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Sit or Spin
Whether you look or labor, Oregon lures you outside with three months of wickedly good weather. BY CHRISTINA MELANDER Navigate:
participate
spectate No one's going to know whether you ran through dreary, wet mornings all winter to prepare for the Columbia Gorge marathon, or stayed in bed till the waffles were ready--until you hit the beach. It's hard to do much more than drag yourself to the bus stop when the brief window of winter daylight is most people's workday. Glorious summer, when the sun stretches from 6 am to 9 pm for days on end and knees and midriffs enter public view, is another story. But don't adopt a venturesome attitude for exercise's sake; you'll have more fun doing it for the thrill and beauty of scaling a backward tilting wall, kick-turning down summer snow-pack, strolling through heady sagebrush or capturing a tufted puffin with a camera click. After all, you could have been working out inside all year. Though heat-induced sweat may release water weight, summer isn't all about burning calories. This list of activities was compiled with teen-age triathletes and decades-old badminton players in mind. Forget "go hard or go home," and just get out. participate Columbia Gorge Hiking Weekend
A drive through the Gorge on I-84 offers plenty of breathtaking scenery, and the historic highway provides more intense, up-close views, but getting off-road, behind waterfalls, in creeks or under massive tree canopies gives a whole new outlook. The 18th-annual hiking weekend, sponsored by Friends of the Columbia Gorge, takes trekkers through popular Eagle Creek Canyon, down Larch Mountain, up to Munra Point, Mount Defiance and Table Mountain, and along wildflower meadows. "Volkswalks" are self-led and supplemented by maps; easy, moderate and strenuous hikes are guided. Friday-Sunday, June 19-21, call 241-3762 for schedule and details. Free. Wy'East Nordic Tele-Ski Camp
Trying a traditional winter sport such as telemarking in the summer is attractive for a couple of reasons: the summer clime, even at 8,500 feet, is generally sunnier and less intimidating than the blustery winter and the snow is soft. Like snowboarding, falling repeatedly is to be expected the first few times out on tele-skis, but excessive bruises and breaks can be avoided by taking a lesson. Beginners can benefit from a weekend clinic at Timberline ($135) featuring full mornings of instruction, video study and ski-tuning tips. Intermediate and advanced freeheelers can band together for exhausting skins up the hill, long traverses and downhill hikes and some remarkable skiing at Paradise and Snow Dome ($25 each day). 622-4841. Friday-Monday, June 19-22 and Friday-Monday, July 10-13. NFL Football Camp
University of Oregon big-men-on-campus alumni Anthony Newman and JJ Birden continue their pioneering free football camp to groom aspiring players for high school, college and beyond. Roughly 40 past and present NFL footballers lend expertise, practical skills and presence to kids in grades 5-12. Benson High School, 546 NE 12th Ave., 656-7266. Check-in 10 to 10:30 am Friday, June 26, instruction continues through Sunday, June 28. Free. Mount Hood Scramble
The word scramble lets you know that this isn't a road race, a distinction the Red Lizards labor to make. A condescending quiz kicks off the registration form: Yes or No, I use hairspray or mousse before I run; I often wear matching outfits to run. Despite the smug questionnaire, this race sounds pretty rad. Like a mini-Raid Gauloises, the Scramble involves running, climbing, wading, over, under, whatever it takes to get from A to B. There are no nifty aid stations doling out water and Vaseline--carry your own. Even though the course is only six miles, a distance most runners would easily complete in less than 60 minutes, anyone who finishes in less than an hour will be recognized. White River West Sno-Park, 697-4787. 10 am Saturday, June 27. $10-$20. Portland Parks Photo Tours
Whether you have a standard 35mm, disposable panoramic or multi-lensed Pentax, coax your camera to work like a pro. Tour leader and professional photographer Michael Paige stresses "using what you have" for camera equipment. Portland Parks and Recreation provides many ways to get outside and see something new whether it's a walk on the difficult Barlow Road stretch of the Oregon Trail, a week in Banff National Park or a yoga kayak retreat in Seaside. Make outings like these last longer by taking pictures in the field. Mount St. Helens/Ape Caves: Bring a headlamp and lots of layers and squeeze through the caves, explore Lava Canyon and take in views of the mountain's south face. 7:30 am-6 pm Sunday, June 28. Painted Rocks and Stormy Seas: Record brilliant colors in tidepools, fishing boats in the Garibaldi Harbor and wildlife in the mouth of Tillamook Bay. 7:30 am-6 pm Sunday, Aug. 2. 823-5132, meet for van transport at Fred Meyer-Hollywood West, Northeast 30th Avenue and Broadway. $35 each. Sierra Club Desert Trips
Getting to the coast is challenging enough; finding your way to the opposite corner of the state seems impossible--on your own, anyway. While the high desert of central Oregon is easily reached, the fault-heaved, hot spring heavy landscape in southeastern Oregon indicates an environmental harshness not found near the Cascades. The High Desert Committee is dedicated to exploring and exposing the bounty of this land dismissed as barren. Four-day trips focus on photographing, identifying and taking inventory of plants on Bureau of Land Management holds and Wilderness Study Areas. The July 4 weekend excursion (July 1-5) at Albert Rim in the Fremont National Forest includes day jaunts to Petroglyph Lake, framed by Northern Paiute paintings, and a forest of 800-year-old juniper trees. Travel to Steens Recreation Area July 22-26 for day hikes into glaciated gorges and strolls along the massive 30-mile-long fault block that is Steens Mountain. Sept. 11-13 is reserved for the red, gold and green striated Blue Basin a the green ash littered John Day Fossil Beds. In the land where sabertooth felines and hornless rhinoceros used to roam, adventurers will examine the cryptobiotic crusts in Blue Basin and learn to evaluate streams per BLM management. 234-3405. $10. Participants are responsible for food and gear, shared gas expenses and camp chores. Wilderness Volunteers Adventure Service Trips
In the vein of eco-tourism vacations to Belize and the Galapagos Islands, Wilderness Volunteers practice stewardship and renewal of rugged Western land. Intimate groups of 12 are organized for a week's worth of discovery, rugged living and toiling on wilderness service projects à la the Boy Scouts. Trips to locales including Eagles Nest, Colo., and Paria Canyon, Utah, consist of two days backpacking, three days of work and two days free or four days of base camp work and three free. Participants bring their own equipment, a willingness to work and abide minimum impact camping, Wilderness Volunteers offers food, instruction and expertise. The only upcoming in-state destination is Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge (July 5-12). The namesake pronghorn antelope are actually a species of deer, the fastest animals in North America. Bighorn sheep and golden eagles also populate this region of curious alkali lakes, dusty desert and 104-degree hot springs. Volunteers will remove barbed-wire fences harmful to wildlife and birding. Later trips to North Cascades (July 26-Aug. 2), Mount Rainier (Aug. 22-29) and Olympic National Parks (Sept. 12-19) involve glacial sunrises and the preparation and revegetation of native heather, cinquefoil, daisies and sedges. (888) 737-2888. $189. State Games of Oregon
Not to be confused with the World Masters Games, which is also a grandiose Olympic-style competition sponsored by Nike, the State Games are open to all ages. The 13th-annual Games are open to Oregon residents of all abilities, and certain sports will serve as qualifiers to the inaugural State Games of America in 1999. Held at venues ranging from the Lloyd Center Ice Chalet and Lake Oswego Hunt Club to Mount Hood Ski Bowl and Eastern Oregon University, competition in more than 30 sports will be crammed into one sweat-and-glory-ridden weekend. Burgerville packs protein with a free picnic dinner during opening ceremonies, 4-7:30 pm Friday, July 10, at Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation, 15707 SW Walker Road, Beaverton. Oregon Amateur Sports Foundation, 520-1319. Friday-Sunday, July 10-12; locations, times and entry fees vary according to sport. Gorge Games
Healthy, laid-back Hood River offers a colorful antidote to the over-30 crowd showing their mettle at the World Masters Games--gnarly young extreme-sport enthusiasts going over the top. Multiple-page ads in Rolling Stone and Outside magazines combined with handsome prize purses of $2,000-$5,000, reasonable entry fees and an unbeatable setting are expected to draw 1,200 competitors to the 3-year-old Gorge Games. Music performances and kids' events are evidence that this is not just for athletes. Basically the Games are just a good time spent celebrating the plush landscape between the Gorge and Mount Hood--and for contenders, a chance to compete and improve. Hood River grew accustomed to spectators mesmerized by tricky windsurfers, so the town made room for more onlookers and added a bevy of engaging sports to test and entertain participants. Paragliding, climbing, kite-skiing, outrigger canoeing and trail running, to name a few, take advantage of this power-packed nexus that is wind, river, rock and snow. Those not ready to compete but not content just to watch can partake in clinics by pros Sara Ballantyne (mountain biking), Courtney Day (sailing) or Cathy Hearn and Scott Shipley (kayaking). If you prefer solitude to swarms, head to clbing sanctuary Horsethief Butte just across The Dalles in Washington to enjoy temporarily deserted walls while the climbing comp goes on in Hood River. 105 Oak St. #275, Hood River, (541) 386-7762. Saturday-Saturday, July 11-18. Entry fees vary per sport: free-$50. World Masters Games
Masters aren't necessarily as old or accomplished as they sound--you only have to be 30 and as fit as you please to compete in the fourth quadrennial World Masters Games. All skill levels are welcome, as there are no qualification requirements. Ideally the World Games unites international participants, but organizers are having a hard enough time recruiting local competitors, and Oregonians don't even have to worry about housing and travel expenses. Twenty-five sports are open, including badminton, orienteering, fencing, bowling, water polo and the more ordinary pursuits like cycling, track and field, diving and tennis. The opening celebration and several events take place in homebase Portland, but many competitions will be held throughout Oregon; don't miss the Cricket Exhibition on Aug. 16 at the Multnomah Cricket Club in Gresham. 226-1998. Sunday-Saturday, Aug. 9-22. $200 registration fee, $100 for a second sport. Cycle Oregon
Sure, you could skip the $579 registration fee and loop through some of Oregon's most spectacular scenery solo, but you probably won't have any massage therapists, yogis or feasts along for the ride. This 475-mile journey is not a race--it's padded with endless amenities and thoughtful planning. But you will work hard, and if you haven't trained, you'll be saddle-sore for the next year. The first and shortest day is 45 miles from Myrtle Creek to Glendale. The next six range from 62 to 80 miles each with optional routes for speed demons. Meals, hot showers, medical aid, bike repair and toilets are all included in this tour, which features a lap around Crater Lake, a 4,370-foot downhill, views of ragged Mount Thielsen and warm receptions in camp. 643-8064. Sunday-Saturday, Sept. 13-19. spectate Forest Dragons
Unlike soccer studs, indoor football players don't generate instant sex appeal; their lure lies in their sport's oddity. The Forest Dragons came to Portland from Memphis in 1996, got a new name, new colors, cheerleaders in ornate outfits and a scary logo. Find out what arena football is all about, then tell your friends--they probably don't know. Home games as follows: Thursday, June 11, vs. Arizona Rattlers Friday, July 3, vs. San Jose Sabercats Thursday, July 23, vs. Houston Thunderbears Rose Garden Arena, 297-2255. All games at 7 pm. $7.50-$45. Portland Rockies
Instead of lamenting our lack of a major league team, check out the Rockies. Division A teams can be dull (it is baseball, after all), but often the players are more scrappy and energetic than bankrolled biggies. Home games for June and July as follows: Tuesday, June 16, to Thursday, June 18, vs. Southern Oregon Monday, June 22, to Friday, June 26, vs. Spokane Thursday, July 2, to Friday, July 3; Tuesday, July 7, vs. Eugene Wednesday, July 8, to Sunday, July 12, vs. Yakima Wednesday, July 22, to Sunday, July 26, vs. Boise Civic Stadium, 223-2837. 7:05 pm Monday-Saturday, 2:05 pm Sundays. $1-$7. Portland Pythons
Once warm, sunny weather hits, it seems ridiculous to attend an indoor sporting event. The Portland Pythons (formerly the Pride) present a tempting offer: strong, streamlined legs, cool hair and plenty of aggressive grunting. Our local indoor soccer team plays international outfits in the Premier Soccer Alliance. Skip Dawson's Creek and let your eyes linger on some live action. Saturday, Aug. 1, vs. Mexico Saturday, Aug. 22, vs. Sacramento Knights Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Argentina Friday, Sept. 4, vs. Brazil Wednesday, Sept. 9, vs. Dallas Sidekicks Rose Garden Arena, 684-5425. All games kick off at 7:35 pm, Sundays at 6:35 pm. Ticket price TBA. |
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