Rocky Butte Roundup (A.K.A. Where Santa Claus Spends His Summers)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Last night on one of my rare evenings off of work, I called up some friends to go for a ride. (I on a little 49cc yellow scooter, they on their red Kawasaki Ninja 500 motorcycle.) I suggested going somewhere to watch the sunset, and they instantly recommended Rocky Butte - a landmark bump on the earth from a long dormant volcano, and the only elevated ground in northeast Portland.
After a scenic ride up to the top we were surprised to find nearly a hundred bikes and their riders pulling off an impromptu sunset after-ride party at the top, complete with a portable stereo blaring dance music, potluck dinner, and all the locally brewed beer that could be pedaled up - in true Portland fashion.
After taking my 70th look back at Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens basking in the sunset to convince myself they weren't just a figment of my imagination, the night was topped off with an impromptu air guitar performance by Santa Claus himself, who, despite popular opinion, is actually a thin, middle aged Japanese man who wears a fanny pack and enjoys spending his summers in Oregon with a bunch of beer drinking, bike riding Portlanders. It appears that he records his good times on home video and then watches them up north during the winters when he needs a break from toymaking. (Probably with a Deschutes River Brewery Cinder Cone Red Ale in hand.)
Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:04 PM
Labels: Portland
Sounds like fun. I wish I had a scooter. In the meantime I have been working on getting a road bike functioning. How is your bicycle? I should come down and go riding some time. Currently in Northern California working in a summer program at a boarding school. www.nawa-academy.com