Ride Leader and Artist Shawn Granton

In this episode, I (BikePortland Editor & Publisher Jonathan Maus) sat down in the Shed with veteran Portland bike fun purveyor and artist Shawn Granton. Shawn has been involved with the local bike seen since 2002 and has created art for many rides and events over the years. A former comic illustrator published in Momentum and Bicycle Times magazines, Shawn is the author of the Urban Adventure League blog, a collaborator on popular Zinester's Guide to Portland, and leader of several well-known local rides such as the Dead Freeways Ride and the Palm Tree Ride.

We talked about:

• What it was like moving to Portland in 2001 and how Shawn got into the bike scene.
• Shawn's first Portland bike that he bought at Citybikes in 2001.
• How a sticker Shawn made in 2022 led to creation of the Midnight Mystery Ride, which is still held monthly to this day.
• Why Shawn doesn't like rain jackets
• His favorite local bike camping overnighter spots.
• Going back to school for a geography degree
• The 20th anniversary of Shawn's Palm Tree Ride and why he likes to stick up for "weird" palm trees.
• How online algorithms rob people of the serendipity of discovering things on bike rides
• and more!

Links:

Urban Adventure League blog

Urban Adventure League on Instagram

BikePortland story about Shawn's Winter Palm Tree Ride (2008)