Zoobomb!

No, I’m not referring to a terrorist attack. Zoobomb is a weekly event that involves a train, a lot of mini-bikes, and Portland’s plethora of hills just outside of downtown. It usually results in no injuries – and if there are injuries, they most certainly are self-inflicted.

Every week, a group of people meets downtown, takes the Max (light rail) up to the zoo with their bikes (kiddie bikes are encouraged), hangs out until it’s good and dark, and then ‘bombs’ down Portland’s steep hills back to downtown, where they catch the next train and repeat until the Max stops running for the night.

My friend Julian and I did the Zoobomb last Sunday. We’d both always wanted to do it, and our schedules and the weather cooperated such that we were able to pull it off. I borrowed my nephew 8-year old Leo’s bike (thanks, Leo!), modified it a bit to make it rideable for a 41-year old 6′-0″ dude, and showed up at the Zoobomb pile downtown to meet the other riders and head up.

Me at the downtown Zoobomb pile, ready to ride on Leo's bike. Yes, the city of Portland supports Zoobomb, and even gave them a sculpture / place to store the bikes. Ah, Portland ...

Julian at the pile, in stealth 'Zoobomb' mode

I’d say there were about 80 riders on Sunday’s Zoobomb, a huge turnout I thought. Julian and I each did one run down, and then headed home. Because we’re old, and had to work the next day. It would’ve been fun to stay out all night Zoobombing, but I must say that riding down Portland’s steep west hills on a kid’s Schwinn with nothing more than a rear coaster brake was pretty stressful. I didn’t crash, and Leo’s bike held up fine, but it was still a challenge.

Panda-monium at the start of the Zoobomb, high up in the hills west of Portland

Fully lit for the descent. This was taken at the bottom - notice the look of relief on my face? "Yes! The coaster brake held up!"

I found this video online that pretty much sums up the experience:

Pedalpalooza’ing once again

It’s June in Portland, and that means it’s raining. It also means that it’s Pedalpalooza time, a two-week (ish) celebration of all things bicycling in Portland. A very Portland type of activity, as it involves bicycling and freaks. Pedalpalooza is basically a bunch of bike rides organized by the Portland public bicycling masses. And that includes us.

We decided to host a tandem bike ride this year, just like last year. In fact, the cut ‘n’ paste of it all made it a pretty easy event to organize. The weather was really nice, and we had six people show up for the ride. Lower numbers last year, but we’re not taking that personal.

We started the ride at a park in Northeast Portland, rode around for about five miles, then ended at a park in North Portland. Good tandem times had by all. And no married couples finished the ride divorced!

Off we go! Two tandems and two tandem-curious riders joined us for the trip.

Along the way we stopped at some newly painted street art, at the intersection of NE 8th and Holman. And yes, Dave's helmet is always crooked.

Gawking at the art

A nice evening in Portland

The tandem ride ended with a picnic at a nearby rose garden. Yes, it was a very Portland evening.

Can you canoe?

Last month, Dave and I took a trip to the Midwest to visit a bunch of family. We started our adventure by taking the train from Portland to Chicago, and then catching another train from there to Michigan. A long journey, but it was a scenic one! We were enjoying the scenery so much that we really only took one photo:

North Dakota is a bit underwater right now. Yikes.

We must’ve been weary from all the other photos that everyone else on the train was taking! We arrived in Chicago 12 hours late (ah, Amtrak…), and had some time to kill. So we stared at the bean for a while in Millennium Park.

Morgan and the Lil' Bean, next to the Big Bean in downtown Chicago

In Michigan, we visited with Dave’s family – his Mom and Dad, and brother and his family. One day proved to be really nice weather-wise, so we took the opportunity to go on a canoe trip with Dan (Dave’s brother), Molly (sis-in-law), niece Lucy, and nephew Jack. We had a great time – no one tipped over, and we saw lots of wildlife along the way.

 

Jack giving the international sign for "we have two canoes"

Shiny, happy faces in the canoe

Molly, Jack and Dan. Jack didn't catch any fish, but he sure saw a lot!

Morgan, Lucy and Dave having a sing-along

Morgan and Lucy did a good job scouting for rocks. We only hit one!

After Michigan, we took the boat across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin, where we visited with gobs of Morgan’s family near Madison, Wisconsin. Morgan’s cousin Allison graduated from high school while we were there, so we got to see and catch up with a lot of Morgan’s family.

We then took a plane back to Portland. One 60 hour train trip was enough!

Names in utero

The baby has numerous names right now, no one name has stuck. And hey, it’s fun to mix it up. So far we’ve been calling the little bugger:

• MiMo (short for mini-Moser)
• Tater tot
• Tater
• Li’l bean

Morgan is feeling movement now! Very exciting. The baby is really active, especially after Morgan eats. It’s during these times that we call it Matt Foley.

Li'l Matt Foley, doing what he does best

In the off-chance that you don’t know who Matt Foley is, he’s a character from SNL. One of my favorites. He’s got lots of energy, and our little tater takes on his moniker when things really get moving in Morgan’s belly.

For an awesome SNL skit with Matt Foley, check this out:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4183/saturday-night-live-down-by-the-river