Mount Tabor
Two weeks from now, the PDX Adult Soapbox Derby will bomb its way down the winding blacktop roadway atop Mount Tabor. (Not that we here at the office have been counting down the days or anything.) Which means it’s high time to get out and tidy up this old volcano. After all, the mountain has quite the invasive weed infestation, didn’t you know? Well, it does. And a pack of SOLV volunteers are mad as hell about it, and they’re not going to take it anymore. Join their ranks tomorrow, as they clip, pluck, pull, and otherwise work to root out unwelcome guests such Clematis, English Ivy, and Himalayan blackberry. In the case of the latter, you might even try chomping your way through it. Such by-any-means-necessary tactics will draw nothing but respect amongst this crowd.

REI Used Gear Sale
Here it is, the middle of summer and, for some reason, all you can think about is Black Friday. That is to say, a wintry retail sweet spot when you can score an outrageous deal on life’s basic necessities like an HD Blue-Ray player for less than a single Benjamin. Is something wrong with me, you ask? Relax. That disturbance in the Force you sense is merely your brain’s limbic system alerting you that it’s time for the REI used gear sale. And that aching back that’s coming on? Well, that’s the painful reality that, not unlike those coupon-clipping electronics junkies, you might need to pitch a tent out front the night before in order to get your paws on those previously-owned, but still plenty sharp-looking, Tubbs Snowshoes you’ll no doubt be wanting. (Nay—needing.) And those of you who arrive late—may the Force be with you.

City Walk
Walking. You’ve been doing it your whole life. So, unless you’re the same age as that E-Trade kid, it’s not exactly a big deal. (In which case, a bigger deal would be figuring out just how in the heck you were able to read this sentence.) Unless, that is, you find yourself walking alongside Laura Foster. As the author of noted local guidebooks such as, Portland City Walks and Portland Hill Walks, each of which come jam-packed with colorful tidbits of Stumptown history, Foster, has a knack for elevating mere bipedal transport into a full-blown nostalgia-tinged sensory experience. Find out for yourself this Sunday as she leads fellow walkers on a two-hour tour, which juxtaposes the history of both the 104-year-old town of Orenco and the decidedly more modern Orenco Station. The group will huddle up at the Hillsboro MAX park and ride, which makes your arrival as easy as putting one foot in front of the other.