Weekend Event Guide: Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Bike the Lights, and more

(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Lots of fun and interesting holiday-themed rides the next few days. Check out a few I’ve heard about below…

Thursday, November 28th

Un-Thanksgiving Ride – 9:30 am at Irving Park (NE)
Join veteran ride leaders Max and Tom for a recognition of National Day of Mourning and an “Un-Thanksgiving.” They’ll bike to Whitaker Ponds and then venture to the nearby Native American Youth Association headquarters to hear native speakers. More info here

Rocky Point MTB Ride – 9:30 am at Rocky Point Trails (Scappoose)
Get in a solid off-road ride with fellow MTB lovers from NW Trail Alliance. Hit the “more” link for required paperwork to ride at Rocky Point. More info here.

Thanksgiving Day Ride – 10:00 am at Wilshire Park (NE)
Portland Bicycling Club will lead this 15-20 urban meander that will include a coffee stop at Pioneer Square and an optional jaunt to Sellwood Bridge. More info here.

Land Back Ride – 2:00 pm at Colonel Summers Park (SE)
“Thanksgiving is built on genocide. We are biking on unceded land. Playlist will feature Indigenous artists from across the globe.” More info here

Thanksgiving Orphan Ride – 2:30 pm at Dawson Creek Park (Hillsboro)
A faster-pace ride meant for everyone who finds themselves alone with their bikes on this day. More info here.

Friday, November 29th

Black Friday Forest Park Ride – 10:00 am at Fat Tire Farm (NW)
Join the “Trail Sisters” for some off-road fun in Forest Park. More info here.

Sunday, December 1st

Entry Level Gravel Group Ride – 10:00 am at River City Bicycles (SE)
Join the welcoming and fun Sorella Forta Cycling Club for a ride that meets in Central Eastside and rides up into Forest Park for some unpaved action. More info here.

Bike the Lights – 4:15 pm to 9:30 pm at Portland International Raceway (N)
The annual “Winter Wonderland” festival of lights and a chance to ride the PIR track carfree! A must-do experience. Tickets required. Dress for the cold and bring friends. See Shift Calendar for two group rides to the event. More info here.


— Did I miss your event? Please let me know by filling out our contact form, or just email me at maus.jonathan@gmail.com.

So long, farewell

Lisa at Bike Happy Hour #38. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

I’m throwing in the towel.

After four years of writing for BikePortland, and almost as long moderating your comments, I’m pretty worn out. That’s about 150 stories, and a hundred or so “Comment of the Week” posts.

And I’ve loved it. Writing for BikePortland is not something I ever planned for or expected to do, or even knew I wanted to do, but I so appreciate that Jonathan took a risk and gave me this opportunity.

The timing is right for me to step back. I’ve covered the Southwest in Motion roll-out, Capitol Highway and other southwest projects, active transportation policy, the rose lanes, TriMet’s Forward Together plan, charter reform, the election results, and land use. To be honest, I don’t expect much more to be happening, transportation-wise, in the near to medium future in southwest Portland. (Probably some big announcement will come out next week just to put a point on me not knowing what I am talking about.)

Last year I joined the board of SWTrails and I plan to step up my involvement with that group. So I’ll still be around, and might even contribute a post or two — just like other occasional contributors.

A couple words about Jonathan. It’s been a pleasure for me to work with him. He’s an excellent editor, and I was surprised to discover how much I like being edited. I have also learned a lot from him about how to put together a news story. Thank you Jonathan, and here’s to spending time with you in the queues.

And to all you commenters, I really did read all your comments, and enjoyed it for the most part. BikePortland has a good thing going with our comments sections and I think BP is one of the few places on internet where commenters can have meaningful conversations with people they might not completely agree with. Keep it up, and go easy on JM, moderating well is a lot of work.

Adios!


Come and hang out with Lisa at Bike Happy Hour tonight! 3:00 – 6:00 pm at Migration Brewing on N Williams Ave.

Browse Lisa’s posts on her author page.