It’s the final month of Pedalpalooza, Portland’s summer-long bicycle fun fest. Last time we checked in I had went on the Kickoff Ride on June 1st, Tom Howe’s Know Your Greenways Ride on June 8, and then the first two rides I have led: Sunset/Moonrise and the Gorge Ride.
Since that report on June 27, I have led three more rides, each with their own report:
- The Bikes and Film Cameras Club Ride on Saturday July 9th
- The very hot Old Libraries N/NE Ride on Monday July 11th (and I’m not going to be doing any more over 90F rides if I can help it)
- Sunset/Moonrise Ride from Mt. Hood MAX to Broughton Beach on Wednesday July 13th
But what about other people’s ride? Well, I already reported my experience with the I Shoot Film Ride on June 28. Since then I really haven’t done many rides. What can I say: many of the rides don’t appeal to me, and often the ones that do appeal happen when either I was occupied with other biz or it was just too damn hot out. Case in Point: The last week of July had many rides I wanted to do (basically one a night) but the heatwave pretty much cancelled all of them.
But I have managed a couple rides!
The first one was Brian McGloin’s Technically Singletrack on Monday July 25th. Technically this ride was at the beginning of the heatwave, but I made the decision to ride at least the first bit. There was a good amount of folk, somewhere between 15 and 20, that showed up. Brian led the mass southward along (and off) the Springwater Corridor southwards toward Sellwood. This is where I broke off to get a burrito and sit in the shade by Johnson Creek.
It was another hot’un on Sunday July 31st, but this was the grand opening of the Earl Blumenauer Bike/Ped Bridge over I-84. Before this bridge opened, the options of I-84 between Lloyd District into Central Eastside were very meh: brave a lane or ride the sidewalk on MLK or Grand, or the marginally better “bike lanes” on the NE 12th viaduct. The new bridge is between those two options, following the path of NE 7th. Despite the heat, there were a lot of folks out, including Congressman Blumenauer himself! No, he wasn’t wearing a bow-tie, he was about as “casual” as I have ever seen him: orange polo with black shorts and sneakers. There was some pomp and circumstance, like speeches and a “first crossing” (though the bridge was already open by the morning, and had been passable for about a week before this.) It was fun, but we took off as the heat got unbearable.
And I hope to get in a few more rides before Pedalpalooza is over…
Urban Adventure League 
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