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Top 5 “Drinks on the Patio” places in Portland

April 23, 2013

The sun was blazing today, although the air was crisp and cold. Outside on the patio at Brian Boru, I realized that “Drinks on the Patio” season has started, and it’s probably time to post my five favorite places to drink outdoors.

Do This: Learn to XC ski

January 17, 2013

For folks who’ve never cross-country skied before, it’s painful to dish out a load of cash for equipment only to find out two days later you hate the sport, so you curse fate and chuck the skis into the basement where they’ll rot for three years until you sell them at a garage sale for $10, which is barely enough money to buy a decent turkey sandwich.

Can’t-miss winter adventures

January 03, 2013

The cold season can ice our spirits and bury our good natures under a half-ton of ash-colored slush. Or we can grab winter by the snowballs, pack it in our mitts, and chuck it around. From mattress races to Snowman Adventures, there’s plenty of activity to help you stave off winter psychosis.

Snow Tubing

December 31, 2012

Winter brings with it plenty of ice and snow. Maybe you’ve noticed. We can either curse it (and how it makes us fall down and slide into ditches) or we can embrace it, preferably with a giant tube. Find a place to slide this winter with our roundup of snow tubing parks.

Ice Skating

December 26, 2012

Swimming isn’t as enticing this time of year, when ice cover makes the breaststroke more painful than necessary. So lace up some skates instead, and glide across those ponds without the need of a swimsuit.

Mattress, meet mountain: Mattress Races at Shawnee Peak

December 01, 2012

During the America’s Mattress Race, mattresses of all sizes will take to the mountain at Shawnee Peak. They’ll shirk their once-sedentary lifestyle for a chance to make like a toboggan and slide Shawnee’s Main Slope — with a few riders on top clutching the edges in high-speed fear.

SLED UP, CHUTE DOWN

December 01, 2012

Competitors in the U.S. National Toboggan Championships, taking place Feb 8-10 at the Camden Snow Bowl, will find out first hand what it’s like to rumble down the 400-foot-long chute and coast out onto a frozen pond. First timers might focus on their costuming (a cape and a pair of underpants are a surefire hit) and hitting the finish line without losing knuckle flesh to the unforgiving wooden chute walls.

SKIP THE LIFT

December 01, 2012

Folks who don’t typically shapeshift with the appearance of the full moon will appreciate the uphill trek to Mt. Abram’s peak, where music and mountain revelry await during the Full Moon Hike. There’s a heated lodge up there, not that you’ll need it. The 50-minute climb will raise your body temp & inspire periodic disrobing.

GET LOST IN THE STALKS

October 27, 2012

Tackle the corn labyrinth with only the light of the moon – and your own husky intuition – to guide you. The corn maze is solvable, though it’s rumored some maze-goers went in and never came out. Mwuhahaha.

What I ate last night: Partridge

October 24, 2012

Now, my menfolk are really good shots, but once in a while the leave a little evidence of the, shall we say, provenance of our food. Prepping wild game for the table is pretty straightforward, but buckshot presents a unique challenge in that it will destroy your dental work–and probably impart a decidedly metallic flavor–if it’s not identified and mitigated.

Tagged: outdoors