Weekend Event Guide: Ride to sunset, in Spanish, or for Joy of Sects

bikes at Last Thursday on Alberta-8

Enjoy the crowd (and the bikes)
at carfree Last Thursday tonight.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Looks like we’re out of the 100s, but this weekend is still shaping up to be respectably hot so remember to heed these best practices to beat the heat.

If you’re prepared to venture out, you have a great lineup of events to choose from. Here are some highlights:

Thursday, July 30

6:00pm – 10:00pm: Last Thursday
Every month this summer, a long stretch of Alberta Street is closed to cars and packed with people, art, dancing, and food vendors. It’s a magical experience.

Art Bike Parade at Cirque du Cycling-14

If you’re a lady who’s tallbike-curious,
roll with the Irondelles on Sunday.

7:45pm: Sunset Mystery Ride
Meet at the duck pond in Laurelhurst Park (SE 30th and Stark) and ride to a mystery destination to lounge, picnic, and watch the sun go down.

9:45pm: Irondelles Ride
The first group ride hosted by Portland’s all-women tallbike gang, the Irondelles. Meet at NE 20th and Alberta in the empty lot. Short ride, secret party destination. All bikes welcome!

Friday, July 31

7:00am – 9:00am: Breakfast on the Bridges
Build a few extra minutes into your commute over the Hawthorne or Steel to savor a cup of coffee, scarf down a donut, and talk about the weather. Last Friday of every month!

5:45pm: Happy Friday Ride
Cruise around Southeast Portland ringing your bell and wishing folks a “happy Friday.” Leaves from Ladd Circle at 6:15 prompt.

7:00pm: Ninth Annual Bicycle Film Festival
The BFF is back. Friday night highlights a film about BMX bikes and another about a bicycle tour across Africa, as well as a program of bike shorts. Programs at 7:00, 9:00, and 10:00. Clinton Street Theater, SE 26th and Clinton.

Saturday, August 1

10:30 – noon: Paseo en Bicicleta Para Familias
Un paseo en bicicleta a un paso moderadamente lento por diversas calles de St Johns. Visitaremos parques y otros lugares interesantes. ¡Traiga la familia (y sus cascos)! 2 horas, 4-5 millas. St Johns Park, N Central St and Burlington Ave.

10:45 – 1:45: Curt’s Move by Bike
Help Curt move across town by bike. The glory derived from this feat will be yours for a lifetime. Meet in Ladd’s Addition, move to N Alberta and Albina; see link for details.

4:00pm: Ninth Annual Bicycle Film Festival
The BFF continues with an alleycat at 4:00pm, three more programs, and an afterparty at 9:00pm. Clinton Street Theater, SE 26th and Clinton.

Sunday, August 2

10:30AM – 2:00: Vintage Bicycle Show & Swap Meet
Part of the Mt. Tabor Centennial Celebration. Come see a range of vintage bicycles, including classic lightweights, randonneuring, cyclo-touring, and pre-war bikes. Some for show; others for sale or trade. There will be racks and some tables for parts. To exhibit or vend, contact Oliver Smith at oliverbsmith[at]yahoo[dot]com. Meet at the top of Mt. Tabor on the west side.

Hottest Day of the Year ride

Ice cream, squirt guns, and fun
at the Hottest Day of the Year Ride.

10:30 – 2:30: Joy of Sects II
The Bike Temple (we profiled them earlier this month) is leading their second Joy of Sects ride. They refer to this one as “speed dating for religion.” Meet under the Hawthorne Bridge on the east side for a respectful, fascinating look inside a wide variety of faiths.

10:00am: Hottest Day of the Year Ride
Looks like the Hottest Day Ride may actually live up to its name this year. Featuring a water fight, a slip n slide, and of course beer along a 15 mile urban route. Starts and ends at Lucky Lab Northwest (NW Quimby and 19th)

2:00pm: Bike Beaverton 2009
The second annual family friendly ride around Beaverton, hosted by the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee. Last year 90 people turned out! Details here.

Monday, August 3

6:00pm: An Evening With Russ Roca
BikePortland hosts a social happy hour and interview with Russ Roca, a carfree, bike-based professional photographer from Long Beach, CA. Russ and his partner Laura are starting a world-wide bike tour from Portland and I’ve invited him to sit down with me for a chat. We’ll do the on-stage interview at about 6:30, and there will be a chance to ask questions. Come to meet Russ and Laura, see some live journalism, and socialize with other BikePortland readers.

Photo of author

Elly Blue (Columnist)

Elly Blue has been writing about bicycling and carfree issues for BikePortland.org since 2006. Find her at http://takingthelane.com

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Pashful Gazelle
Pashful Gazelle
14 years ago

If you’re riding in inner NE on Saturday. Stop by GEORGE’S BLOCK PARTY ’09!! on NE 27th Ave, between Multnomah and Wasco. It’s from noon til 10pm. Some really super local bands are playing all day long. My Fellow Traveller, Professor Gall, Don’t Hurt Miles!(they just played Sunday Parkways in NE) and others. Cheers!! — PG.

redhippie
redhippie
14 years ago

you should add the tour de tillamook going on in the forest and put on by PUMP

BURR
BURR
14 years ago

Mt. Hood Bomb!

Oliver Smith
Oliver Smith
14 years ago

If you like old bikes (or newer bikes with classic styles), come to the Vintage Bike Show & Swap Meet on Mt. Tabor! It’s part of the Mt. Tabor Centennial Celebration.

Sunday, 10:30-2
More details at http://mttabor100.org/events.html#13

clackamas willy
clackamas willy
14 years ago

This could get religious:

What does everybody think about a national bicycle draft? Like military conscription by lottery like the vietnam war? Only you don’t have to shoot anybody.

Some federal agency draws your driver’s license number by random chance and you’re mandated to never drive a car for 5 years, supposing you pass a gentle physical.

If you survive the 5 years, you’ll get veteran’s benefits. If not, then it’s friendly fire.

The USPS once sponsored a bicycle team! I would ride a bike for the postal service, delivering mail.

nothing can stop my bike. unless i get run over.

Ayleen
14 years ago

Hottest Day of the Year Ride starts at 10am on Sunday, August 2. You can check in the day before, too, to beat the heat and beat the lines. We’re serving ice cream coffee drinks (free) and offering summery treats at Lucky Lab NW on Saturday from 11:30-2:30.

Matt Picio
14 years ago

I don’t know how I missed getting it into the Shift calendar, but Cycle Wild is going camping at Alder Flat this weekend as well. Meet at Cleveland Ave MAX stop in Gresham at 9am. 45 miles one-way, we should get to the site about 3pm. Stopping at the Estacada Thriftway to stock up on food, everyone is responsible for their own. Free – no camping fees at this site.

This is a collaborative trip with Bark, a local group that watchdogs the Forest Service, BLM and timber sales.

Forecast is 89 degrees with 20% of thundershowers. The site is right on the river with a perfect sandy beach for wading / swimming in the river. Bring a towel, sunscreen, at least 2L of water, and bug repellent.

Note: there is a 3/4 mile dirt trail at the end of this trip – you might have to walk your bike down it, be prepared.

Hope to see you there!

Kris
Kris
14 years ago

Also a reminder that the Short Track Grand Finale is this Monday, August 3.

We’ll have free kids races at 5:45pm, regular races from 6 to 8pm, a wild “ultra short track” team relay at 8:15pm, and we end the night with our series awards and raffle. Oh, and if you missed last week’s surprise performance of salsa dancers Ernesto and Dianah from Caracas (Venezuela), they’ll be back on Monday for an encore!

And for all the racers and spectators who plan to ride their bikes to PIR, we’ll open the SE gate, so you can enter PIR from the path along Columbia Slough and don’t have to go all the way around through the main entrance.

More details at: http://www.portlandracing.com

Also make sure to check out the video clip of last week’s hot night of short track racing under the sprinklers: http://vimeo.com/5332811

twistyaction
twistyaction
14 years ago

Well, I missed the 7 & 9 showings of the Bicycle Film Fest tonight, so I was really glad to read here that there was a show at 10 as well. Too bad there wasn’t.

Craig
Craig
14 years ago

In the 5:00am darkeness (wearing clear safety shop glasses) of Sunday morning, met three buddies and rode from Lloyd Center (with our lights on of course), across the Broadway Bridge, up Lovejoy, then south on NW 23rd and up Vista Avenue to reach Council Crest before sunrise. So nice, I think this will become my regular morning workout. No cars on the streets, cool morning air, a stout but gracious hillclimb–1000 feet, but with plenty of level rest intervals for those who want them, and WAY safer in terms of safe shoulders and speeding morotists than Cornell or (God forbid) Burnside. And the view was damn fine. Followed immediately by another climb, this time up to Washinton Park, the zoo, and arboretum. Short and sweet, it’s not De Ronde van Oeste Portlandia, but it’ll do in a pinch!

Craig
Craig
14 years ago

Hmm. My hyperlink failed somehow. Maybe I should read the “Please refer to this guide” guide, but flickr is blocked in my employers network. I’ll try again here:

De Ronde van Oeste Portlandia”>