What to wear paddle boarding depends on the weather and your preferences. But there are some key clothing and safety items that will make your experience more enjoyable. Typically, most paddleboarding happens in warmer weather – the summer months and shoulder seasons, in the Northern Hemisphere. Paddleboarding in winter just requires more preparation and bit more gear. So here’s everything you need to know about what to wear…
Very few bike brands make women’s fat bikes. While many mountain bike and road bike manufactures make women-specific bicycles, it’s more rare to find fat tire bikes for women – that is specifically marketed as such, for a few reasons. First, fat bikes are still a newer bike category. Second, for fat bikes it’s more about geometry of the bike, weight, and size. While many of the first…
There are so many amazing viewpoints in Portland to catch surprise mountain views and stunning city skylines. From Portland’s highest lookout points to parks with city views, sunsets, and scenic overlooks, here are the best views in Portland, Oregon. There are nice Portland viewpoints that require very little work, and then there are a few more challenging ones, that are worth the reward! Best Portland skyline view: Pittock…
Portland is home to amazing breweries and quite a few annual beer festivals. While summer is prime beer festival season, you can find a beer festival almost any month in Portland, Oregon! Here’s the full list of Portland beer festivals and a few other notable Oregon beer festivals, by month. 2023 Beer Festivals in Portland, Oregon by Month The following list includes current Portland beer festivals and a…
This week marks the official start to summer! As the weather heats up – yes, it gets into the 100s in Portland – city folk run for the Oregon coast and the nearest rivers. It’s time to river float Portland! If you’ve been dreaming of a leisurely day on the water, here’s everything you need to know to get out on one of our many rivers. TL;DR –…
Planning out backpacking meals often starts as a simple process. “What do I want to eat?!” But by the time you’re packing up, suddenly you’re looking for extra space to stuff food and wondering if you’re bringing too much or too little. I keep a backpacking meal planner spreadsheet with ideas of what I’ve brought in the past. It’s part of my Backpacking Gear List spreadsheet, and it…
Last summer, I did a weekend bikepacking trip with a friend to four Mt Hood Forest lakes. There is a very thorough run down of the route on Bikepacking.com and RidewithGPS, designed by Molly Sugar. So here’s how we rode the route, some changes we made, where we stayed, and of course pictures! Our route ended up being 46 miles total with 3290′ elevation gain. (32 miles the…
Portland is home to many amazing nurseries and garden centers. And it’s no wonder we have so many plant-filled retailers, being located in the lush valley. All that rain has some reward! From larger nurseries and farms to small garden nurseries to hole in the wall plant shops. So here are our favorite nurseries in Portland, Oregon. The best spots to fill out that new container gardener. Give…
Manzanita and Oswald West State Park will forever have my heart. This extra scenic portion of the North Oregon Coast is gorgeous in any season. From summer to winter, here are 21 fun things to do in Manzanita, Oregon. Oswald West is an hour and a half drive from Portland. With Manzanita another 15 minutes south of Oswald West State Park. Manzanita has that low-key beach town vibe,…
Portland spring brings blossoms, outdoor events like the Rose Festival, beer festivals and relief from winter’s cold rainy weather. By mid-spring, Portland experiences high temperatures in the mid-60s and average lows in the mid 40s. Ah Portland in spring – the worst is almost over! Every year, it’s the same feeling as the grey and rain of winter starts to lift and the city starts to bloom. Warmer…
Portland is known as the City of Roses. One of the best things about May, is that all throughout the city roses are starting to bloom. The International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park is flooded with roses, and my local favorite is the Peninsula Park rose garden in North Portland. So here are the best rose gardens in Portland, Oregon – from the biggest The International Rose…
When it comes to backpacking food and meal planning – lunch is one of the most challenging to plan, yet surprisingly simple. Camping breakfast is always the easiest to plan. And dinners can be simpler just from having more time, cooking with a camp stove and using backpacker meals etc. That leaves us with lunch. This post is all about ideas for hiking and backpacking lunch when you’re…