Seattle 2008 2009

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This page contains info for three WNBR Seattle rides from 2008 - 2009: 12 July 2008, 17 August 2008 and 6 Sep 2008 + 2009 events

See also: Archive, Seattle video and photography and Seattle coverage.

Note: This page is constantly being updated. Please check back for major updates!!!!

12 July 2008

The WNBR Seattle 2008 ride experience will be similar to the ride we did in 2006 with a few changes.

• We will be starting at Gas Works Park (4th year using this park to start)
• Ciclomundo: World Global Body Painting Village!
  • We will also have privacy screen areas at the park to initially screen the group of people who wish to get bodypainted out of the public eye before making their grand appearance. Those who want to take off more later will have an opportunity to do so at the rolling start location.

• 7 am? - setup with Info stall, setup bodypainting structure, and photo-free zone
• 10 am - Info stall active, bodypainting sessions start
• before departure - musicians perform
• 12 noon - distribute flyers to participants, and other flyers to hand out during ride
• SUNSCREEN, WATER, and MINIMUM check
• 12:30 PM - distribute noisemakers, whistles, slogans
• 12:55 - Ride assembly at Gas Works Park
• 12:55 - Skits, speeches, pre-ride announcements (if any)
• 1 PM Vamanos! Ride departs Gas Works Park.

First leg

(Leg One - for beginners) Wallingford to Fremont to Westlake to Downtown Seattle Aprox 1 - 2 hrs.

to International Fountain (Seattle Center, Downtown)

A comfortably-paced first ride for those who have a minimum of cycling experience.

• 1 pm (ish) - Ride sets off from Gas Works Park. Some may just wish to cycle from Gas Works Park to the Seattle Center (about a ?? min. fast ride/20 min slow ride)
• 1:10 pm - Breakdown crew tears down art installations/bodypainting area/tabling and moves to secure site.
• Fremont Bridge
• South on Westlake Ave
• 1:45 pm? - Rolling start location at undisclosed location downtown (participant count, people have option of disrobing away from cameras)
• followed by 30-45 min downtown ride
• Possible stops
  • Freeway Park and fountain
  • South Lake Union Pro Parks project slated for completion sometime in 2008 http://www.seattle.gov/parks/proparks/projects/LakeUnionPark.htm )
• Probable stops
  • Westlake Park
• TBD pm - Bathroom break opportunity #1
• Seattle Center International Fountain stop (4th visit for WNBR) -
  • The Seattle Center stop would be a bit later so more people perhaps could feel a sense of completion after riding for 1.5 - 2 hrs. Some have said that we go to the Fountain too early in the ride in years past.
  • We need to have better coordination for bathroom breaks here.
• 2:15 pm (ish)? - Arrive at Scheduled stop #2 - Seattle Center (note entry restrictions and special route info below).
• Arrive at International Fountain (No bike ride zone/walk your bikes only in this area. Stay no longer than 15-20 mins) IMPORTANT! Special Instructions for Seattle Center. We must be more vigilant this year in terms of safety and politeness when dealing with the general public at The Seattle Center. Please see map. (1) We must enter and exit The Seattle Center at the east entrance on Harrison Street (on the north side of The Experience Music Project). (2) After passing the EMP turnaround area on the left (be very wary of bike-unfriendly-curb) we must ride slowly and in single file, (3) When we pass the Seattle Center House (to our left) and before turning the corner to enter the large International Fountain area, we must all get off our bikes and walk with our bikes into the fountain area (new interactive map). Bicycles are not permitted down into the water area. Lock your bike, walk down the ramps. We will spend no more than 15-20 minutes in the fountain. (4) We must leave The Seattle Center the same way we came in. To orient yourself, the Space Needle is located to the southeast. Please examine our Seattle Center area map (larger 378KB, smaller 141KB) with visual indicators indicating where to do what. Please also be very polite and vocal (or ring bells) when passing around adults and children in the area. We have also been asked not to use amplified sound such as megaphones in this area. Thank you for ensuring a safe and fun Seattle Center experience for everybody!
• (Transfer point for people coming in or leaving, non-cyclists welcome at this stop)

(End Leg One, Begin Leg Two) Seattle Center to Elliott Bay to West Seattle

Second leg

Seattle Center (Downtown) to ??

• TBD pm (ish) - leave International Fountain at Seattle Center (we must leave the same way we came in)

SAM Olympic Sculpture Park, SW corner, at the Father and Son Sculpture by Louise Bourgeois [1] with a possible detour (depending on time) up north on the Bike Trail to the new sandy beach in Mytle Edwards Park (Yoga location?).

• bathroom break.
• Enjoy a small snack and drink and relax for a bit.
• Possible group parachute activity.
• (Transfer point for people coming in or leaving)

Third leg

TBD

Final leg

TBD

• TBD? - Last leg of Ride expected to return to TBD
• TBD - Check start site again for cleanliness, personal belongings
• after ride pm - After party at secret location revealed only to cyclists

17 August 2008

(starting at Denny Blaine Park)

• Ciclomundo: World Global Body Painting Village!
  • We will also have privacy screen areas at the park to initially screen the group of people who wish to get bodypainted out of the public eye before making their grand appearance. Those who want to take off more later will have an opportunity to do so at the rolling start location.

• 7 am? - setup with Info stall, setup bodypainting structure, and photo-free zone
• 10 am - Info stall active, bodypainting sessions start
• before departure - musicians perform
• 12 noon - distribute flyers to participants, and other flyers to hand out during ride
• SUNSCREEN, WATER, and MINIMUM check
• 12:30 PM - distribute noisemakers, whistles, slogans
• 12:55 - Ride assembly at Denny Blaine Park
• 12:55 - Skits, speeches, pre-ride announcements (if any)
• 1 PM Vamanos! Ride departs Denny Blaine Park.

Possible stops: Madronna Park (for Yoga, bathroom break) To Seward Park ride back north to Denny Blaine possible group goes to Magnuson Beach (via Arboretum, Montlake, Burke Gilman Trail)

6 Sep 2008

THIS IS ALL TENTATIVE and OUT OF DATE INFO mostly from 2008, it needs updating

Body painting Party

The Body painting Party will take place at Camp Long in the Lodge main room upstairs classroom, located downstairs after entering the main entrance to Camp Long. The party is tentatively scheduled to take place from 12:30 PM - 3 PM.

We will also be making "minimums" for wearing outside the Lodge classroom on Camp Long grounds before and after the body painting party. We will have jute twine, scissors, masking tape, duct tape. You bring whatever you need: cardboard, paper bags, rags, any material that can used as a DIY minimum clothes project!

Camp Long staff are letting us use the handrails outside and behind the Camp Long lodge for locking our bikes up.

Volunteers needed

We could use some volunteers for setup of classroom, which will take place for the first 10-15 minutes, everybody is invited to help set out drop clothes, paints, brushes and put up required window covering that Parks & Rec is imposing upon us for use of the classroom.

Even though our reservation time ends at 3:30 PM, we as a group will need to do our cleanup 10-15 minutes before our ride starts (at 3PM).

Nudity restricted

NOTE: During our time at Camp Long nudity is allowed by Seattle Parks & Rec in the classroom only during our reservation. They are also requiring window covering, can you believe it?. Outside of the building on Camp Long grounds, Parks & Rec is requiring us to wear a minimum amount of clothing until we leave Camp Long grounds (about 85 feet away) <sigh>.

Clothing optional dress code

The World Naked Bike Ride dress code is "Bare As You Dare"... How bare is that ? How dare is that ?...Its all up to you, you decide what you are comfortable with. NO ONE IS EXCLUDED OR DISCRIMINATED AGAINST based on levels of clothing, bodypaint, or anything else, for that matter!

PLEASE be creative and colorful! Bodypainting and bike decorating is highly encouraged! See the above section on creative expression and also visit our body art page.

If you are concerned, you probably don't need to cover up much to be "legal". With the incredible transforming powers of a little body paint, liquid latex, a strategically placed sock, or a piece of duct tape you too can transform the average city streaking naked wild cyclist into "The legal city streaking naked wild cyclist". Be creative: a little imagination can change everything.

Location

According information provided by Seattle Parks & Recreation: "Camp Long is one of Seattle's best kept secrets. Located in West Seattle, this 68 acre park offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy nature, hike in the forest, camp overnight in rustic cabins, rock climb, and learn about natural history." Please note Camp Long gates are closed at 10 p.m.

The Ride

Our ride will begin shortly after 3 PM, after we are done clearing our body painting materials out of the lodge.

Daniel did a pretty exhaustive route plan today in West Seattle for an upcoming WNBR Seattle ride in early September (two weeks away). Talked to the Staff at Camp Long and checked out the place. Wow! The cabins, grounds and lodge are sooo cool! This is going to be a sweet event! A great way to end the summer!

Here is the proposed route using Google maps with overlays.
The map also shows a proposed (clothed) return route to Camp Long.

What an awesome day to ride! West Seattle on a sunny day is the closest you will get to any kind of South California beach culture experience. I know that's a stretch, but no other area in Seattle comes close.

Route features

• Ride starts after leaving Camp Long grounds. Please keep minimums on while on Camp Long grounds (outside of lodge during body painting party).
• We will work our way to the funky business district known as "The Junction". We will try to enter at California Ave and SW Edmunds St.
• American Legion Artillery is seen on Alaska St.
• Yellow Brick Road Mural at US Post Office on California Ave. that is screaming to a backdrop for our group!
• Continue going down California Ave to California Way, skipping the overlook park.
• This will drop us off at Harbor Ave SW, which will feed into Alki Ave. SW as the spectacular views of the Seattle skyline reveal themselves.
• Seattle Statue of Liberty Ceremonies for the Dedication Celebration for the Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project run from 11:30 AM to 8:45.
  • According to the schedule we are likely to pass by when Mood Swings "a great swing band" will be playing.
• At the Light House, on the western tip of Alki, Alki Ave turns into Beach Dr SW
• Continue to Lincoln Park via Beach Dr. SW, where we have an optional fun run on the northern most side of the beach.

Bike Vanpool to Camp Long

We want to limit individual cars coming to Camp Long and lower our ecological footprint and help you get to Camp Long with all of your gear as easily as possible. We will be running a van to run bikes (not people) to Camp Long on a space available basis on Saturday morning (and possibly Friday night) from limited points in North/Central Seattle You will need to give us a bike lock. Van will not hold people, only bikes. You will still need to arrange carpools/bike trips/bus trips for your own transport to Camp Long.

Last pickup stop will leave to return to Camp Long no later than 10:45 - 11 AM Saturday morning! Please RSVP by calling or e-mail Daniel to arrange time. (206) 369 2661 mobile

Police communications

I spoke with Operations Lieutenant of Southwest Precinct (West Seattle) this afternoon after sending earlier phone call. I provided with all info about our Saturday ride, including going over our proposed route. He was happy to talk and wished us warm weather and a great ride on Saturday! He reminded us that we are expected to follow the rules of the road. He thought our 10.5 mile ride sounded long and I told him it is one of our shortest rides easily and will probably last less than 2 hours.

For those of you who are still concerned about police action, consider this: you don't have to be naked to enjoy this ride! There are many ways to decorate yourself up for fun on this ride! There is no one way to have a fun time! Several people go partially or fully clothed and everybody has a blast! Secondly, police have always warned us before taking mild action against cyclists. So please be reassured that this a very safe and sane ride! Remember: Nobody has ever been charged with any crime in the last 15+ years of naked cycling in Seattle! Let's keep it that way and mind ourselves as we celebrate our 5th Year of WNBR Seattle!

The Retreat (Optional)

Cabin sleep over at Camp Long will be Friday night, ?.

Reservations

Seven cabins area available. You can has a little as one person per cabin and as many as you can fit in there. Cabins have three double bunk-beds (six total beds). Each cabin has a picnic table, stone fireplace, fire circle and running water outside the cabin. Its an awesome deal and cheap at only $40 cabin/night! A $50 refundable damage deposit required at check-in time. Check in is at 2:30 pm and check out is at 12 pm.

If you are interested in the retreat portion of the Camp Long WNBR Seattle experience, please call Camp Long to reserve a cabin at (206) 684-7434. The cabins are really cool and rustic looking. So act fast to secure your spot!

The Run (Optional)

A short, non-competitive, Bare Buns Fun Run is tentatively scheduled for Lincoln Park on the northern most strip of beach following the ride, as an optional component of the event. The run will be very short, approximately 3000 feet/.57 miles/.91km one way or ~6000 feet/1.14 miles/1.83 km round trip run.

26 June 2009

On Fri, 26 June 2009 - we had our WNBR Seattle @ Seattle Critical mAss (ride #10) Critical Ass website Organized at the last minute by Todd and Emily. Five riders rode naked and helped to promote upcoming 11 July 2009 ride.

11 July 2009

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 - WNBR Seattle 2009 (ride #11) 11 am for the painting party and will start at 1 pm at Louisa ("la-WĪ-za") Boren Park (Google Map), just NE of Volunteer Park. The route (Google Map) is 6.8 miles and will cover the neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, Downtown and Belltown. This event comes at the end of National Nude Recreation Week, which is July 6-12, 2009[2].

Alternate start location: Franz will also be staging another body painting location at a private residence further South, in the Central District. Those riders will leave earlier to meet up with those leaving Louisa Boren Park. RSVP with Franz by calling (206) 523 - 8545.

Todd T

From Todd T, Date: July 12, 2009 12:24:26 PM PDT

To preface, I just want to say that as co-organizers of this event, Emily and I had only participated in the WNBR for the first time last year (although we did three rides), so we didn't have much to go on except for our passion for making sure there would be a "big" day ride in July. Those of you who have been reading this Yahoogroup know that we've been organizing the heck of out this event. Three times fliering on the Burke-Gilman trail (with the help of Eric, Kelly and Richard); 1,500 fliers handed out or left on bikes; posters and fliers left at several bike shops and cool businesses along the route, etc. We had no idea how many riders to expect yesterday - although we hoped to increase over last year. We did not - but we felt the group of folks who rode this year were just terrific and even though there were only about 50 of us we don't regret all the time and energy we put into this.

Yesterday's Highlights Emily and I bicycled up to the LB Park and coincidentally met a bicyclist along the way (from BC) who was not sure where the ride began, so we had him follow us. When we arrived Kelly was waiting for us in the park, and shortly after that Jim arrived with some small tables and supplies. Eric, Carolyn and Dave showed up with the screening material and all other stuff (paint, brushes, drop clothes) and we began to set up. It took about an hour with ~10 people to get things set up. (Biggest Problem - stabilizing the privacy screen, as the wind would knock it over rather easily. Dave suggests using tent poles and twine to tie down the tripods for added stability.)

By noon there were probably 30 people there getting painted up. About 10-15 photographers were there (only a few of whom were friends of the ride), and I cautioned a few of them to only take pictures if they got approval from the people they were shooting - reminding them that that's what the screening is up in the first place). The wind calmed down and the screening stayed in place until the end. At 12:30pm I announced that we'd be cleaning up in 15 minutes and leaving in 30 minutes - and it all went very smoothly. We counted 48 people when we took the group photos. Before we left, I went around to the photographers and said, "we paid $90 for the park permit and you're getting some great pictures, will you help chip in to cover the cost?" Most of them did. Most of the riders seemed to give a little to, so we ended up raising $115 - which more than covered the cost - yay!

J. Steve had passed through Volunteer Park on the way to LB Park to announce that we'd be coming through there shortly to use the bathrooms. He found most people didn't have a problem with it and a few were very happy to know we were on our way. So, when we biked there no one complained and several people smiled and waved at us while on our potty break. The ride continued through Volunteer Park and back over to 15th Ave East where our presence was very much appreciated by pedestrians, sidewalk cafe patrons and others.

When we went down John Street and turned at 12th Ave East, we were met up by two more painted bicyclists, bringing our total to 50. We had a very nice ride down Broadway with lots of cheering and applause from the onlookers. The group was briefly separated by a red light, but we were soon all together again by Denny Way. As we turned to go down Pine Street we needed to stop briefly to have our youngest participant's (~8 year old?) brakes adjusted, as they weren't working well at all. We were quickly back on our way after several folks at Linda's took pictures of us while we waited for the repair. Once down to Westlake Park we made small circle through the park and continued on towards 2nd Avenue. We heard someone was having a bicycle problem at the end of the group, so I left Emily in charge of the riders in the front and went back to see if the problem was going to be easily fixed. J. Steve was on the scene fixing Lucy's chain, which had come off the sprockets and jammed. He ably repaired it and we were soon on our way down down 2nd to Pioneer Square.

Along the way there was a bit of construction and at the James Street intersection there were police for the traffic. I smiled and waved and suggested the whole group should proceed through regardless of whether or not the light stayed green and they nodded in agreement. (Several times throughout the ride we passed police vehicles and were never given a warning of any kind!) We briefly stopped in Occidental Park to give a "30 minutes out" call to Carolyn and Dave who were at the Seattle Center talking to folks about our arrival. We continued back up 1st Avenue and one of our riders got a flat. He told us he'd be fine fixing it on his own and join up with us later (and he did). As we stopped to talk about his flat, a double-decker tour bus had stopped and let out several tourists who took several pictures of us. I jokingly asked them if this was the best part of the tour so far. When we arrived at Pike Place Market our reception from the crowd was terrific. It was even better than Broadway because there was less distance between us and the spectators than there, giving a more communitarian feeling to this part of the ride. That feeling was felt by me with most of the ride participants, as well throughout the ride. As I was leading I would call out "red light" or "right turn" and several behind me relayed the message to the end of the group. We felt like a tight-knit group, even though many of us had never met before that day.

Just before arriving at the Seattle Center we passed several "Ducks" tour groups, who were very excited to see us along their route. Once at the Seattle Center, we rushed over to the fountain to cool down and wash off. It was a fabulous ending to our wonderful ride. We made sure to offer all the ride's participants fliers about the 7/24 night ride as well as the 8/29 event.

The 10pm skinny-dip was attended by seven of us, and we met up with five other folks (only one skinny-dipper) whom we told about the WNBR and our upcoming events. A terrific way to conclude a marvelous day.

Thanks to all who participated, volunteered or both, .Todd.

Emily Miller

From: Emily Miller, Date: July 12, 2009 5:39:35 PM PDT

A successful ride! No major problems, and lots of fun was had! We had about 50-55 riders, including some old faces and lots of new faces. We had almost 20% female, and we even had a couple with a 7-8 year old boy who got painted up and rode just like any other participant. I was thrilled at the end of the ride when J. Steve announced he received a personal call from SPD to inform us there was only 1 complaint called in during the entire event, and that it was easily handled over the phone without having to dispatch any officers. Congratulations to all of us, past and present, for helping our ride gain acceptance!

Eric arrived with the paint and screening materials a bit after 10:00am and there were already people there to help setup. No one had experience setting up the screening, but together we made it work, and all in all I think it took about an hour to setup. The screening blew down several times, but we didn't have any problems once we had a bunch of people painting and acting as a natural wind barrier.

The view at Louisa Boren Park was fabulous and a great backdrop to the natural beauty of all the bodies getting painted. Toward the end of the painting, photographers started to swarm, but participants did a good job reminding them to ask permission and/or wait until people were fully painted and the ride had started. Todd even got several of them to give donations to our cause.

J. Steve went around Volunteer Park ahead of time to notify park patrons we would make a bathroom stop there. He also brought streamers for people to decorate their bikes with. The painting party went really fast for me, but we had plenty of paint, creativity, and goodwill to go around.

Breakdown took about 15 minutes with everyone's help. We posed for a brief group photo, and were off! Todd took a leading spot at the head of the group to keep us on track along with newcomer Rickie who helped keep the energy level high. J. Steve kept up the rear and made sure no one was left behind. We had pretty good communication, stopping several times to keep the group together and for quick bike repairs.

Reactions from the public were more on the positive side than last year. Many people cheered and laughed, and I heard very few negative comments, although still saw several parents shielding their children from the "shame". This along with our single complaint shows the progress we are making.

Two clothed volunteers went ahead with signs to the Seattle Center to announce our arrival and talk to patrons, with cooperation from the Seattle Center security personnel.

After a great ride that lasted about 1 1/2 hours, we arrived at the Seattle Center and played in the fountain. After the 20 minutes allowed by the Seattle Center were up, we got clothed and relaxed. J. Steve led a nice post-ride huddle and organized a meetup at an establishment called The Zoo.

Later around 10:00pm, several WNBRers joined by some locals, met up at Madison Park Beach and went "bare as you dare" dipping. We had the added the treat of watching some Bastille Day fireworks across the water.

I'm so happy we had so many people help out with all the various aspects of the ride! I really see this as a community-owned event. We care about it, and we make it happen. With all the donated time, supplies, and resources, our only real expense was the $90 parks use permit (to reserve the park and allow us to setup screening). This was fully covered and then some by the $115 in donations we collected from participants and photographers.

Thank you everyone! I've been on a high since the ride ended, feeling extra happy and relaxed. I love what we do and how we can all come together to make something special. I believe we're part of making the world a better place. I want to live the change I want to see in the world. Let's do it together!

"PurePrayer"

Posted at We Travel World: National Nudity, Global Unity: The World Naked Bike Ride of Seattle by pureprayer on July 24th, 2009.

National Nudity, Global Unity: The World Naked Bike Ride of Seattle

Awkward? Yes. Uncomfortable? In the beginning… yes. Strange and out-of-place? Very much so. Liberating to the bones? You could not even imagine!

A sunny Saturday. The summer day beautiful. A sky expanding its wings far beyond the horizons, reaching high into a blue emptiness. People were out underneath its canopy; walking, jogging, sitting, eating, playing and biking. I was performing the latter, cycling upwards, climbing the steeps from downtown Seattle to Capitol Hill. I pedaled furiously, sweat beading in all those warming places. Huff. One. Puff. Two. Muff. Three… wait! What?

My mind slipped. It ran off giggling, disappearing into deep visualizations, projecting into the future. Huff. Puff. Muff? I was panting now as I reached the ridgeline and settled upon the flats. I turned left off Olive and cycled north up Broadway, winding into 10th before curving right on Prospect. At Volunteer Park, I dismounted and walked in an attempt to collect myself:

No muffs. Just bodies. No boobs. No butts. No twigs and berries. Just flesh. I got it. You got it. No worries. I’m cool.

As I walked through the grass, passing patterns of shadow and light beneath the park’s trees, I was psyching myself up. Calming my thoughts. Reassuring my position as a human being, but cracking open my head a little farther to shatter this evasive taboo. It was Saturday, a typical weekend with play, exploration and outdoor adventure. However, it felt different. I felt different; a unique feeling of standing at an edge of something humongous and just about to leap off. I call this cliff-diving: the jumping forward into freedom on a whole new level, into a whole new dimension, and surrendering to its weightlessness—the liberation of being you.

Like I said, Saturday, July 11th 2009. Through Volunteer Park visualizing, imagining, laughing, smiling; and then out toward Louisa Boren Park for the WNBR. You need me to spell it out? The World Naked Bike Ride in Seattle, WA.

Saturday: Day 1

Years ago, I had my first experience of public nudity. I was in a foreign land among a new culture, and like a chameleon I adapted to it. I do this well when traveling in life, and especially when traveling internationally. Then, I found myself on the Island of Crete in the Grecian Mediterranean in a southern beachtown called Plakias. Out of choice, out of divine guidance, out of my liberation of self and others, I found myself on sand shortly after departing the bus, literally pitching my tent on a nude beach beside a twenty-seven year old Ukrainian woman. I was twenty-one. I just found heaven.

And for ten days I camped right beside her and all the other sun-bathing European nudists, exiting my tent in the morning hours butt-naked, standing tall and stretching my arms over my head with an expansive yawn. Then I scratched, walked down to the Libyan Sea and soaked. Afterwards, I got out, threw down my towel on the beach and lounged; sleeping, reading, writing, observing… all in the beautiful nude. This was international nudity and inside it was global liberation.

Presently, I arrived at the designated meeting spot and walked into the first of my fellow compatriots. Resting my bike under a tree, I got to work helping erect screens to protect us from absolute exposure. However, it was an odd concept, for with the breeze gusting and the endeavor we were about to take part in, there seemed to be no reason for all this. But we did it anyway, maybe to pass the time, maybe as a way of meditation to prepare ourselves, to go beyond the taboo of our bodies and into our universal nakedness. But maybe we did it as procedure, as a sort of permit-rule to allow us our freedom. Then, 11am struck. Considerably more individuals arrived. There was up to 50 of us behind the makeshift screen, obsolete in its purpose, and as the hour chimed the first shorts came off.

A national celebration: July 5th—11th, 2009. It was National Nude Recreation Week. No, I’m not joking. I’m serious. It was a reality in this diversified and diversifying world, and here I was with a bundle of other nudist Seattleites. And the time was 11am. The paints came out, the body art created. We decorated ourselves. We dyed each other. Designs. Slogans. Messages to civilization: 'Pedal Your Ass, Save Gas; Burn Fat, Not Oil and How About the Right to Bare Everything'. It was colorful. It was hilarious. And as I gazed over our whimsy screens there was a gathering assembly.

People stood watching, staring…at us…all bare and beastly, skinny and scrawny. The sizes and shapes. The colors and shades.

We were lively, indubitably. Upon the hill, behind bushes and in the shades of trees at the modest little Louisa Boren Park people photographed as we performed our pre-ride ritual. A couple photographers held massive telephoto lenses as if we were spread upon a football field. But at the most we were a mere fifteen yards away and the pubic shots they must have taken would’ve been detailed to a single follicle. As I continued wrapping blue bands of paint round each leg and arm, I began to truly settle into this experience.

Each act of cliff-diving is a phase in life when you’re about to ascend to a newer dimension, a higher vibration of you and your inner expression, whether it be public nudity, job opportunities, daring risks, sexual experiences, life-altering decisions, etc. At this moment, all feeling dissipates. It’s as if you’ve literally reached a void, an emptiness that is free to BE. The doors are open. You are at your evolutionary peak. Now, time to continue evolving and choose to jump through.

Each time I’ve arrived at such confluences, I’ve never looked back. You can’t. You can’t think. You can’t feel. You go for it, believing that your whole life has guided you to this present moment. It’s empowering. It’s trusting. It’s a wild ride. I’m leaping through this portal.

So was my experience back on the nude beach of Plakias when, for the first time publicly, I stripped off all my clothes; and this was the experience at 11am on July 11th, 2009 as I revealed every ounce of me to the city of Seattle. I cliff-dove. We all did. And then we painted, created, designed and laughed. With 50 naked people moving around in a small space, there was lots of “checking out”. We looked at one another. We got close and highlighted each other’s backsides and other hard-to-reach places. Then, our conglomeration of colorful skin and vibrant flesh tore down the screens and packed up. It was time to go for a ride.

Approximately seven miles through the sunny weekend streets of Seattle, and through our path round Capitol Hill, descending into downtown and out towards Seattle Center, I have never been more aware of how many people carry digital cameras. It was shocking. Everyone whipped out their pocket size thingies and started shooting, unloading megapixels on us as if we were Jenna Jamison look-a-likes. What a revolution and what a subject to shoot: a wild pack of cyclists lazily pedaling through the city on busy summer Saturday. But best of all were the smiles.

Emerging like a shy fox, unsure of its security, doubtful about its exposure, a smile would burst into life off an otherwise reclusive face. The fox pouncing on the shrew. It was in its element, beaming and frolicking, excavating that inner cache of energy it stored due to stress, due to daily habits and customs, due to a hidden taboo of nakedness. But the World Naked Bike Ride of ’09 was there to let it out of its box, and so the smiles danced.

“World Naked Bike Ride coming through!” Todd, our organizer and leader, turned left off 1st Avenue and bounced along the cobbled street. Wow, there was some jiggling! Butt cheeks vibrating on the saddle. Boobs free and swingin’. The other parts hangin’ in there. We were turning into Pike Place Market. Our school of fish looked at one another. “Here we go!”

As we rode onward, all music stopped and all sales came to a halt. The streets were packed. Those cameras on us like limelight. And mouths agape, smiles soaring, laughs drifting like notes.

“It’s a great day to be naked!” I shouted.

“All bodies are beautiful!” Emily cried.

“Smile, it’s time to get nude!” exclaimed Kelly.

And thus we traversed to Seattle Center.

Now, picture in the cinema of your mind, a family park on a sunny summer afternoon: There is a huge fountain in the center of the lawn, and I mean massive, and water is crazily spewing forth from its holes. Kids are running around under the water, screaming, frolicking, joyous in the cool refreshing splash contrasting the warmth of the sun. It’s their playground out in public and their parents watch and smile. Damn, it’s good to be a kid!

Then, like out of a circus, a horde of painted cyclists ride up and descend upon the playground. One second they are cycling and the next they’re sprinting for the waterfalls; screaming like mental patients on the loose, frolicking like puppies, joyous as themselves and totally butt-naked. It’s a nightmare from the Steven King’s classic It with naked clowns taking over, giggling freakishly. Instantly, children scattered and flock back to the arms of their mothers.

End of the ride. We reached Seattle Center, unscathed, unscarred, without any battles between asphalt and police. And for twenty minutes we washed ourselves amidst an assembly of 400+ individuals staring, gawking, laughing, pointing and familiarizing themselves with our body parts.

I emerged from the fountain still adorning my paints. I walked up the slope of the fountains and sat on the edge. I watched. I laughed. I smiled and joined the ranks of the thousands of other persons we brought happiness to. This was our purpose. This was our freedom, a National Liberation of humanity: to laugh, smile and play as who we are, celebrating every ounce of our being.

'To be continued… '

VD

The following account comes from Daniel Johnson's friend VD who observed the ride while riding a bus:

"Everyone was very interested on the bus. We were literally stuck following the group of cyclists and we were going slow occassionally so there was plenty of time for processing. An older black lady was very upset and thought it was "indecent" and wanted someone to pull you guys off those bikes. She was very vocal and looked and talked about it the entire time. She was getting support from the folks sitting near her in the front with lots of nods and "mmmhmmms". Lots of younger people in the middle/back thought it was hilarious and kept taking pics. Lots of comments about how there were no women or people other than white guys doing it. No kids on the bus."

24 July 2009

• Fri, 24 Jul 2009 - WNBR Seattle Night Ride (ride #12)
  • Meet at 9:30 PM, leave at 10 PM. Downtown Ride.
  • CONFIRMED start location is be Denny Park located at 100 Dexter Avenue N (not to be confused with Denny Blaine Park on Lake Washington BLVD).
  • MEET at the oval in the center of the park where the four paths intersect (See Google map). Updated 5:45pm on 7/24 by J.Steve.

DLJ

Brief ride report by Daniel Johnson.

Great ride! Biggest clothing-optional night ride in Seattle! Started shortly after 10 PM. 22 riders counted by Jay. Many riders came with very cool blinkies for bikes and also flashing fashions. Decided on rough route before we left. Fountain was off for maintenance at SC after Bite of Seattle event, but we went there anyway and ran into lots of women leaving the Women of Faith event at Key Arena. They were our least enthusiastic audience. Did not go into fountain.

Left for Belltown and downtown loops. Went up Pike, road around Capitol Hill Block Party which seemed to be mostly enclosed on closed off streets. Went by SPD East Precinct, then West side of Cal Anderson to great lots of people using sports facilities, then went to Broadway and then north and turned into Volunteer Park, Photos and discussion and usual donut hole sculpture in front of SAAM. Left and went down 15th. Some stopped at bar and for eats at ? rest of bunch kept going, stopped for piss at rider's house off 15th, went down Pine, back downtown turned on ? and went North to lower Queen Anne then South again to Belltown, back to Denny Park around 1 AM.

Much longer ride than some of us thought, but some of us wanted that, the rest cut out early to have an afterparty social at a bar. We are excited about upcoming rides including Critical mAss this coming Friday.

We did not need Parks Use Permit for Denny Park, according to Parks Dept, because we did not have a setup. Initially they were concerned because we were advertising the start location.

31 July 2009

• Fri, 31 Jul 2009 - WNBR Seattle @ Seattle Critical mAss (ride #13) Critical Ass website Setting a new record for underwearing, naked + topfree participants!

With temperatures reaching into the 90s and possibly 100s this week, our first major Seattle Critical Ass Bike Ride on Friday, 31 July 2009 is sure to be a huge hit and set a record the most nekkid riders ever for Critical Mass!

The host event, Seattle Critical Mass is the local incarnation of the global Critical Mass event.

Check out our new, uncensored WNBR at Seattle Critical mAss 2009 poster in high definition (1080 size) and share with your friends with this website URL - http://bit.ly/WOucV

As always, the start location is at Westlake Park, located at 401 Pine St, in Downtown Seattle. We are meeting up at 5:30 PM. Prior to the Westlake meetup there is also a group that leaves from Red Square at the UW.

The route will be unpredictable, with people in front determining the route as they go, focusing at first on the Downtown area. The pace is typically slower at first but may pick up some speed at times. The ride will move faster through Downtown quicker than our WNBR events as Critical Mass corks intersections more often.

Stay safe! Some riders tend to be aggressive so ride defenisively and be sure to leave adequate room in front of you for sudden stops. Accidents happen. Be sure to also bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.

NOTE: We are also asking that riders not disrobe completely until just immediately before the ride leaves Westlake Park or during the ride itself (i.e. at the first major traffic light stop). Bring a minimum amount of clothes with you and secure them to your bike.

DLJ

I issued this statement for a Press Release

Seattle Police drew criticism Friday night from driving down Green Lake Park inner paved ped/bike path in pursuit of dozens of naked (some sporting bodypainted slogans + rubber-duckies), topfree and underwearing Critical Mass http://SCriMass.org participants (also known as Critical Ass) interspersed and hootin' + hollerin' within the monthly bike demonstration with cyclists numbering in the hundreds. Response from the public was overwhelmingly positive.

Here are some Tweets from concerned citizen

"Hey Seattle PD, fast police cars on Greenlake ped/bike path MUCH more dangerous than naked Critical Mass riders U were chasing."

"BTW, we weren't riding in CritMass - just out of for a family evening at Greenlake when bike & cop zoo rolled through #honest"

(Source: Tim K (aka oninformation) http://twitter.com/oninformation/status/3064332051 )

Police used loudspeakers to tell naked cyclists to cover up before reaching Green Lake wading pool area, because they felt children would be disturbed by seeing naked cyclists passing through on the cycling path. Cyclists felt the argument was ridiculous and SPD presence was a waste of taxpayer money, put Parks users at risk and dampered the simplicity and free spirit of the ride.

See Flickr image by carfreedays http://www.flickr.com/photos/81325557@N00/3776540375/

"SPD *driving* the Greenlake path, working to keep the children "safe" from naked bikers "

After leaving Green Lake Park, Critical Mass was accompanied by police cars + bike cops. SPD used sirens, flashing beacon lights and sped ahead of riders to cork intersections for the ride to pass by. Cyclists expressed concerns for cyclists and other traffic with the speeding squad cars. No arrests or charges have yet been reported for any cyclists during the ride.

The naked contingent of riders was organized by Seattle Critical Ass riders http://naked.wikia.com/wiki/Seattle_Critical_Ass in conjunction with the local arm of World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR), a global event where thousands of cyclists, in cities around the world, ride bikes naked to celebrate human-powered transport and the power and individuality of the human body. WNBR demonstrates the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and offers a simple, cheap, healthy + fun alternative to car culture. WNBR Seattle marked its Sixth Annual Year of events with its 13th ride today. Six more WNBR Seattle rides are planned for the summer.

The monthly Seattle Critical Mass cyclists started at Red Square @ UW + Westlake Park, Downtown. The ride passed by the Seattle Waterfront, Pioneer Square, the International District, through Cal Anderson Park, down Broadway, through the Eastlake neighborhood, across the University Bridge, University District, to Green Lake, to Stoneway in Wallingford and ended at Gas Works Park.

Food not Bombs http://www.scn.org/foodnotbombs/ was present, distributing free Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches to the public and cyclists. Cyclists also brought kustom tall bikes, a bike trailer with sound system and a bike with cold beverages in an extended bike bed.

At Gas Works Park WNBR cyclists, with police still monitoring the event, used a megaphone to announce another WNBR Night Ride event for next Saturday night, 8 Aug 2009, meeting at 9:30 PM, leaving at 10 PM. See http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=Seattle for details Cyclists were also flyering for the Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade http://GardensEverywhereBikeParade.org a clothing-optional permaculture bike tour of North Seattle scheduled for 29 Aug 2009.

Bert

For the Critical Mass Ride:

• Describe the route, pros, cons, reactions from certain areas of town: GreenLake was weird. The path around the lake was a bit too congested by foot traffic for bicycles, a runner was almost mowed down by a bicyclist (not sure if it was a naturist)
• Funny moments: (see above)
• Police response: overbearing (not sure if police were called or if they came on their own).
• Pre-ride party: Westlake
• Post ride activities: got scared off by the police (did not want to have this on my report)
• Thoughts: was fun
• Lessons learned: perhaps police should be notified in advance.

Bert

8 Aug 2009

Sat, August 8th 2009 - WNBR Seattle August Night Ride (ride #14)
Meeting place: Gas Works Park, near the bathrooms at 9:30pm, Ride at 10pm. Proposed Route

.Todd.

Around 9:30pm Emily & I pulled in to the parking lot of Gas Works Park. We saw three bicyclists hanging out in the SW corner of the lot and I said, "World Naked Bike Ride tonight!" At that point I recognized Conner, who had done some of the rides before. He was with two folks from France who were contemplating joining the ride, too. We told them the gathering place was at the bathrooms. Conner pointed to several police cars in the lot and wondered if they were there for us. I couldn't imagine they were and assumed they were leftover from the Tour de Fat which had happened at the park earlier in the day. Sadly, I was wrong - they were there for us.

After a dozen or so of us had gathered, two bicycle cops came by and told us they would be "monitoring" us. Someone asking if that meant they would be escorting our ride. The cops clarified that they were not "with" us but "monitoring" us - and be on-hand to arrest us if need be.

Later, several more police showed up. One asked when the ride was beginning and I went and said something vague like, "we'll go when we go." I didn't think it was any of his business when we left. He let us know that he wanted to make announcements to our group before we left. Fine.

A little after 10pm we told the cops we were ready to leave and they gave us a stern talk about how "we've had our fun" riding earlier this year and now we risk arrest if we bike naked. He mistakenly said there were complaints when we rode with Critical Mass on 7/31 past the kiddie pool at Green Lake (we hadn't even gotten there when the cops stopped us - plus they had been following us for about a mile before that, so it seemed they were planning on stopping us with or without complaints; and they did).

The tone got even more dire as he stated that people would be arrested if anyone was "offended"! We asked if there would be a warning - a chance to cover up - before the arrest. He let us know that THIS was our warning, and we should keep our clothes on if we didn't want to risk arrest. A couple of us who actually have read the law in regards to indecent exposure (in order for the police to make an arrest, they must have witnesses currently in the public place where the nudity is occurring who must make a complaint), challenged him on it but he stuck with his flawed interpretation that "offending" someone is now against the law in Seattle. I told him that what he was saying was offensive to me and asked for his contact information. He gave me his card: Lt. Dave Proudfoot (#5376) North Precinct, Third Watch Commander.

After that I was feeling ambivalent about continuing the ride so I asked my fellow riders what their preference was. Everyone was still willing to ride, so we did - albeit most of us weren't naked (though a few of us did "lose" our covering somewhere along the route).

When I saw the first cop car along the route (just a few hundred feet from the park entrance) I tensed up a bit. But, after Jenna waved to him he hooted out at her in a very positive manner. That was odd - but allowed me to relax a bit more about the massive police presence. The second encounter with a cop car was even better - we wanted to turn left from Fremont Ave on to 34th Street (which isn't allowed). A cop car came up alongside of us and asked if we planned on turning there. I sheepishly said, "yes." He zoomed ahead to cork oncoming traffic for us. Nice.

As has been written by others, the people we passed by were overwhelmingly supportive. I yelled to many of them encouraging them to contact the SPD to let them know they support public nudity.

In the end it was a pretty fun ride for me. No arrests, the temperature didn't seem too cold and the cops even made light of the non-necessity of them being with our ride when we gathered back at Gas Works Park.

However, I do think we need to address this issue with the City Council and the Mayor. Please edit the following and send it to your Seattle City Council members and Mayor Nickels

Send to: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

To email the Mayor you need to go to http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/citizen_response.htm

--- SAMPLE LETTER ---

Dear ________,

I am writing you to request the Seattle Police Department relax their enforcement of RCW 9A.88.010 (Indecent Exposure). This past Saturday, August 8th, there were eight uniformed officers, lead by Lt. Dave Proudfoot (#5376) North Precinct, Third Watch Commander, "monitoring" the entire World Naked Bike Ride which began at Gas Works Park. Given that Indecent Exposure is a misdemeanor, it seems quite ridiculous to have police "monitor" our ride.

It is also concerning to me that Lt. Proudfoot stated that we would be arrested if the police noticed anyone being "offended" by our ride. Upon questioning Lt. Proudfoot about someone needing to file a complaint before an arrest is made, he repeatedly said that did not need to happen.

I believe this is an incorrect reading of the law, which was clarified by Chief Kerlikowske in November of last year: "In order for the police to make an arrest, we must have witnesses currently in the public place where the nudity is occurring who must make a complaint. These witnesses must be willing to appear in court. Also in order to prosecute, the burden is on the government to prove that the offender was knowingly aware that their conduct created alarm and offense of others." From http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2008/11/14/is-nudity-illegal/

If this is the direction the SPD is taking in regards to naked bicycling, how many officers will be needed to "monitor" the 500+ naked rider in next year's Solstice Parade?

Please let me know your thoughts on this and how you intend to address it in this election year.

Thank you, _____ _______

DLJ

Our second night ride of 2009. Temperature was a bit cool, somewhere around 65 degrees F. Had 18 riders.

Four police, some in cars some on cycles participated in our event. They gave us a warning before our ride started at Gas Works Park. They stayed with us the whole ride and corked for us.

Group picture taken at end. Photos also shot during ride. Video shot by Gregory during ride.

Had some great reactions in Fremont, Wallingford, U-District and Roosevelt districts. One young woman ran out to our ride and started handing out bananas for our riders.

We had one clothed cyclist join us and ask about our event before he peeled off.

No known arrests. Police thanked us for something at the end and joked around a bit.

Matt

Submitted on 9 Aug 2009

Well, you missed a good one. We had a police escort for the ride last night.

We got warned that there would be arrests if anyone was offended by us as we rode. An officer made an announcement that we should cover up if we did not want to be arrested and have our bikes impounded as evidence. It was not made clear as to who would make the decision as to when someone was offended. The officer stated that "the police make these decisions for the public all the time". When someone is being harassed or molested an officer will step in and stop it, sort of Idea.

There were also officers all along the route parked and watching.

A statement was also made that we were tying up a number of police officer's time in having them watch us and the pedestrians on the street. Tax payers money might have been mentioned as well. We had become a bigger priority/problem than everything else going on, robberies, drugs, rape, etc.

Most everyone covered up in some minimal way. The police stood off to the side as we got ready to ride. All but two of the guys wore socks over their genitals and the ladies taped over their nipples and wore their panties. Some got completely naked as we rode, the socks seemed to fall off here and their.

I did wear a sock during the ride. It was very intimidating with the officers watching us so closely.

As usual, everyone cheered us and applauded and gave us the thumbs up as we passed. I can't remember anyone being offended the entire time we road.

There might be more info as to what is in the future at the beach gathering at 11: AM today.

Pass this on to anyone in the group you have an address for.

Matt

9 Aug 2009

THIS IS NOT A BIKE RIDE, ITS A MEETING, CHILL EVENT On Sunday, 9 Aug 2009 Naked Beach Convergence @ Denny-Blaine Park

PURPOSE: Seattle Free Beach Campaign + WNBR Seattle meeting + Newbie orientation + Social/light food sharing + Community building + Relax

TIME: Meet up at 10:00 - 11 AM (Depends on how warm weather is, if its comfortable warm get there around 10 AMish, if colder 11AM ish), Stay until ? If you don't see people on beach, don't leave, just chill and wait until at least 11 AM

WHY THEN? Meet late AM so we can claim part of the beach for a good chuck of the rest of the day, this is important. Other beach users usually will either join us with or without clothes or simply move to another area of the beach.

WHERE: Denny-Blaine Park, North Beach on Lake Washington. 200 Lake Washington Blvd. E, Seattle, WA 98112 GOOGLE MAP Parks Dept. website

DLJ

Weather cool in AM till past 12 Noon then warmed up. Low attendance but we had a good little social.

16 Aug 2009

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 - WNBR Seattle presents our next massive SUMMER DAY RIDE : Hemp Ride (WNBR Seattle Ride #15!) Finally, a return to our perennial WNBR Seattle favorites with the Seattle Center International Fountain + Pike Place Market with a new integration into Seattle's Legendary Hempfest event! Ride from Lake Washington to Puget Sound!

WHAT IS DIFFERENT? This year we are splitting up our traditional Denny Blaine Park/Seward Park/Lake Washington/U-District ride into two different events on two distinct dates. A number or riders have expressed that our Lake Washington Rides are too long, so let's split things up and freshen things up so we enjoy the rides more! The Seward Park component we feel should be its own event to better respect and enjoy that space and the Lake Washington Blvd Ride.

THEME: "Take to streets of Seattle as ambassadors of Hemp + Marijuana policy reform" or "Naked Cyclists Peddle Cannabis Policy Reform".

This ride's theme relates to the weekend's Hempfest event. Beyond Hempfest, this coincides with a bunch of other cool events that we can enjoy including (1) Summer Streets: Pike Place Market and (2) BrasilFest at the Seattle Center. We have just been cleared to go to the Fountain by the Seattle Center Event Management! Brasilfest will be mostly around the Mural Amphitheater. The Wagner Rings Event will be mostly in the Opera House area.

As it relates to WNBR, there needs to be some discussion about how much ride is WNBR or perhaps if it is better to be more independent but remain affiliated.

WHERE: Meet up at Denny-Blaine Park, North Beach on Lake Washington at 200 Lake Washington Blvd. E, Seattle, WA 98112 (Google Map) (Parks Dept. website)

WHEN: DIY art party: bike + body art + hemp fashion (keep clothes on until we achieve critical mass or just before leaving please) from 11 AM - 1:30, Ride starts at 1:30 PM (Later than normal so you can still have a chill, sleep-in weekend.)

CREATIVE ADVOCACY: We will focus on building wearable + bike art with WNBR and Hemp themes for our cyclists fashion show (NOTE: Please take a DIY creative approach, avoid buying the off-the-shelf plastic hemp leaves). Wearable minimums have been increasingly handy to have on our rides with our new highly-paid City of Seattle ride nannies. Why not make the most of it so more riders are comfortable wearing as much or little as they wish while still pushing the creative envelope!

ROUTE 1:30 PM Start at Denny Blaine Park, Ride via Lake WA Blvd. through Lakeview Park, WA Park Arboretum, cross Montlake Bridge, through University District, Wallingford, Fremont, Queen Anne, Downtown Seattle, “Seattle Summer Streets” at Pike Place Market, Seattle Center International Fountain and end at Seattle Hempfest at Myrtle Edwards Park!

DONATIONS Small donations are encouraged to help for costs for upcoming WNBR Seattlle events. Please contribute so ride organizers are not paying for everything out of their own pocket! Find Daniel Johnson and share what you can afford. $15 - 25 would be great or please offer to help volunteer your time if your are not employed.

Hope to see you!

DLJ

Ride report comes after obligatory/contractual WNBR Seattle adverts, scroll down

HEMP RIDE Seattle Sat, 16 Aug 2009

But wait... there's more! Don't miss our next WNBR-affiliated events!

"Seattle Critical mAss" Fri, 28 Aug '09 http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=Seattle#28_Aug_2009

"Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade" Sat, 29 Aug '09 http://GardensEverywhereBikeParade.org

As always check our Wiki page for updates! http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=Seattle

Make sure all your friends sign up for announcements at http://worldnakedbikeride.org/countries/us/seattle/join.html

and before I forget WNBR Seattle Night Ride wants to remind you http://www.flickr.com/photos/messenger13/3819084990/ new video. Funny! I like the tag: "mayhem"

Quick and dirty Ride Report (just key info before I forget) Hemp Ride 16 Aug 2009 by DLJ

Wow Awesome Ride! Did we have any idea it would go this well? I didn't honestly, but WOW! SO AWESOME! Go Hemp Ride Cannabis Cycling Pioneers!

NOTE: 2009 was actually the second Hemp Ride, BTW. First one was in 2007, but we were only naked for part of longer ride to Magnuson. There was no nudity at Hempfest and we didn't actually go in. So all you first year people, thanks!

Let's keep building this event. From my conversations this week, Hempfest is on board and vendors are falling all over us!

Ok, so here's my report for today...

• Got a call from Matt while I was still at home finishing my cardboard and acrylic cannabis wings and bike art. Turned out well. Nice use of discarded bike inner tubes, cardboard, old yucky almost empty body paint and duct tape.
• Had hemp undies and hemp shirt and digesting hemp seeds before heading out From Ravenna to... DBP
• Left Denny Blaine Park late
• supporters there who did not ride
• Talked with Connor who got Permaculture certificate in Ohio.
• Denny Blaine Park people seemed to be mellow with us.
• We kept our clothes on until our group picture in front of Barry Ackerley's estate gate on the North. http://www.ackerleyfoundation.com/foundation/founders.html
• collected $66 in donations! Yay!
• Botched the body painting part but we'll be on top of that next year
• 15 riders
• Matt had bamboo all over his bike
• A few people brought own paint and painted up
• Lakeview Park
• Lake Washington Blvd
• Lots of cyclists out today, lots of cars with bike racks full
• Cheers from drivers! Great responses!
• through Arboretum! Another riders takes it off!
• Montlake Bridge
• Burke Gilman Trail to University Way
• Cheers
• Should have brought a pruner for Matt's bamboo, getting caught on his bike
• left before 55th, down Roosevelt
• West on 45th, left on Stoneway
• to Fremont
• across Fremont Bridge
• up Dexter
• Opportunistic group pee break behind some bushes off road.
• One rider struggling with seat hight/leverage, needs bike fitted for him
• 1st Ave
• Pike Place Market was packed, no cars, peds everywhere
• cycled North to Seattle Center
• Hello Ducks! and other tourists
• So many people out, a lot of us saw friends.
• In to SC on Harrison, dismount and walk
• 4-5 went into fountain, short stop.
• Water smells of chlorine!
• Everybody taking pictures of us.
• Next year we MUST have cards ready to hand out to people with short URL to ride info as well as how to upload photos and video to FLICKR. This would make our life so much easier. People really wanted to know about our ride.
• Seattle Center expected us at latest 3:45, we were a few minutes late.
• Signs were posted alerting people of naked cyclists at SC Intl Fountain.
• 2 guys went to pee at SC bathroom, Daniel also followed to make it less awkward

came back to group at grass and left fountain.

• More tourists, buses, ducks, big hit
• Down to Hempfest
• Other cyclists from street joined us but kept pants/shorts on.
• People start really cheering
• Free cookies from the Cookie Man. Wait what's in these?
• Photos at naked man and boy sculpture on South of Myrtle Edwards Park/Sculpture Park/South Hempfest Entrance.
• People Everywhere. Everybody is going in and moving North into Hempfest. We want to get to North entrance where we here bicycles can enter and park with bike racks.
• Uh oh, is that security coming towards us?
• Cop snapping pictures of us on his cell phone smiling.
• On way up hill, exuberant lady pulls out her boobs and a bunch of people on the street corner cheer!
• Leave the South Entrance to head North
• cheers!
• turn left, how far North do we go?
• Saw railroad overpass ped bridge, take left
• We lost about 2-3 cyclists at base of railroad overpass ped bridge after they decided to leave. We are now down to 7 cyclists.
• Daniel disconnects trailer to get up elevator and carries it down with other rider's help. Thanks J, Hoagie and Tim and others!
• Entering Hempfest North entrance
• People surprised.
• Bag check with security, hee hee
• We're in! Wahoo!
• Walking south.
• People mob us for photos.
• Discounted cannabis body painting jobs at booth. Hung out here quite a while
• Taking it all in, moving very slow with bikes through very packed crowd.
• I think we got there after 4:30, as late as 5 + PM? Missed 4:20
• Walking again South, very slow, lots of people!
• Free pipes for wearing stickers on our bods. Their promo photographer snaps pictures.
• Free Dr. Bronners products from very enthusiastic representative.
• More free beads, free promo stuff.
• Next year we need to get sponsorships, this is way too easy!
• Tyler? needs to leave because his volunteer shift at Hempfest starts. Cool! And he justs walks off naked into the crowd with his bike (we later saw him greeting us clothed at the very South end, in Scultpure Park).
• Cheek to cheek with Seattle Police walking our direction, we eventually pass but catch up later.
• People doing double takes: cops, naked cyclists, cops, naked cyclists...
• Lots of people asking questions.
• Hundreds and hundreds taking pictures. We can't move because people keep stopping us to be in a shot.
• We keep moving, slow along waterfront path.
• Pass techno show, pass North Stage, eventually pass Main Stage, only people in rear of crowd sees us.
• Hoagie gets mobile phone call from Rohm.
• Woman comes up to us holding "Can see tits for bowl" We could not accommodate her. We may have temporarily interupted her market for nudity in her area.
• High fives!
• Young teenage girls were going nuts about us and laughing and glancing back and forth, the followed us for a while.
• A bunch of people followed us and answered questions, would like to hear from riders what they were saying.
• Vivian McPeak, Exec. Director of Hempfest spots us and thanks for supporting the message! Totally awesome!
• Connor breaks off without telling us to buy some shades.
• We do need to boost our message material up next year, consider also our paint jobs come off at Seattle Center
• Passing Police again all over Southern area.
• Back to fountain, Hempfest guy goes nots and the crowd starts cheering and screaming. Wish we knew what he said.
• Very positive experience.
• We slowly get dressed. We can't believe we made it all the way down that long, long festival.
• Police on the South.
• No problems.
• We split up in smaller groups to head back home.
• Yes, we have tons of photos and video! I took some myself this time with my iPhone. Matt has some, other photographers and hopefully we convinced the hundreds of people we encountered to upload to Flickr using tags / keywords Hempfest naked or World Naked Bike Ride Seattle. We'll see

Go Hemp Ride Cannabis Cycling Pioneers!

Hoagie

This Sundays ride was the best ever for me on many levels. I loved the change in elevations of the route, nice hill climes. But it may not be right for everyone who would like to participate. I liked the cool down at the sc fountain but the problem with that was it washes off the body paint for hempfest. Your Daniel Johnson idea with the cardboard leaves was brilliant. I wish I had planed a bit better for this ride. Maybe a second body painting at hempfest might be one idea to consider with some consideration to hempfest and it's sponsors.

Even though our group was small it had a great dynamic. I'll go out on a limb when I say that most all of us on this ride were also trying to promote body acceptance and freedom. Our rides are sure stirring up the people of Seattle about public nudity. I hope this is a good thing. We all know the few who complain are the ones who get heard. Maybe there's some way we could find to make it easy for the vast majority who enjoy seeing us to get their voices heard.

The positive energy towards us at hempfest was so thick you could taste it. It was simply amazing. I'm willing to do almost anything I can to help promote and make a stronger event next year so that more can experience what we did. Feel free to contact me @ 808-345-6554 for this ride and any other rides that could use my help and support.

Thank for being.
XOXO
Hoagie

28 Aug 2009

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 - WNBR Seattle @ Seattle Critical mAss (ride #??) Critical Ass website. Setting a new record for underwearing, naked + topfree participants!

In July we set a big record for naked riders, August will see even more!

The host event, Seattle Critical Mass is the local incarnation of the global Critical Mass event.

Check out our new, uncensored WNBR at Seattle Critical mAss 2009 poster in high definition (1080 size) and share with your friends with this website URL - http://bit.ly/WOucV

As always, the start location is at Westlake Park, located at 401 Pine St, in Downtown Seattle. We are meeting up at 5:30 PM. Prior to the Westlake meetup there is also a group that leaves from Red Square at the UW.

The route will be unpredictable, with people in front determining the route as they go, focusing at first on the Downtown area. The pace is typically slower at first but may pick up some speed at times. The ride will move faster through Downtown quicker than our WNBR events as Critical Mass corks intersections more often.

Stay safe! Some riders tend to be aggressive so ride defenisively and be sure to leave adequate room in front of you for sudden stops. Accidents happen. Be sure to also bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.

NOTE: We are also asking that riders not disrobe completely until just immediately before the ride leaves Westlake Park or during the ride itself (i.e. at the first major traffic light stop). Bring a minimum amount of clothes with you and secure them to your bike.

29 Aug 2009

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 - WNBR Seattle presents a NEW Event! Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade (GEBP) (also GardensEverywhereBikeParade.org) (ride #??) Body Painters, Permaculture People + Bike Peeps wanted! GEBP starts at Om Culture in Wallingford! Come join us for a day of clothing optional revelry through some of the funnest locations in North Seattle. We'll be biking from gardens to markets to painted intersections and more. Learn neighborhood gardening tips and locations, and of course we'll assist in any important projects we see along the way. Celebrate gardens in Seattle! Join the fun! See link at Seattle Permaculture Guild Events page contact G E B P @ m e D0+c0m

DLJ

Permaculture is the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Permaculture is built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways. - From Cathe' Fish and Bill Steen, the Drylands Permaculture Newsletter, published 1988

In 2009, Daniel Johnson and Kelda Miller co-created a clothing-optional bike tour to showcase and engage some of the exciting local permaculture-oriented sites in Seattle. Other locals quickly became involved to make the event a truly community-powered, grassroots experience.

The ride started with a body + bike art party at Om Culture, a multi-use yoga, dance and music space opening September 2009 in Wallingford.

Participants visited private and community gardens. Riders even joined a work party at a future community garden site being developed from a vacant lot.

Riders visited the University District Farmers Market as well as a the front yard of a woman selling fresh fruits and vegetables out of her home garden.

Cyclists also visited Thrive, a new raw food restaurant in the Roosevelt district where participants enjoyed delicious raw vegan pies.

Cyclists also toured the gardens of Seattle Tilth, an "educational organization dedicated to inspiring and educating people to garden organically and conserve natural resources". The riders pleasantly surprised a wedding taking place on the grounds.

Cyclists celebrated with others along the ride as well, drinking and singing with people working out in their front yards.

Riders visited Seattle's first painted intersection, a mural designed and painted by community groups on the pavement at the intersection of residential streets. Painted intersections help give communities a sense of place and are a great way to organize communities around a common goal. Painted intersections may encourage drivers to be more respectful of the residents while driving down the street.

The ride concluded with an vegetarian potluck afterparty at Sustainable by Design. People took time to relax, eat and socialize as well as play table tennis, pick fresh berries and try out the South Wallingford Public Disc Golf Course in the front parking strip.

Some riders continued to ride after the afterparty to Lake Washington for a dip at Howell Park.

9 Sept 2009

Experience Seattle's most yummy restaurant au naturel! We're calling it Raw Food in the Raw at Thrive - A Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade (GEBP) Fundraiser.

Clothing-optional dinners like this have never been done before in Seattle! Do not miss this special opportunity + support the Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade!

RSVP + Donor Level Tickets now available online through Brown Paper Tickets

Date: Wed, September 9, 2009 (9/9/9) 8:30 - 10 PM (Online Ticket Sales End: September 09, 2009 6:30 PM PST)

Evening includes:

Short 10-15 min Introduction to Raw Food with Monika Kinsman, Thrive owner and former Raw Network of Washington Executive Director.

Raw meal: 12 oz. smoothie, a salad and the half size entree. See colorful online menu (243 KB PDF) or see text version below. Limited menu items, including Thrive's legendary dessert pies will also be available for purchase.

Plus expected viewing of exclusive GEBP video + event photos!

Please bring extra cash or checkbook for this special night of fundraising. Also bring a towel to sit on.

Thrive is located in the Roosevelt District, just North of Whole Foods Roosevelt in Seattle at 1026 NE 65th Street, #A-102, Seattle, WA 98115 Google Map

13 Sept 2009

Sunday, 13 Sept 2009 - Second Annual West Seattle Ride from starting at Aaron's Bicycle Repair (Check out their cool website address: RideYourBike.com) Located at 6527 California AVE SW Seattle, Washington 98136. 12 Noon Meetup. Details coming soon. Route *NOT* set yet but may include: Admiral Business District, to Alki and ending at Lincoln Park. See Last year's ride info. West Seattle is amazing on a sunny day! Bamboo Man Matt is spearheading this ride. West Seattle Blog following updates.

21 Sept 2009

WNBR Seattle Meeting + Pinwheel Design Party on Mon, 21 Sept 2009 (International Day of Peace) @ Thrive 6:30 - 8 PM

I've been so inspired from some of the street art I've seen tonight in my neighborhood I thought it might be fun to have a pinwheel design party and WNBR Meeting at Thrive! Our next ride marks the Autumnal Equinox 22 Sept and the International Day of Peace is just the day before on 21 Sept! Pinwheels for Peace celebrates this day with colorful art installations all over the world!

Come join me with your ideas and excitement for our upcoming rides! I've got some yellow reflective safety stickers I might be using since we are doing a night ride. Maybe some of you can suggest how I can make the whirly thing spin.

Thrive is located in the Roosevelt
District, just North of Whole Foods Roosevelt in Seattle at
1026 NE 65th Street, #A-102, Seattle, WA 98115 Google Map

About Pinwheels for Peace

Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, who teach at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for their students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. The project was quickly embraced by their students and the entire school community and by millions of art teachers, teachers, parents, children and adults who desire peace in our world.

The first Pinwheels for Peace were installed on Sept. 21, 2005. Since then, we have grown from 500,000 pinwheels planted the first year, to 2 million pinwheels in 2008!

Please plan to join us again, on Sept. 21, 2009, as we once again celebrate International Day of Peace with "whirled peace!"

How to make your pinwheel

22 Sept 2009

Tues, 22 Sept 2009 - WNBR Seattle presents WNBR Seattle Autumnal Equinox Night Ride (Autumnal Equinox is technically on Sep 22 2009 at 5:18 PM EDT).
High expected to be 83 degrees F! Yeah! Summer ain't over yet!
Meetup anytime from 7:30 PM - 9 PM (or earlier) for light body painting (stay minimally clothed until ride start) + bike decorating + social at Pacific Connections Garden [3] Interpretive Shelter [4]early photo (tall timber structure with living roof, located off of Arboretum Drive East to the East of the Japanese Garden Parking Lot) at Washington Park Arboretum. Ride starts at 9 PM and goes to Seward Park via Lake Washington Blvd and possibly end with a dip at Madison Beach (where we had out July 2009 ride afterparty). Check out the very detailed Google Route Map! Route is very flat, only one hill on return to Arboretum. 16.3 miles from start to Madison Beach, but it should go by quick because there are few stops and only one traffic light! This route will be a semi-preview of Sunday's ride as it will share part of that route.

This ride is offered also as an alternative or in addition to the Flaming Lips Naked Cyclists Video Shoot for the Embryonic track "Watching the Planets" on Portland, Oregon's Mount Tabor on Wednesday, 23 Sept 2009.

25 Sept 2009

Fri, 25 Sept 2009 - WNBR Seattle @ Seattle Critical mAss Seattle Critical mAss website. Setting a new record for underwearing, naked + topfree participants!

In July we set a big record for naked riders, September will see even more!

The host event, Seattle Critical Mass is the local incarnation of the global Critical Mass event.

Check out our new, uncensored WNBR at Seattle Critical mAss 2009 poster in high definition (1080 size) and share with your friends with this website URL - http://bit.ly/WOucV

As always, the start location is at Westlake Park, located at 401 Pine St, in Downtown Seattle. We are meeting up at 5:30 PM, however ride often leaves later. Prior to the Westlake meetup there is also a group that leaves from Red Square at the UW.

The route will be unpredictable, with people in front determining the route as they go, focusing at first on the Downtown area. The pace is typically slower at first but may pick up some speed at times. The ride will move faster through Downtown quicker than our WNBR events as Critical Mass corks intersections more often.

Stay safe! Some riders tend to be aggressive so ride defenisively and be sure to leave adequate room in front of you for sudden stops. Accidents happen. Be sure to also bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.

NOTE: We are also asking that riders not disrobe completely until just immediately before the ride leaves Westlake Park or during the ride itself (i.e. at the first major traffic light stop). Bring a minimum amount of clothes with you and secure them to your bike.

27 Sept 2009

Sunday, 27 Sept 2009 - WNBR Seattle presents our Lake Washington + Magnificent Forest Ride! Ride from Denny Blaine Park to Seward Park's Magnificent Forest via Lake Washington Blvd!

We are shortening our traditional Denny Blaine Park/Seward Park/Lake Washington ride to enjoy and respect the Magnificent Forest. According to the Friends of Seward Park website:

"While old trees can be found in a few other parks in Seattle, the Magnificent Forest, covering about 120 acres on the northern 2/3 of the Bailey Peninsula, is the largest stand of old trees in the city. Old growth forest is characterized by trees of various ages including large trees >250 years old, by a multi-layered canopy, by standing snags and by large down logs. The Magnificent Forest has these features, but for an old growth forest it is young, with many trees less than 200 years old."

New this year! For those free spirits who are interested we may have an opportunity for some naked old growth tree-hugging. Cliché for some, but rewarding and grounding[5] for the rest of us. Connect with a new + old friend that has been around for over 200 years! According to Wikipedia[6] (the forests of Seattle before the city was fully mature, were up through 1,000–2,000 years old)
The ride also celebrates the final day of Bicycle Sundays at Seward Park.

WHERE: Meet at Denny Blaine Park, North Beach on Lake Washington. Located at 200 Lake Washington Blvd. E, Seattle, WA 98112 Google Map Parks Dept. website

WHEN: Meet up anywhere between 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM on Sunday, 27 Sept 2009. Ride leaves at 2:30 PM. Note: You are welcome, of course, to come earlier and claim part of North beach. Amount of people on beach depends on weather. We like to meet Meet late AM so we can claim part of the beach for a good chuck of the rest of the day, this is important. Other beach users usually will either join us with or without clothes or simply move to another area of the beach.

Weather: High expected to be 72 degrees F.

More Denny Blaine Park info: Denny Blaine Park is an awesome, historical park with unique terraces and stunning sandy beach access. Currently nudity is sporatic and occasional topfree use. Article in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine this month is promoting it as a clothing-optional beach and historically we also have had our World Naked Bike Ride events (Body painting events + Bike Rides + Meetings) and Seattle Beach socials there clothing-optional with no problem.

Seattle Metropolitan Magazine : Cover Feature "The Ultimate Guide to Northwest Beaches" includes this section: "Ditch Your Clothes: Denny Blaine Park" August 2009, pg 48

Avoid confusion! Denny Blaine is not to be confused with the similarly named Denny Blaine Lake Park which is not on the water. If you look at this list, you will see a confusing array of four parks starting with the word Denny! Ack! So remember, its Denny Blaine Park. Its on the Lake. If you arrive at Denny Blaine Lake Park, and see an artificial pond with lilies and a historical looking big bus shelter to the west, and a bunch of ducks looking at you like you are going to feed them, you are at the wrong place!

Parking is very limited at Denny Blaine Park and it routinely fills up early on nice days. You may need to walk for blocks after finding parking in the neighborhood. Cycling, carpooling is highly recommended.

Autumn 2009 through Spring 2010 Fundraisers

Just agreed to co-produce clothing-optional swims at Seattle Parks & Rec's Ballard Pool again 4 fourth season! Fundraiser will benefit WNBR Seattle/Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade. Tickets available only offsite (not at Ballard Pool). Contact Daniel to RSVP for Brown Paper Ticket online sales. Swims take place on 2nd Sat of month and will most likely continue into 2010 through April or May. Here are the 2009 dates:

• Sat, Oct 10, 2009 8-10 pm
• Sat, Nov 14, 2009 8-10 pm
• Sat, Dec 12, 2009 8-10 pm

10 July 2010

General info

Jul 10, Sat. - Capitol Hill/Downtown Ride. 11:00 am meet & paint / 1:00 pm ride starts @ Louisa ("la-WĪ-za") Boren Park (Google Map), located just NE of Volunteer Park on Capital Hill (as in 2009). The route will be similar to the 2009 route (Google Map) (with the exception of how we enter the Seattle CEnter) and is 6.8 miles and will cover the neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, Downtown and Belltown. This event comes at the end of National Nude Recreation Week, which is July 5-11, 2010[7]. Ride time is not decided or known yet, probably similar to 11 July 2009 July ride.

Please keep in mind:

• Be aware, ride with care!
• SIREN? LIGHTS? Move RIGHT!! (for emerg. vehicles)

Schedule and route

• Volunteers are at the park at 10:30 AM.
• Painting party is from 11 AM to 1 PM. Bring your own body paint and brushes and a partner to help you paint up. (Note our Parks Use Permits covers our setup and teardown times).
• We ride out at 1 PM sharp.
• Will ride down Broadway and through Pike Place Market

WNBR SEATTLE 2010 JULY 10TH ROUTE

WNBR Seattle 2010 10 July 2010 route map (before Seattle Center)

• Leave Louisa Boren Park South on 15th Ave E.
• Right on E Olive Street.
• Right onto 12th Ave E going North.
• Left onto Aloha St.
• Left onto Broadway going South.
• Right onto E Pine Street heading towards Downtown Seattle.
• Left (South) onto 2nd Ave towards Pioneer Square.
• Right onto S Jackson St.
• Right onto First Ave (North) towards Pikes Place Market.
• Left onto Pike St & Ride through Pikes Place Market.
• Continue North on Western Ave to Denny Way.
• Right on Denny Way.
• Left onto First Ave N going North.
• Right on Mercer St.
• Right into Seattle Center at the Intiman Theater & straight to The Fountain.
• 20 minutes at the fountain to wash off and cool down.
• We will leave the fountain area minimally dressed as we will not be painted.
• Right onto Mercer to 9th Ave N.
• Right onto 9th Ave N (South) to Denny Park.
• Meet up at Denny Park to make After Ride Party Plans.

Queen Anne/Seattle Center

WNBR Seattle 2010 10 July 2010 route map for the Queen Anne/Seattle Center portion. See also WNBR Queen Anne/Fountain Google Map link

As we leave Downtown, we enter Queen Anne... WNBR Queen Anne/Fountain Google Map link

Note new entry route and restrictions. We must enter and exit The Seattle Center at the new North entry at Mercer and 2nd AVE, known as the Theater Commons (see area 45 "Theatre Commons"). According to Seattle Center, "it features a really nice, tree-lined walkway running north-south through the area. The trees contain a visual-sound installation with over 1,000 chimes resonating in the wind - very cool. The bike ride can proceed right to International Fountain and then exit south along 2nd past the Skatepark."

To get to the International Fountain from outside the Seattle Center, WNBR will proceed as follows (NB=northbound, EB=eastbound, etc... ):

• NB on 1st Ave N to MERCER
• RIGHT on MERCER
• EB to 2nd Ave N
• RIGHT at 2nd Ave N,
• SB into Theatre Commons
• Continue SB to Fountain
• Drop bikes on grass, or find a place... IF THE GRASS IS FULL OF PEOPLE, PARK BIKES ELSEWHERE SET YOUR WATCHES!! BE GOOD GUESTS!!

We are welcome at the fountain, BUT...WE HAVE ONLY 20 MINUTES TO PLAY...then we move out,

• SB along 2nd Ave N
• We exit SB along "2nd Ave N" to the next destination...

When we enter the large International Fountain area, we must all get off our bikes and walk with our bikes into the fountain area. Bicycles are not permitted down into the water area. Lock your bike, walk down the ramps. We will spend no more than 15-20 minutes in the fountain. Please also be very polite and vocal (or ring bells) when passing around adults and children in the area. We have also been asked not to use amplified sound such as megaphones in this area. Thank you for ensuring a safe and fun Seattle Center experience for everybody!

The International Fountain at the Seattle Center (appears to) mark the end of the 2010 WNBR Seattle 10 July 2010 event. Please put on your minimum at the end of the ride and prepare for the Afterparty! Don't forget our Beach Party tomorrow at Denny Blaine Park! (see below)

What to wear and bring

• Footwear (remember you may want something appropriate for the fountain)
• Bring water & water bottles that can be with you on the ride.
• Energy snacks like fruit or bars to keep you going through the ride.
• Something to put on in case we have to dress during the ride.
• Bike locks/ Cable locks.

Loose ends

We need an After Party Location and organizer. We had a great after party after the 2009 Gardens Everywhere ride. In a back yard with food and ping pong table, Lots of fun!

Ride Reports

Mark

Hi Daniel,

Thanks again for making the Seattle WNBR possible. At first, I was hesitant to travel so far (from Philadelphia) just to go bike riding naked with people I didn't even know, but it was worth it. Everyone I talked to was very friendly, and seemed happy to chat about their studies, work, hobbies, and body painting strategies. If any participants would like to stay in contact with me, I'd love to hear from them at -----.

The body painting party was pretty inspiring, with each different biking "outfit" having its own charm. The abstract designs made of colored swirls, stripes, and hand prints were very artistic, and should almost have been displayed in a museum somewhere. The political statements written with words were poignant and effectively communicated the group's purpose. My favorite was the line "too big to fail", painted under a picture of the earth. As you know, I chose to wear the traditional black biking pants with the red stripes on the side. (Traditional except that they were made out of paint instead of spandex.) The picture I had taken of myself with the other guys in painted shorts makes me giggle every time I look at it. I got a big kick out of all of the people who thought we were wearing clothes and then suddenly realized that we were really naked. Participants wearing clothes showed that protesting oil dependence isn't just about being naked, and participants wearing nothing at all showed that sometimes the beauty of the human body simply can't be improved upon.

The pace of the ride was comfortably slow, and I was impressed at everyone's effort to keep the group together. Whether traffic lights temporarily separated us, or deflated tires required attention, riders in front waited riders in back, and it was just a matter of a minute or two before the whole group was together again.

I was happy to see so many spectators with huge smiles on their faces, cheering and applauding us as we passed. One man shouted, "Is this legal? You guys are so cool!" and another said, "If I had my bike with me, I'd join you right now!" The guy giving out samples of Bear Naked Juice seemed particularly excited to see us, and I hope he sponsors us next year. Then there was the guy holding up the "Repent or go to Hell" sign. That made me think twice, and honestly, I repent having used so much oil from January 1st to July 9th this year.

The Seattle Center fountain was an ideal place for a group shower after the ride. Not only was it big enough to hold all of us at once, but the water pressure was absolutely outstanding. It was nice to share refreshments with others who stayed for the post-ride party. Lemonade, pizza, and more conversation hit the spot after our sunny day of physical activity. I hope to see everyone again next year.

Best, Mark

Nick

Very fun ride. I parked on Westlake near the end point(free parking on the weekend) and rode up Denny that morning. I knew I wouldn't want to climb that hill after the ride. -Nick

Matt

What did you think of the route? Good route this year. Got us to all the important places in Seattle without steep hils to climb.

Favorite moments of the ride? Pikes Place Market is my favorite. Love to have us noticed by the tourists. Spreads our message outside of WA.

Anything make you nervous? Rubbing tires with Daniel. Thought I'd fall and get the worst road rash ever!

Any kudos or concerns about photographers? I'm cool with them. One did come into the tented area for pictures. I hope he got permission to take those.

What did you think of the start locations. I think a private, enclosed location might be better. We could start to search for one ASAP for next years Day ride.

Too many hills or ok? Good route. No problems for me with hills.

Too many stops? Nope. Stops at red light had to happen. Other than those & the potty stop we kept moving.

Enough interaction with the public or not enough? We still need to get our "Reasons for Riding" out there. Hope to do better on future rides.

Favorite responses from police and people who saw us? The police showed up at Louisa Boren Park and I talked to them. They stated that we were a legitimate group and were there to make sure our event went of with no problems. GREAT MOVE FORWARD FOR WNBR Seattle.

Anything unusual catch your attention? I did get between a guy with his cell camera and one of the ladies on the ride. He was way too close to be taking a legitimate photo. I think he was a Boobs man.

Any ideas on how to make this ride better? I think it went very well. No Ideas for improving this ride.

How was the body painting setup? I got feedback that the canopy was very much appreciated. It kept people out of the camers until they were ready to be photographed. I think that could have been watched a little closer next time.

Is there any way you can see yourself contributing more to promotion or to organizing the ride? Not on this one :-)

Do you feel the ride was on message or was it off message? I'd likt to see us handing out more infor about the WNBR message and why we ride.

Any concerns about behavior of our riders? Great bunch of riders as usual. THANKS EVERYONE WHO RODE ON JULY 1Oth!!!! Love Ya All.

Did we have enough restroom opportunities. I did was OK. I wonder if we could add a mid ride restroom break for those that got realy hidrated prior to the start.

Did you feel we connected well with the community? On all the rides I feel Joy, Love and Happiness towards us on the rides. We are almost 100% supported be people who see us in all our painted glory.

Would you like to have us advertise the route more with the general Public so they can expect to see us more? I like to suprise them.

Ideas for afterparty location? Thanks Kevin for hosting the afterparty! You are the BOMB! If I could get you all up to Lynnwood somehow I'd host one here.

I'm glad I went to the after party. It gave me company on the long ride back up the hill.

I huff and puff a bit as well. Maybe we could organize a return bike trip so at least no on is alone getting back to the start point. I may check out the bus lines and take a bike back up the hill if we use a route like this again.

I like this route a lot. Braodway, pioneer square, pikes place, the fountain. All the best places to ride through.

Matt

Bennett

I found myself wishing that the end point was closer to the starting point, since I drove to the start location (I know, that's kinda missing the point about fossil fuels, but I live in Bellevue), and then afterwards I had to bike from the endpoint back to the starting point, which took a while going uphill on Capitol Hill.

Still, I didn't hear anybody else making a point about that, so no point in re-designing the route just for one weakling :P I suppose everybody else either (a) bussed/biked from home to the starting point and then bussed/biked back home from the endpoint, or (b) had someone pick them up from the endpoint, or (c) biked from the endpoint uphill back to Louisa Boren Park without whining. Or was there some other option?

But overall I had fun! Thanks for organizing this!

-Bennett

11 July 2010

BEACH PARTY! Join us the very next day, Sunday, 11 July 2010 for even warmer weather at the WNBR + Seattle Beaches Convergence at Denny Blaine Park on Lake Washington for a clothing-optional social + potluck and informal meeting to plan our night ride and Seafair ride! Meetup around 10:30 - 11 am. Depending on weather, parking may be limited.

One day after our first World Naked Bike Ride Seattle tomorrow, on Sat, 10 July 2010 (details at http://bit.ly/WNBR10July2010 ) you are invited to join other Seattle naked/painted cyclists + local skinny dippers for a BEACH PARTY at Denny Blaine Park Beach! Temperatures are forecast to reach 77 F degrees!

WHAT: WNBR Seattle After Ride Beach Party @ Denny Blaine Park Beach PURPOSE: Informal Party! Meetup + Share ride experiences/thoughts + Newbie orientation + Social/light food sharing + Community building + Relax WHEN: Sun, 11 July 2010. Meet up at 11:00 AM - 12 PM, Others invited to come earlier to help claim part of beach. Meet late AM so we can claim part of the beach for a good chuck of the rest of the day, this is important. WHERE: Denny-Blaine Park, North Sandy Beach on Lake Washington http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Denny-Blaine_Park_(Seattle) 200 Lake Washington Blvd. E, Seattle, WA 98112 Google Maps: http://bit.ly/a2CNvw DRESS CODE: Beach attire, very possibly clothing-optional. Other beach users usually will either join us with or without clothes or simply move to another area of the beach.

Catch some rays and meet with your comrades to plan for this this summer's PNW rides.

More about Denny Blaine Park

Denny Blaine is a beautiful park with quite a history. The area is home to many Seattle area multi-millionaires. Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love lived right up the street until his tragic death. John Wayne rented the house to the South for some time as well.

Denny Blaine Park has unique terraces and stunning sandy beach access. Currently nudity is sporatic and occasionally there is topfree use.

Did you know that Denny Blaine Park was also voted #4 Best Place to Skinny-dip on Evening Magazine's The Best of Western Washington and Northwest Escapes

http://bit.ly/cZ97Ym or http://best.king5.com/contests/best-of-northwest-escapes/4764/local-excursions/best-place-to-skinny-dip/nominees

Seattle Metropolitan Magazine promoted Denny Blaine as a clothing-optional beach and historically we also have had WNBR-affiliated events (Body painting events + Bike Rides + Meetings) and Seattle Beach socials there clothing-optional with no problem.

Seattle Metropolitan Magazine : Cover Feature "The Ultimate Guide to Northwest Beaches" includes this section: http://www.seattlemet.com/travel-and-outdoors/articles/destinations-beaches-0809/5/ "Ditch Your Clothes: Denny Blaine Park" August 2009, pg 48

Denny Blaine Park should not be confused with the similarly named Denny Blaine Lake Park, located to the West which is not on the water, or or Denny Park, located Downtown, where we have previously started our WNBR Seattle Night Rides.

Parking is very limited at Denny Blaine Park and it routinely fills up early on _nice_ days. You may need to walk for blocks after finding parking in the neighborhood. Cycling, carpooling is highly recommended.

We love Fido but please keep dogs off the sandy beach area. Thanks! :)

23 July 2010

Jul 23, Fri. - Night Ride - Downtown Seattle. Meet at 9:30 PM, leave at 10 PM. Start location is Denny Park, located at 100 Dexter Avenue N (not to be confused with Denny Blaine Park on Lake Washington BLVD). (Google Map) MEET at the oval in the center of the park where the four paths intersect.

The route will be short, focusing on the Downtown area and will cover the neighborhoods of Belltown, Pioneer Square and possibly the Waterfront and Capitol Hill.

Razzle Dazzle: Be Safe + Be Visible with your DIY mutant costumes, musical instruments, noisemakers, kustom bikes + psychedelic lights. Be Creative!

25 July 2010

Meetup at Denny Blaine Park, 11 - 12:30 PM on Sunday + Pre-ride practice for 7 Aug 2010 event, visit also Seward Park trails.

30 July 2010

Critical Mass 30 July 2010 flyer.

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 - Seattle Critical mAss Show your support for cyclists' rights and help us beat last year's July record for underwearing, decorated, naked + topfree participants! Do not miss this HUGE + CRAZY RIDE!

Seattle Critical Mass is the local incarnation of the global Critical Mass event.

As always, the start location is at Westlake Park, located at 401 Pine St, in Downtown Seattle. We are meeting up at 5:30 PM. Prior to the Westlake meetup there is also a group that leaves from Red Square at the UW.

The route will be unpredictable, with people in front determining the route as they go, focusing at first on the Downtown area. Note: Unlike many WNBR Seattle rides, the Critical Mass route does not generally return to the starting point at Westlake.

The pace is typically slower at first but may pick up some speed at times. The ride will move faster through Downtown quicker than our WNBR events as Critical Mass corks intersections more often.

Stay safe! Some riders tend to be aggressive so ride defenisively and be sure to leave adequate room in front of you for sudden stops. Accidents happen. Be sure to also bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.

NOTE: We are also asking that riders not disrobe completely until just immediately before the ride leaves Westlake Park or during the ride itself (i.e. at the first major traffic light stop). Bring a minimum amount of clothes with you and secure them to your bike.

DLJ

Two naked women, one topfree woman, four naked men participate in Seattle Critical Mass. This was probably 2nd highest participation since July 2009 CM ride. One woman and her friend had no idea there would be nudity and were "inspired" to take off their clothes. Westlake, Fremont, Walingford, up Stoneway, Stopped at 7-11. Ride stopped at Green Lake Park. Great ride. No police involvement.

7 Aug 2010

Seafair Cyclists flyer.

Aug 7, Sat Presenting... Seafair Cyclists!. Use shortcut URL: (LINK REMOVED). Annual Lake Washington bike ride from Denny Blaine Park to Seward Park, via Lake Washington Boulevard and Seafair detour. (NOTE: Clothing-optional Morning Run + Night Swim fundraiser events also scheduled. Info is below Bike Ride info).

Route map and schedule

See the updated (LINK REMOVED) Seafair Cyclists 2010 Route Map (Use shortcut URL (LINK REMOVED) for Google Map). Tentative schedule:

Seafair Cyclists

Denny Blaine Park Beach (on Lake Washington). Parks Events Scheduling Office says there is a wedding at Denny Blaine Park in the afternoon, but will not disclose when. They will also not permit any other group to have a parks use permit. So we will work around that and work with the wedding group to make sure we are not in each other's way and everybody stays happy. There should not be much of any setup because we can't do that without a permit anyway. So everybody brings their own stuff for decorating.

• 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Seafair Social (Sun + Swim + Potluck) (Unlike June, weather should be nice and warm for this). For those not coming by bike (highly recommended), note parking may be difficult close by because of Seafair.
• 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. WNBR Body art (body paint + wearables) + bike art party. Hopefully by this time we will figure out where wedding will be staged and move accordingly.
• 12:45 - 2:40 p.m. Seafair Airshow
• 1:25 - 1:30 p.m. cyclists help cleanup for last five minutes before leaving
• 1:30 p.m. Seafair Cyclists depart from Denny Blaine Park
• 1:40 p.m. (ish) detouring around Seafair area.
• 1:30 - 1:40 p.m. Volunteers teardown and cleanup, there should not be much of any cleanup.
• 2:00 p.m. Cyclists arrive at Seward Park. RIde either stops here or loops around outer trail
• 2:15 p.m. Cyclists take dip into Seward Park North Beach (probably empty since park was just closed) / bathroom break / Ride end or?
• Back to Denny Blaine or Afterparty?
• Ride short but sweet

This ride should attract a good number of people just for these factors:

• a strong green message (see below)
• a short, 30 minute, length of ride
• few hills (except a very short one at Denny Blaine and once we leave Lk. WA Blvd)
• virtually no stops (except for restrooms and maybe quick dip if people want)
• day ride
• amazing views
• Parks with history of nude use
• Parks with history of WNBR stops
• warm weather time of year
• previous WNBR bike rides have been relatively quiet and our ride took place in times when there were tons of cyclists participating. It would be nice to have a larger, festive crowd and not just be preaching to the choir so-to-speak about cycling.
• SPD will probably be quite busy actually dealing with real problems than worrying about harassing us.

Message

The message of Seafair Cyclists is a variant on WNBR Seattle, but with a local twist appropriate to the context of the day's events.

Go local + less commercial

• Focus on making Seafair more local than dripping with commercial corporate messages.
• Indigenize the festival to Seattle's rich and diverse culture rather than letting it being dominated by loud, high octane entertainment brought in from afar with jets and hydroplanes
• Be more creative in creating less expensive, low carbon, grassroots ensembles

Go green

• Pushing for cleaner Lake Washington (less pesticides, toxins going downstream), quiet lake recreation, low light + noise pollution
• Celebrate the beauty of the Lake Washington Parks
• Sacred spaces and forests. Seward's Parks unique place among area parks as Old Growth remnant/ Jump start Bare Buns Fun Run event at massive Heritage Tree in Seward

Anti oil-dependent culture

• Seattle needs to wake up, go green and stop the high octane, car-centric and oil-dependent culture in its tracks. Celebrating summer with jet engines strapped to boats and jet planes is a sick waste of limited resources that disrupts the local ecological system.
• Stand up for the "little people" around the world who have suffered for our irresponsible, oil-dependent culture, which is on display for all too see at Seafair. Check out the 2009 film Crude (film) to learn more.
• Getting oil money out of Seattle cultural events (Union 76/ConocoPhillips is major sponsor of Seafair). Read why ConocoPhillips is rated bottom of the barrel by the Sierra Club.
• Bringing attention to high fuel usage of unnecessary military-oriented air show. Gallons per mile rather than miles per gallon, HELLO?!
• Shift to Bicycles
• Shift to permaculture ascent rather than energy descent after peak oil.

Humanize

• Focus on humanizing Seafair more with simple, cheap events than needing to sell out to corporate sponsors. i.e. Bare Buns Run and Dip (non WNBR event)
• Celebrate the power, beauty, individuality/diversity of the human body and our cultural heritage
• Advocate that clothing-optional recreation is part of Seattle's culture
• Protest City of Seattle's lack of leadership and overly complicating the development of clothing-optional beaches with red tape and lame excuses.
• Push for walkable, bicycle friendly cities. Seattle should be #1 bike and pedestrian friendly city in the US, not #4 (as reported by Huffington Post[8]). We should also be at the top of the 11 most bicycle friendly cities in the world[9]. Currently, we are not even on the list.

Fun Run + Night Swim

Come join us on Saturday, 7 Aug, 2010 for two fun clothing-optional events!

Fun Run

The Fun Run will be a non-competitive, informal event jog + walk (to avoid insurance headaches) that loops around part of a main trail and lesser used side trails at Seward Park (Audobon website). Please allow plenty of time to reach Seward Park and the interior trail system. Main meetup point is at the Kiosk (West of closed Hatchery on the map) on Spine Trail at 7 am for Fun Run. Please refer to the Audubon Seward Park Map to get your bearings on where to go. Another resource is the Parks Department Seward Park trail map.

Note: We highly recommend people take bus or bike into the park. Leave plenty of time to reach meetup point within Seward Park. Parking may be very difficult due to Seafair.

• 6:20 - 6:35 a.m. Volunteers: Setup small, non-invasive, signs on trails in park for runners. Meet at Kiosk on Spine Trail
• 6:35 - 6:45 a.m. Fun Run mini-breakfast near Kiosk on Spine Trail
• 6:50 - 6:55 a.m. Opening Fun Run ceremony at Heritage Tree
• 7:00 a.m. Fun Run Main meetup time: Meet at Kiosk (West of closed Hatchery on the map) on Spine Trail within Seward Park.
• 7:05 - 7:20 a.m. 2010 Fun Run Start + (optional) Dip at North Beach
• 7:25 - 7:40 a.m. Post-run meetup, remove route markers, and leave Seward Park
• 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Seward Park Closed

Settled on a great Fun Run route at Seward, after finally finding a route through the park that won't get people lost (I got lost several times over a couple hours trying to figure it out the best paths) will keep that secret only for participants. Will meetup at Kiosk on Spine Trail.

Talked to parks officials about how the area is for cyclists on Seafair days and also talked to locals about how heavily the park is used early in the morning when our run is scheduled (Its pretty dead). The small trails we will mostly be using are even less used (only ran into four people on a super nice day in that area so morning should be virtually nobody around). We should make official looking signs for participants and some directional, subtle signs for guiding runners (few needed).

Night Swim

We're going to have a clothing-optional Night Swim at Madison Park Beach at 10:00 PM (meetup time). Meet at the Lifeguard Chair on the beach. This should be easy to pull off. Bring a towel and footwear if you wish.

Fundraising

Clothing-optional Fun Run and Night Swim events are **FREE** but we welcome donations! Proceeds will be split four ways: World Naked Bike Ride Seattle, Seattle Free Beach Campaign, Fun Run/Night Swim expenses + Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center http://sewardpark.audubon.org for more trail improvements at Seward. Donations welcome at $2 - 10 for both (non bike ride) events.

Disclaimer

Participate at your own risk in all events! (That means this could be a hoot!) Don't sue us for tripping, twisting your ankle, having a heart attack from too much fun, getting into trouble, drowning, et cetera.

Jul 09, Sat. - WNBR Seattle Downtown Ride 2011

The Seattle WNBR Ride season is just about to launch and the weather is expected to start cooperating soon for our few months of warm Seattle weather.

Yes, Summer has finally arrived! Our first World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) Seattle event of the year is scheduled for this Saturday, July 9, 2011!. This is the 8th Year of the Downtown Ride since 2004.

Proposed Route via Google Maps (Updated July 9, 2011) Note: We enter Seattle Center from North from Mercer via 2nd AVE N.

Every year, in cities around the world, thousands ride bikes naked to celebrate human-powered transport and the power and individuality of the human body. WNBR demonstrates the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and offers a simple, cheap, healthy + fun alternative to car culture. We hope you can join us! Find out more about the international WNBR movement.

While we encourage riders to "bare as you dare" (it is Nude Recreation Week, afterall), nudity is not required or expected. Just come ride with us dressed for fun and spread cheer and inspire others with our pro-cycling message! You are always allowed to strip down as much as you like, when you feel comfortable. A swimsuit or undies are recommended if you want to go in the water without being naked. Remember, nude is not lewd! Looking for ideas? See some examples on our international WNBR Flickr photo group.

UPDATE! Check out our new WNBR Seattle 2011 YouTube promotional video with a special preview of the start location and Pre-Ride Party (see info below) on the Seattle Waterfront! In just two days we've had over 335 views! You can view it in high definition up to 1080p! You can help us by "liking" the video, adding comments + "sharing" the video with your friends and posting it to your favorite social media sites. You can also search for other awesome WNBR Seattle videos from years past there as well).

This is a grassroots, collaborative, D.I.Y. event, so bring your own body paint (and supplies), creative wearable art, musical instruments and bike art supplies. Things can go much smoother when you bring your friends to help out! Tell them to bring their bikes and they might even ride along with you! Here are some body art resources to consider.

As always, the latest scoop on the WNBR Seattle rides can be found here on our WNBR Seattle Wiki Website.

Introducing Olympic Sculpture Park Beach, featuring a sandy shoreline + a sweeping view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains!

The new WNBR Downtown Seattle start/meetup and end location is at Olympic Sculpture Park Beach. (Please refer to Olympic Sculpture Park Map). The address of Olympic Sculpture Park is 2901 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121. If you look at the map, the beach is located at the North end of Foster Foundation Path, on the South end of Myrtle Edwards Park, off the Elliott Bay Trail/Terminal 91 Bike Path. Please note we will not be going into the main areas of the park naked.

Please note Daniel Johnson will not be around the Olympic Sculpture Park Beach area until around 2 PM because he needs to lock up the Underground Events Center where the Pre-Ride Party. So if you are meeting us there no worries but if it gets to be 2:10 or and few coming, feel free to ring 206 369 2661.

For a detailed map of the areas you will want to know for the Pre-Ride Party in Belltown, the Olympic Sculpture Park Beach and surrounding area (parking, restrooms, bike path access) please check out this Google Map link.

The Ride Starts at 2 PM!! The ride will be an amazing tour of the urban core of Seattle! We will go along the Central Waterfront, through Pioneer Square, Downtown, Pike Place Farmer's Market, the Pike/Pine Coridor, Capitol Hill, Belltown and the Seattle Center International Fountain (video) and back to the OSP Beach to finish off the day with a Seattle Skinny dipping Record Attempt and small potluck social!

Check out pictures and video of the Olympic Sculpture Park Beach in our new WNBR Seattle 2011 YouTube video!

Please bring a creative minimum amount of clothing for the ride (undies, loincloth, sock, pasties, loincloth or thong) in case you need it.

Please note: We may be entering the Seattle Center from a different entrance this year. Please follow instructions from ride marshals before and during the ride. In the past we have entered on Harrison Street, near the North side of the Experience Music Project. (See Seattle Center WNBR Event Map)

When we enter the large Seattle Center International Fountain (video) area, we must all get off our bikes and walk with our bikes into the fountain area. Bicycles are not permitted down into the water area. Lock your bike, walk down the ramps. We will spend no more than 15-20 minutes in the fountain. Please also be very polite and vocal (or ring bells) when passing around adults and children in the area. We have also been asked not to use amplified sound such as megaphones in this area. The Seattle Center puts up signs to alert sensitive people to the presence naked people. Thank you for ensuring a safe and fun Seattle Center experience for everybody!

Don't forget to have your bike tuned up, tires pumped and make sure your bicycle is properly fit to your size.

Post-Ride Beach Wade-in + Light Social Potluck

Inspired by other WNBR wade-in traditions such as at the end of WNBR Vancouver (BC, Canada) and WNBR Brighton & Hove (UK), we're planning to set a new record for skinny dipping at a Seattle beach! So stick around with us after the Seattle Center! (You can easily throw on your undies until you reach the beach after rinsing off your body paint in the fountain, if you wish).

By the way, the Seattle Center has no problem with us washing off our body paint in the International Fountain. They explained to us that they actually have a very thorough filter system because of all the messy kids (+ fun-loving adults!) Better to wash off in the fountain than in the Puget Sound! Keep it clean!

Bring something simple and light like pre-washed fruit or veggies to share and water for yourself.

Afterwards we can return to UEC for cleanup and to pickup after ourselves.

Come to our Crazy Pre-Ride Party at the Underground Events Center in Belltown!

We've got an incredible new space for our Pre-Ride Party at the nearby Underground Events Center (UEC) in Belltown (very close to our beach start location)! It also was the Body Painting Party location of the world-famous 2008 Solstice Cyclists. The address is 2407 1st Ave (between Battery St & Wall St), Seattle, WA 98121 (see Google map).

Tourists + Seattleites alike love the creativity, exuberance + spontaneity of the naked cyclists!

Please consider decorating your body and your bike with WNBR themes or bring musical instruments! What to bring.

The Pre-Ride Party formally commences at 10:30 AM and ends at 1:30 PM. The UEC will lock down and the ride departs at 1:40 PM from the Underground Events to the Olympic Sculpture Park Beach Start/End location for a 2 PM OSP Beach departure.

The Underground Events Center Pre-Ride Party will be great place to body paint, decorate your bike, finalize your handmade costumes, adjust your helmet, tie your shoes, use the restroom one last time, inflate your tires, find helpful people to answer all of your questions, check the latest information about the route, take soom cool snapshots of your ensemble in front of the UEC murals, enjoy some raw juice and smoothies that our volunteers will be offering and meet other like minded free-wheeling folk! Yes friends, it's all that and so much more! Check out pictures and video of the UEC space in our new WNBR Seattle 2011 YouTube video!

For consideration of people with different privacy needs at the UEC Pre-Ride Party, there will be two photography zones inside the building: limited photography (in room to the right from outside entrance) + no photography (in room to the left from outside entrance). If you don't want your picture taken in the public areas outside of the building or on the ride while naked, please consider wearing a disguise, sunglasses or wearing clothes. There are many reasons people may not want to go naked but still ride with us in solidarity. Please also see our photography policy.

Volunteers are encouraged to show up ahead of the body painting party around 10:15 am to help set up. We also need help to break down and cleanup the site. Contact us ASAP if you can help!

After Party Anyone?!

We may later hit a bar for a clothed social and after ride decompression (Belltown, Fremont, Queen Anne?) One thing we've learned over the years is that many naked cyclists like to drink beer and chill after the ride to recall what happened during the ride, plan for the future and meet like-minded creative, fun-loving folks like themselves.

Bellingham WNBR benefit

Your generous help is requested!

The Bellingham WNBR riders have asked for some support in covering their travel expenses (Greyhound probably) in coming to Seattle to speak about their very serious court case and police abuse. We will also be doing a small benefit for them at the Pre-Ride Party for WNBR Downtown Seattle Ride.

They are bringing their t-shirts and patches described on their website.

Is there anybody who can pledge $5, $10, $20 or more towards covering their travel expenses, probably around $60?

This would really help! Please e-mail or call me offline soon if you can! Thanks!

Saturday's WNBR Seattle will also be in support of the B'ham riders and to bring attention to the need for police to not abuse their power with harmless WNBR riders. More soon.

More info

For those carpooling/driving, limited parking is available in the area (see Google map). We encourage you to take the bus, walk or bike to the start location! Even better, come with your friends, family and co-workers! A bathroom is located up the Elliott Bay Trail, within the Elliott Bay Park (probably ~6-8 minute bike ride away), at the OSP facility, at the UEC, Cal Anderson Park and the Seattle Center (see Google map).

Your generous support and donations help make good things happen!

Please consider making a generous donation to offset our expenses, whatever you can afford. $5 - $30 sliding scale is suggested, but nobody will be turned away for lack of ca$h because we love you and we don't want any obstacles for you to join in the fun! We do have hundreds of dollars of expenses such as renting the art space and promotional expenses (web + other expenses). Thanks!

Other local events

Just for info here are other naked cycling events that happened in 2008

• WNBR Eugene is 7 June 2008
• WNBR Vancouver, BC (1st Summer Ride) is 7 June 2008
• WNBR Victoria, BC is 7 June 2008
• WNBR Portland is 14 June 2008
• Cyclosnudistas @ Solstice Cyclists is 21 June 2008
• Body Pride Ride is end of June 2008
• WNBR Seattle 2008 (ride 7) 12 July 2008
• Seattle Critical Ass on 25 July 2008
• WNBR Seattle 2008 (ride 8) 17 Aug 2008
• WNBR Vancouver, BC (2nd Summer Ride) is 23 JAug 2008
• Seattle Critical Ass on 29 Aug 2008
• WNBR Seattle 2008 (ride 9) 6 Sept 2008