Quick trips for summer excursions

It’s been a dark and dismal spring, but that’s all the more reason to plan for long summer days and nights in the great outdoors. Here are some local trips that won’t break a skimpy summer budget–and all you need for transportation is a bicycle or your own two legs.

Oaks BottomSoutheast Seventh Avenue and Sellwood Boulevard.A former dump, the Oaks Bottom area is now a wildlife refuge along the east side of the Willamette. Cycle or walk to the Eastside Esplanade, the pedestrian/bicycle-only trail running along the river, and head east toward Sellwood to get to the start of a boardwalk through the wetlands.

“It’s a beautiful ride,” said African Studies student Katie Robison about the trip. “It’s removed enough from the city that the river almost seems nice.”

The main trail runs in a 3.5-mile loop that people traverse for picnics and bird watching, but the simple thrill of walking around grasses at eye level less than a mile from the beer and tater tots at the Oaks Bottom Public House in Sellwood (1621 S.E. Bybee Blvd.) makes for an awesome summer day.

Sauvie IslandAbout 10 miles from downtown, Sauvie Island is a patchwork of farms and wildlife preserves in the Columbia River with an interior lake and an official nude beach (!). To get to the island, take the MAX Yellow Line or simply head northwest on the east side of the Willamette and ride over the St. Johns Bridge to St. Helens Road, then keep heading north to Northwest Sauvie Island Road, which crosses the Columbia to the island.

Another option is the 17 bus from downtown, which runs directly to the island. Clothing-optional Collins Beach is on the northwest side, just past the pavement at the end of Northwest Reeder Road, and berry picking at Kruger Farms is just past the green picnic fields at Howell Territorial Park on Northwest Sauvie Island Road.

Cape Lookout Camping Off U.S. 101, 12 miles southwest of TillamookStay overnight in Cape Lookout State Park, which has thrilling views of the ocean and costs only $4 for people who walk or bicycle into the park. To get there, take the number 5 Wave bus, which can accommodate bicycles and camping gear, to Tillamook from the downtown Amtrak or Greyhound station.

“It’s like a two-hour bus ride,” said North Portland resident Sally Kraynik, who recently took the trip. From downtown Tillamook it’s about 15 miles toward the ocean to the campgrounds at Cape Lookout, all accessible by bicycle. From the campgrounds, Kraynik said, “you can walk down on the beaches and it’s gorgeous.”

Hood River Hiking Usually only accessible by car, there’s at least one handy way to see Hood River, the valley that stretches to Washington state from Mount Hood. Take Amtrak to the town of Bingen in Washington State. Tickets cost between $20 and $30 round-trip, depending on the day, and there’s usually plenty of room for bicycles in the cargo rooms. About three miles above the Bingen train station, the Inn of the White Salmon has dorm beds for $25 and European country-style breakfasts, and there is a supermarket down the road for supplies like wine and sandwiches. Call ahead and ask for Dave Dierck, one of the inn’s owners, to pick you up at the train station in the former school bus he uses to drive skiers to the mountain in the winter. He may be able to arrange excursions to hiking trails or across the river to one of Hood River’s numerous and delicious small breweries.