Portland Pedalpalooza 2010

I had the good luck of being down in Portland last weekend for the starting festivities of Portland's Pedalpalooza, a 2 week event of "bikey fun." Each day there are a dozen different rides organized by people who love their bikes, and almost all the rides and events are free. I attended the Cirque du Cycling parade on Mississippi Ave; as you can see by the pictures there were a lot of crazy bikes and outfits. It was a beautiful day, and the streets were overflowing with people, beer, and live music. I never feel as embraced for my love of cycling as I do in Portland. I didn't want to leave! But after walking around for 2 hours, buying a shirt, and eating vanilla bourbon ice cream in a freshly made waffle cone for lunch, I finally headed home. My only regret was not having my bike with me, so I could only watch instead of play along. Pedalpalooza is still going strong, so if you're in the Portland area, you should definitely get in on the fun! All the info you nee can be found here: http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2010.php

Very cool bike design

Mexi biker!

I loved that kids participated too

Where else are you going to ride your crazy bikes?

My favorite bike, a functional beer keg and tap!

Worst Day of the Year Ride

Ever since we got into biking we've wanted to go down to Portland and bike in the city that's always voted #1 in the nation for cycling. I grew up close to Portland, but never spent a lot of time there. So back in February me, my husband, and our friend Matt decided to participate in the Worst Day of the Year Ride.

The weather actually turned out to be sunny and perfect for riding. We started the morning with donuts, coffee, and a drumline at the starting area. It was a relaxed 18 miles, and a perfect introduction to biking around the city. I can see why Portland is considered so bike friendly; tons of bike lanes, those fancy green sections at stop lights, and overall it's very flat and easy to navigate. Plus there are tons of trails, beautiful scenery, and even the bridges are bike friendly. I (very unsafely) took this picture.

About half way through the ride my left pedal fell off my bike! Luckily there was a bike shop just up the street that fixed it for me no problem. The event started and ended at the Lucky Lab brewery (all the different breweries are another reason to love Portland). After the ride there was chili, bread, and beer. It was a great day, a great ride, and I can't wait to bike around Portland some more. Cheers!