3 6 j u s t o u t » lanuary 9. 2004
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G ift I deas !
W ellness G ift C ertificates !
H ot T ub a n d S auna G ift C ertificates ! $10 a n d U p .|
O pen 7 days a week as late as 11 pm .
C o m m o n G r o u n d W e lln e s s C e n t e r
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Wheels in motion
Wrap your legs around that power and go
by J amie
B olyard
O v e r 30 H o l i s t i c P r a c t i t i o n e r s
Re te r vat i o n / I n f o r m a t i o n
503 238-1065
2827 NE E v ere tt
Japanese Family Style
H ot T u b s/S au n a— 7 days a week
Bathing Suit O ptional Facility
Men O n ly /W o m en Only
& C o -ed H o u ts
PHOTOS BY MARTY DAVIS
Women of the Rivers and their hikes (from left): Lynne Shoemaker and “ Perla,” Laura
“G arhot” Mosier and “ B ronte,” Lori Makers and “C ruella,” Jennifer York and “Trum pet”
f you’re a woman who rides or wants to ride
motorcycles, you’re in luck. Portland
Women Riders and Women of the Rivers
invite you to head out on the highway.
Portland Women Riders is a casual group
that formed after last year’s Pride festival. Some
of the Dykes on Bikes enjoyed the parade ride
so much, they decided they should yet together
and do it again.
Co-coordinator Carla Smith says they didn’t
want to he a formal club with dues and lots of
rules. “We wanted it to he any woman who
wants to ride. We wanted the female solidarity,"
she comments.
Portland Women Riders is open to all queer
and queer-friendly females. They have only one
major rule: Women agree to ride sober.
Smith, a health educator working with
youth tobacco prevention, grew up bicycling
and always liked motorcycles. In 1995 she
bought her first bike. “As soon as I got my
motorcycle, my first impulse was: ‘W here are
the other women riders?
How can 1 find other
*
women to ride with?’ ”
Members gather at Northeast Portland’s
Touchstone Coffee House, where they plan the
day’s destination. The first meeting turned into
a 200-mile ride to the coast. T he group has
ridden to Bagby Hot Springs and Mount St.
Helens— basically wherever people want to go
to see the scenery.
Portland W omen Riders is made up of expe
rienced riders, beginning riders and everyone in
between. More experienced women make sure
newbies know how to communicate while in
transit. Smith says communication is key.
“We talk about riding side by side vs. stag
gered and bow much stopping distance you
need,” she explains. “We make sure people know
the hand signals— if you have to go to the bath-
rix>m, need gas, need to stop.... We talk a lot."
Members ride an eclectic mix of bikes—
whether dirt bikes, old bikes or brand new
Harley Davidsons, all are welcome. Smith, who
rides a 1981 Yamaha Virago, says: “1 like the free
dom. It makes me feel strong and in control."
Although the group is quiet in the winter,
Portland Women Riders has about 20 members
who stay in touch through a listserv on the
Internet.
bit on the larger scale is Women of the
Rivers, the Portland/Vancouver chapter of
Women on Wheels. A n international