Travel and Outdoors

🌄 For the sightseer

• Sunrise Point
• Emmons Glacier
• Mount Fremont Lookout

🧗 For the thrill-seeker

🍴 For the gourmand

🌟 Travel tips

• Summer Concert: Melao de Cuba Salsa Orchestra | Thursday, July 11 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Mt. Tabor Park Amphitheater, Portland | Free | Dance to the rhythm surrounded by trees and fellow Latin music lovers.
• Nacho Week | Thursday, July 11-Sunday, July 14 | Times vary | Locations vary, Portland | $8 | Visit 35+ restaurants for $8 nacho specials that run the gamut from classic to creative.

• Zoo Nights | Friday, July 12 | 5-9 p.m. | Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd., Portland | $12-$26 | Spend a summer evening outside with good food, activities for all ages, live music, and opportunities to meet animals that are active during twilight hours.
• Black Sabbitch | Friday, July 12 | 8 p.m. | McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., Portland | $20 | Don’t be “Paranoid” — hop aboard the “Crazy Train” for a night of metal from this all-female tribute band.

• Portland Thai Festival | Saturday, July 13-Sunday, July 14 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Yard Apartments, 22 NE Third Ave., Portland | Free | Get a taste of this country’s vibrant food, traditions, and community all while supporting local businesses.
• Willamette Valley Lavender Festival | Saturday, July 13-Sunday, July 14 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Chehalem Cultural Center, 415 E. Sheridan St., Newberg | Free | Take a whiff of this event, which returns for the 19th time with floral-infused food and other products alongside a plein art show.

• $39 million. That’s the sum TriMet will receive from the US Department of Transportation to support the purchase of 10 fuel-cell electric buses for the agency’s most-used bus line, Line 72, which runs along 82nd Avenue. The money will also go toward storage facilities for the vehicles and staff training. (OPB)

• July is Disability Pride Month in commemoration of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law in 1990. Powell’s Books compiled a list of 14 books “dedicated to uplifting the stories, voices, and experiences of disabled persons"; also check out “Global Nomad” by local author Tom Haig.

• Work on Habitat for Humanity’s largest community ever built in the Portland region has begun. Gooseberry Trails will feature 52 family-sized homes and house 185 people in the Hillsdale neighborhood thanks to support at local, state, and national levels of government. The estimated completion is 2027.

• What is the common thread across Scandinavian cuisine? You guessed it — hot dogs. Recently, Broder Nord opened a hot dog window called “Bra Hund,” or “Good Dog,” where you can dine on weenies prepared in the Stockholm, Norwegian, Danish, and other styles. Hours are 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Thursday to Saturday.

• Snow Peak, the Japanese outdoors brand, recently debuted its Long Beach Campfield, with 56 sites and a spa located about two hours from Portland. On Thursday, July 18, visitors can peruse the night market, 5-9 p.m., featuring PNW makers and vendors, food, and live music.

• With the NBA Summer League looming, what off-court moves can the Trail Blazers make? Are there trades in the works? Locked On’s Mike Richman discusses the situation. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
  

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• If your last credit card bill sent a chill down your spine — even in this heat — it might be time for a balance transfer. The Ascent recommends these four cards with 0% APR for up to 18 months. (You could have almost two years to avoid interest charges.)*