Holiday Ale Fest

A stokerless tandem pulled in front of me at the light.  I was on my way to the Holiday Ale fest, a riotous mall of beer-drinking that takes place in a heated tent city under the giant Christmas Tree at Pioneer Courthouse Square. 

I planned to pass tandem dude at the next light and pulled up next to him.  Lo and behold, it was Cosmo!  The same Cosmo I was going to meet at the beer fest.  We rode together to Yamhill, locked our bikes up dueling-basket style, and started a text war to find the Texan.

Last year I was cold and hungry so this year I consumed a large lunch and carried a bag full of extra layers.  Once inside, I instantly regretted bringing a messenger bag as pretty much every person there knocked into it at least once.

After we enjoyed a few tastes of ridiculously potent but delicious ales, the crowd started to thin. We even took a seat for a short while, running into another Sisyphean Hill Rider and reminiscing summer cycling.

The tents close at ten sharp and at 9:59 a brigade of volunteers marched us out into the street.  I scurried ahead in hopes of protecting my bike from the stampeding crowd.  The sky opened up at that very moment and drenched the dressed-up but underdressed party-goers. I quickly mounted the kissy bike and launched off into the river-filled street for a soggy ride home.