The Portland Dragon Boat Races has become one of my favorite Portland outdoor events. It has shot way pass the Soap Box Derby Races on Mt. Tabor. Why, you ask? Well, on a sunny day there's nothing better than being by the river.
Showing posts with label Portland Outdoor Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Portland Outdoor Events. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Portland Dragon Boat Races
There really is no bad spot to leisurely watch the races with terrific views of the finish line.
Races occur every 10-15 minutes, as one heat is racing another set of boats are paddling out and getting into position under the Marquam Bridge. So the action keeps coming.
On the second day, after times have been set, and the final brackets are positioned with teams evenly matched, the races get really exciting. Even though I didn't know any of the teams, I found myself cheering during the final races.
One unexpected bonus of having the Dragon Boat Races occurring the weekend of the Grand Floral Parade and the final weekend of the Festival City Fair was that going to brunch at usually busy restaurants was a breeze!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Vaux Swifts
On what turned out to be one of the last warm beautiful summer nights of the year, we packed a picnic and biked down after work to Chapman Elementary School to catch the Vaux's Swift nightly routine before roosting in the school's chimney. Even though we went well before the sunset show started there were a ton of people so we decided to take a seat on the other side in front of the school verses by the soccer field directly in front of the chimney.
When we first arrived, not a single bird was in sight. As the sun sets, the pinkish-purple sky becomes dotted with tiny little black birds. Then a few more and a few more and then a few hundred more and before you know it the sky is a funnel cyclone of thousands of tiny black birds that whirl around the chimney, above the crowd, way up high into the sky and then back down in the trees. It's strangely quiet and very Alfred Hitchcock like. The whole experience is truly amazing. We watched in awe for almost an hour and gasped in unison as a hawk would swoop in and take out one of the tiny Swifts. As summer winds down, watching the Swifts at sunset is just another way to hang onto summer even if it's just for one more late night picnic.
When we first arrived, not a single bird was in sight. As the sun sets, the pinkish-purple sky becomes dotted with tiny little black birds. Then a few more and a few more and then a few hundred more and before you know it the sky is a funnel cyclone of thousands of tiny black birds that whirl around the chimney, above the crowd, way up high into the sky and then back down in the trees. It's strangely quiet and very Alfred Hitchcock like. The whole experience is truly amazing. We watched in awe for almost an hour and gasped in unison as a hawk would swoop in and take out one of the tiny Swifts. As summer winds down, watching the Swifts at sunset is just another way to hang onto summer even if it's just for one more late night picnic.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Good Old Fashion Summer Fun
It's that time again. Travel & Leisure Magazine is conducting their annual internet survey for America's Favorite Cities. We'll have to wait and see how Portland ranks, but last year our lovely City of Roses ranked #1 for summer vacation. It's no surprise really, Portland is a great place to spend your summer vacation. There are so many great things to do in and around the city and the best part, most of it is free!
Portland has great city parks. Green spaces are everywhere, within every neighborhood and varying in sizes and facilities. During our friends Dret's visit a request for a nice disc golf course was made and we happily obliged.
A quick google search provided the link to an enthusiastic disc golfer's guide to disc golf throughout Oregon, which led us to Pier Park in North Portland with the following description: "Pier park has everything you ever dreamed of in a disc golf park. Downhill elevation, uphill elevation, tight technical gaps and breathtaking scenic beauty. Long holes, short holes, oh, I almost forgot, lots and lots of big Doug Fir trees to break in your bag and breakdown your score." With a description like that we had to check out the park for a hot sunny day of disc golf.
A few days later we were back in another Portland park, but this time for the annual Portland Soap Box Derby, an event we look forward to every year.
Every summer 42 homemade engineless racers hurl themselves down Mt. Tabor Park, an ancient volcanic cinder cone in SE Portland with beautiful views of the city.
It was wonderfully blistering hot that day, which didn't seem to keep the crowds away. We found a spot in the shade on a hilly slope that gave us a great view of the action.
This year seem to have more "serious" soap box racers who were gunning for the best time, but we still enjoy the creative ones.
The afternoon was filled with races, an intermission marching band and picnicing in the park. After a few hours we were ready to escape the heat and decided to trek up to the top of the park and check out the view. Once we got to the top we were pleasantly surprised to find a fascinating Native American ceremony happening.
We watched utterly mesmerized by the rhythmic dancing, colorful costumes and drumming.
The dancers seem to fall into a trance as the drum rhythms changed beats, slowing down and gradually picking up to a feverish momentum.
We were also lulled by the ceremony and lazily made our way down the park in a daze from the day's events.
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