On May 11, 2018 I flew out to Portland to meet the team behind the ICON Motorsports brand.
Friday, May 11
On the night I arrived, I was driven to the Inn at Northrup Station where I spent my nights for the duration of my stay. We then went for a late dinner and talked about some of the things we would be doing the upcoming days, and got to know each other a bit better.
Saturday, May 12
I woke up at 7am from a beautiful sleep, and grabbed some waffles, a banana, and snacks from the complimentary breakfast that the Inn offered. I then got myself ready, and walked about 6 minutes to HQ for a long day of riding with some of the ICON crew. We went for a beautiful ride over the Fremont Bridge and around the surrounding areas until we stopped at an undisclosed location where filming for a new video was taking place. There I met ICON sponsored rider Sean Hadley, 1Down5UpPhotography, and NoySauce which were taking pictures and video for a little project.
After spending some time admiring the stunts and awesome view, we went on a journey to find a lunch spot that proved harder than expected. We all grabbed some food, and headed back to ICON HQ, eager to head home and relax in the shade because of the sweltering heat.
We each said our goodbyes, except for the master builder and I. We had a nice long chat about how amazing his job is and I got to check out a bunch of the old and new bikes and ideas that ICON has in store for the future. All I can say is “Wow.”
Sunday, May 13
Sunday morning was like Saturday, except that I grabbed some food from the Inn and headed back to my room to relax for a while. I took the morning to be lazy and check out what I had missed on social media the past couple of days.
After I realised I was totally wasting my time, I grabbed my camera and went outside to explore the beautiful city of Portland.
(Pictures Here)
I roamed around for hours and soaked up the small-town/growing city atmosphere which felt very cozy, and welcoming.
Taking a closer look at the details of the city, I noticed how unique Portland was in that you could see how the city struggled many years back by the markings on the walls and abandoned buildings, but at the same time, how it is prospering now by all of the construction and big buildings being built.
Upon my arrival back to the Inn, I reviewed my pictures and cleaned up for a BBQ that I was invited to by one of the employees I befriended at ICON. Turns out it was his first time hosting an event like that in his new place. I have got to say that the company, and food was great. (Especially the Lamb.. yum)
Overall, the day was very eventful, and I made a lot of new friends and connections which is always a plus!
Monday, May 14
Monday morning… the start of the final day in Portland.
Consisting of… you guessed it!.. more complimentary food! Decided to go with a bagel today, and some PB&J. I walked over to HQ with my bags and had a quick chat before exploring another part of Portland and snapping a bunch more pictures. The objective of the day slowly turned into a quest to find Trix cereal, which where I am from, is no longer existent. I searched every shop I could find within 15 minutes of the Inn, and apparently missed the one shop that carried it.
Later in the day, I returned to HQ and three of us went on a drive to find this shop. Anticipation built for about 10 minutes before we pulled in front of a Safeway. I walked in and grabbed 2 boxes of the sugar-filled boxes of goodness! (Big shout out to Amanda for buying the boxes for me as a parting gift)
We went back to the office, did some touring, and grabbed a jacket, some shirts and stickers for giveaways, and said my good-byes.
I was then brought to an arcade to play some old-fashioned arcade machines… which consisted of a lot of pinball, mario cart, and getting slapped in Street Fighter.
After the step back in time, it was soon time to pack up and leave for real.
Side Note:
I just want to give a massive thanks to everyone at ICON for being amazing people and putting up with me for my time there.
I couldn’t have asked for a more hospitable group of guys and gals.
If you would like to see pictures I took during the trip, please click HERE
