Pub Ride: Sellwood Excursion

Google Map of our route
Flickr Photostream


Riders: Mason, Bobby, Aaron, Carrie
Ride Time: 6 Hours
Ride Distance: 11 miles


Friday night was ride two of the year. We started of at Produce Row Cafe, where just as Bobby, Aaron and I had given up hope that anyone would join us, people joined us. Two of my new friends from the Platform Animation Festival, Kate and Chris, came along with their friend John to join us for a pre-ride drink (sadly, they had other plans and couldn't do the ride) and Carrie showed up waffling about whether she would come with us or go see some band named mattress.



We stayed for an extra beer (this will be important later) and beheld an artful plate of nachos before getting ready to embark along the Springwater Corridor. Carrie had heroically fixed a flat tire to attend the ride, and mentioned how she always gets flats in the part of town...


From left: Chris, Kate, John, Carrie.

Interlude: Tragedy strikes!

She cursed me.

As I unlocked Cub Scout, I discovered my flat front tire.

A smarter man than I would not undertake a pub ride without the proper emergency equipment. But I was stranded. In the time it took to walk from the table to the front door, Carrie had decided to join us - at least to our next destination. And I looked at the group and I could literally see everyone's resolve fraying like a rope with a small cut unraveling - pulled by the heavy weight it supports. But in a flash of military-like command, I told them how it was going to be.

Carrie was appointed temporary ride leader with the charge to get the group to the Muddy Rudder on 7th and Tacoma. I would somehow get home, grab my other bike and meet them out there by the time they were done with their beers.

The group looked at me suspiciously. I could see Aaron looking at me and saying silently "Really, Mason? Why don't we just call it a night." And I looked back as if to say "No. Everything will be fine."

They left and I walked about 20 paces toward a nearby gas station before I realized that they would not have the proper valve connection to fill up my tire enough to ride home. I called my roommate in the hopes of getting a ride. He was out to dinner and four drinks deep. Luckily, my sister was home and sober. Many thanks to her for the bailout.

Now, about this spare bike of mine. I happen to have three bikes - which is mostly circumstantial. One is out of commission. The other is the mountain bike I've had since I was 14. It's clunky, slow, heavy and too small for me. But I have it and it would have to do. So I pedaled my ass off to Sellwood, cutting through clouds of bugs along the corridor (should have thought of that earlier) in the fading light of the day.

Stop 1: The Muddy Rudder

It was around 8:30 that I arrived at the Muddy Rudder, feeling much like Bobby must have upon summiting the St. John's Bridge last ride (Mr. Pass Out Poopy Pants). The beers were only half empty. I drank a few waters rather than beer to get my wind back, which seems outside of Pub Ride protocol, but it was what needed to be done to set things back on an even keel - well, almost everything that needed to be done.



The Muddy Rudder is a quaint bar, though, and I'm sad I didn't get to actually drink there. It felt like a Eugene-y kind of place. I will be going back.

Stop 2: The Limelight

One of the lessons I took from last pub ride is that we needed to hit more bars. The Limelight was only a mile or so away in downtown Sellwood. To make up for missing the beer, I got a shot of whiskey and a beer back. I was caught off guard when the waitress asked me what kind of beer I wanted my back to be. This is a quality place. The inside looks like an outside, with faux rooftops overhanging the tables. The place was also given charm by some very cool local art on the walls, for sale at rock bottom prices. I think Bobby was planning on going back to buy one of them. He'll have to let me know.

Stop 3: Pub at the End of the Universe



A ride over Bybee and past Reed College took at the Pub at the End of the Universe. A stalwart Reedy bar, it is calmer during the summer. Their excellent beer selection brought about a controversy recalling the last pub ride. They had a War Pig beer on tap, which I thought might have been the same beer we had at the Gotham two weeks ago. Ultimately, I wagered not. Bobby said it was. The suspense lingers and there are beers in the offing for the victor.



We sat at a table with an appropriately themed ashtray embedded in the table. I thought that was nice.



Stop 4: Dots

This turned out to be a better idea than I'd thought it would be, because we needed to refuel and Dots has great greasy food. However, the kitchen is notoriously slow. So I told our waitress straight out that we weren't here to dilly dally. She did her part and not eight minutes later we were feasting on some bacon cheddar fries with a $6 pitcher of PBR. Amen.



There was something bike-related showing at the Clinton Street, which added to the validity of what we were doing.

Stop 5: Roadside Attraction

We took the scenic route through Ladd's Addition to go along 12th toward the Roadside Attraction, a bar Catherine, Dave and I discovered on the first pub ride ever last year. This place is drowning in charm, from the free pool to the soul-filled jukebox. They had added a new annex in the back of the restaurant, marked by a carved Chinese archway, but the real place to be is in the front courtyard. Unfortunately, due to some bullshit, they had closed this section by the time we got there (maybe 12:30?). Ah well.



Being close to her house, and past 1pm, Carrie chose not to accompany us to the final destination. Considering she hadn't really planned to come with us at all, I had no problem with her bowing out. In all honesty, as we got up to leave the R.A., I realized I didn't really need to drink more. We'd added two bars to the route from last time, drank two beers at the outset (and I'd had a pre-ride beer before leaving my place) and ridden five less miles. This was a true pub ride.

Stop 6 (kinda): Rocket

Readers of this blog will have read my earlier post declaring undying affection for Rocket. So I'd thought it would be a lovely night cap for the evening to enjoy a cocktail on the balcony overlooking the city. At 1:30, we thought we could just sneak that in. Sadly, it had been a slow night and they had called it quits. They were still closing down, so Bobby and Aaron at least got to check the place out and take a gander at the view before we too packed it in and went our ways home.

I am tremendously happy with how things went. I saw Carrie on Saturday and she's already convincing all her friends to come on the next ride. I've been asked to put one together for this Friday. Any thoughts?

- Thank you for reading.