Any Activities Ideas

You wrote:
"...I work full time and do volunteer work. I have lots of energy! :-)"

Ok... what's your secret? And, gosh... I really wish the concept of "Monsters, Inc." was real; whoever could fanangle a way to transfer scream or laughter to usable energy would be set for several lifetimes!

J.

Hi L.,

If you like fruit, there are lots of farms around where you can pick your own berries, peaches, pears, apples, etc. Then you can make your own canned fruit or jam. Google Tri-county farms Oregon for a list.

There are lots of swimming pools around now. Wilson High School in SW Portland has a great outdoor pool.

The Parks and Recreation Districts have all kinds of classes you can take...

Forrest Park, Tualatin Hills Nature Park, Multnomah Falls the beach

Ski Bowl has a bunch of summer things- Kind of spendy... but an Alpine Slide, Summer Tube Hill, Zipline Ride. Details are at Skibowl.com.

Hi L.!
This is such a great site:
http://aroundthesunblog.com/
It keeps up to date FREE activities going on in Portland. I check it every week for ideas. Hope it helps!
Ash

If you like a challenge are into hiking, you could try letterboxing. I can't remember the website, but could google "letterbox" and see what you come up with. It's really fun and my kids LOVE it. Friday August 1st is get into the Clark County Fair free day. If you ride Ctran, that is free as well and they drop you right at the front gate and pick up there every 10 or 15 minutes as well. I think you may need a coupon from Fred Meyer to get in free. Plus, they have a free pancake breakfast, but warning, the line is really long unless you get there really early. Also, each evening there are events that are included in the entry. The last weekend, there are monster trucks that are fun and LOUD to watch. I like to park at Lloyd Center and ride the Max for free to downtown either on a Sat or Sun for Saturday market or just a weekday to walk around downtown and go to Pioneer Courthouse Square. I think they even have mid week free music around lunch time for a nice picnic spot. I babysit and the kids and I ride bikes everywhere all summer to parks that are within a couple miles and we are near the new Sonic here in East Vancouver. They have 1/2 price drinks from 2-4 and a great park right across the street. It's the new old style drive in, with waitstaff on roller skates and no indoor seating. Kinda fun, plus right now, they have $.99 milkshake special right now. It is not posted anywhere and you just have to ask for the $.99 milkshake special, regular $2.59. The free movies begin at 10 am, Regal theaters around Portland on Tues and Wed, maybe Thurs at select places., maybe more variety on times and days, but that's what I remember from last summer. Make a day at the zoo, ride the train to the rose garden for a picnic and walk, great park just a short walk from the train, then take it back for a finish up at the zoo, and if you did it on a Wed, free zoo concert at 7 for the evening. Could be a spendy day, but a lot of fun, and not bad if you pack all your food and refill water bottles. I know there are several parks throughout the Port/van area with free noon time/evening concerts or movie viewing so I am sure you could find that on line somewhere. Esther Short Park in downtown Portland has wed noon concerts for free and evening ones I think on wed or thursdays. It's a great park with a water feature, large play area, ampitheater style concert area - it is one city block, all open with a small rose garden as well. Plus they have a great sat/sun market there as well. Not as crowded as the Portland one, but great local stuff and it is growing. :) That's all I can think of but there is a TON of stuff to keep you guys busy, and maybe even wear you out. ;)

Some of the theaters around town are offering free movie days, I think it's the reagal theaters. You can google. it.
Blue Lake park offers swimming, community pools, the 'falls',
Fish hatchery, Bonniville, sorry, I can't think of anymore.