Cyclist Seen Ice Skating Near Downtown Fountain

In case you were NOT out riding your bike last Friday, you may have missed opportunities to see just how cold it got out there. Again, at the risk of being laughed at by the Canadians, I offer you pictures of frozen Portland. This is the fountain outside Office Max on 13th and Lovejoy downtown at about five o'clock in the afternoon.

Please appreciate the fact that I came very close slaughtering myself in the process of obtaining these photos for you. As I approached the fountain, the concrete floor surrounding it turned out to be (1) slightly sloped, and (2) covered with ice from the overflow from the fountain – a lawsuit waiting to happen, this being America and suing being the favorite national pastime. Nevertheless I managed to regain my balance and avoid both bone-break and muscle-sprain thanks to my youthful reflexes and gazelle-like alacrity. Whoops, gazelles are in Africa, no ice; Ok, mountain-goat-like alacrity. Which, I might add lest you seek to emulate me, I attribute to (you guessed it) daily bike riding.

In other news, I spotted this Dutch Cargo bike at Lloyd Center on Sunday. This is the second one in Portland that I know of. I left my card in the wooden cab area with a note to contact me, but no one has. Too bad, fame awaited them but they chose not to act. I for one would like to see these sturdy vehicles all over Portland. A few months ago I heard a rumor that some shop in town was getting ready to sell them, but I haven’t been able to track down any more information.