OK. It was sensational. nuff said......check out this pic below from the bikeportland.org website via Flickr:
hxxp://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/7384853960/
then follow the link back to the site for more pics and a recap.
I was there. I think the estimate of 10,000 riders is pretty accurate based on my comparison between this ride and the one in 2010 which supposedly had 13,000. Last year, for some reason (I didn't attend) they only scrounged up a measly 5,000 naked bodies.
I will be really interested to see pics from this. There seemed to be considerably more spectators this year than in 2010, and small camera phones were everywhere. Even saw some flash photography. I left my camera in the car (On purpose - don't shoot me)
this is because 1) I have been reprimanded at previous rides, 2) its at night anyway - tough to shoot, and 3) I don't want to be a jerk but vastly prefer to just sit back and enjoy this spectacle.
The ride started at 10PM. When I got there at 8:45PM, the lot (private) where the riders assemble was already starting to fill up, and nudes were about in the wee daylight hours. For the next 45min or so, daylight photography was possible if you shot from the other side of the fence like i saw a lot of people doing. There was a body painting area for example and a place set up to take photos of painted riders - all right along the fence. So naturally, a lot of voys hung out near that section of the fence. Myself, I did hang there for a bit and watched a cute couple get their pic taken. The woman was no more than 5ft from me when the camera flashed, separated by that fence, of course. Anyway..
So then darkness descended and I feared rain, but luckily only a few sprinkles came down here and there - nothing major. As it got dark, the nudes overflowed the private lot and filled the adjacent streets. You could walk among them and rub shoulders with them. Every year it is just crazy. Last night, a Jesus freak with a bull horn stopped by and began preaching to loud jeers and catcalls. HE was nuts, telling everyone they were ugly and sinful while I was going "Oh my god, these people are so beautiful....". I mean, you are surrounded by literally thousands of topless and nude under 30 somethings, and this guy is just ranting, not even looking up. Oh well, different strokes....
Anyway, the eye candy was so bountiful, you could have your fill in no time. YOu really don't see a lot of girls painted here - its just glorious, full nudity all on display. And yeah, the age makeup could fool you into thinking this was a campus event. Occasionally, an older man or woman would walk by, but the vast majority looked and acted college aged, or even younger. Park yourself under one of the street lights, and you won't have any problem seeing them either...
So it was festive, crazy and hotter than hell. A fully nude threesome was hit on by a photog. They giggled, but declined. There was naked hula hooping, multiple girls and new ones to teach. More naked dancing to live bands could be found. And three topless girls arrived late, stood near me and gave all riders high fives as they rode by. They just kept hollering and screaming "naked people!!", shaking their boobs like strippers, and giving everyone a big lift.
As for the ride itself, it took so long for the whole gang to depart that finished, returning riders began arriving only 15-20 minutes after the last ones departed. And I joked to myself at one point that maybe everyone was just going around in a tight circle and I was confusing returning riders with departing ones - I mean, there were so many and it must have taken at least a half hour to get the whole train rolling...
So there is nothing like the Portland nighttime WNBR! If they continue to hold this on Fremont day though, I am going to be upset because you cannot do both justice without a tremendous amount of work and driving, and then also - what do you have the other 364 days of the year to do with yourself? As it was, and I mentioned this previously, there were in addition, two other naked events held yesterday in Portland - the Sunny Nekkid Ride 2 and a Dyke March. The Dyke March, incidentally, featured three topless girls, of whom I got 2 great pics of their backs (I arrived about 25 seconds too late, getting hung up in traffic).
Finally, my hats off to all involved in this from the organizers to the police. This is a major event with a large infrastructure - there are bands, food, portapotties, other amenities, printed info, people walking around with bullhorns directing the whole affair, and cops all around you helping make sure the naked go where they want them to go. I wanted them to never go home - I wanted this whole affair to last forever...
Klondike