantage of the local MAX light rail system, before renting a car and driving out to the Columbia Gorge.

That meant that we weren't able to visit some of the farms in Northern California and Southern Oregon, but we did get to visit a number of businesses and events that didn't require the use of a car. After the Organic Summit wraps up on Friday, we plan to board another northbound train to the Seattle area, and we'll check in with some organic farmers on the Olympic Peninsula.

-Mark

The photo above, at left is by Flickr user Patrick Rasenberg; the photo at right is by Flickr user smif.