Janine Robin creates an amazing selection of timeless swimsuits for every body. For 63 years, Janine Robin, France’s number one selling swimwear brand, has specialized in full sized high-end swimwear and lingerie. The one pieces are simple and classic, the bikini tops boast strong straps and underwire ranging in size from A-F. Janine Robin suits are a great choice for girls who want more support from their swimwear! You can find Janine Robin Suits, as well as the company’s other collection Laura Beach in our Popina Swimwear Portland Boutiques along with over 25 other swimwear brands!

Michael Franti and Spearhead will be coming to Portland Thursday September 10.  I am very excited to see him perform, it is been a bit too long since I saw him last.  I am actually very fortunate because I am going to see him in Boise at the Idaho Botanical Garden on September 22 as well - at that show will be outside!

It is so cool to see that Spearhead has broken the Top 25.  Hopefully this will expose more people to their music.  It has such a positive message and the music is so groovalishious.

Michael’s music inspires me.  The first time I saw Michael and his band play he opened for  Blues Traveler at Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver.  Carl was wearing a shirt with big lettering UNFUCK THE WORLD.  There music was political, spiritual, with great infectious grooves, soulful and poppy and rockin as well.  The set at Red Rocks was shorter but it was enough of a taste for me.  I slowly became a HUGE Spearhead fan.

My two favorite Spearhead shows where Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in Anchorage.

Steamboat was great, first of Steamboat is home to my favorite hot spring Strawberry Hot Springs.  Developing Hot Springs is a tricky proposition.  The best thing about Hot Springs for me is that it is a naturally occurring feature, too often natural hot springs turn into swimming pools.  Strawberry Hot Springs is everything a developed hot spring should be.  Made out of native materials to the area, a minimum of concrete, divided into pools of different temperatures with a nice pebble bottom.

Obviously that is a digression but it was part of what made the weekend so great.  Steamboat is a great mountain, we skiied all day then at night a huge tent was set up for the show.  What an amazing vibe at that show, total love fest.  I hooked up with a new friend Dave who lives in Steamboat and an avid taper, after the show I got an amazing copy of what I just heard.  I just about cried when he did Bob Marley’s “Get Up Stand Up” so damn inspiring and moving.  Here is a link you can download to Spearhead at Steamboat in 2005 unbelievable show.

Second favorite show was in Anchorage.  I basically talked my boss into vising customers (we did some business in Anchorage).  It was very untypical for me to fly first class, but my boss was a frequent flyer and was able to get me upgraded.  First class of course gets seated first, then I saw who I thought was Carl, then I saw Dave - Spearhead was on our flight!  I was waiting in anticipation then finally Michael came through (I forgot to check if he was wearing shoes).  I greeted him excitedly when he came by and told him we were going to see him, he said “Cool, what do you do for a living?”  Perhpas bemused that I was sitting in First Class.  Given that Michael’s music is anti corporate, perhaps anti first class I kind of felt caught with my hands in the cookie jar.  It was interesting, I felt like a deer caught in the headlights.  A bunch of thoughts went through my head, first, I felt like I should give up my seat to Michael, but I was thinking that could be weird, so I opted not to (what about the rest of his band).  So I pondered his loaded question of what my occupation is.  At the time I worked for a financial institution that I did not particularly feel proud about, so I just tried to keep it as neutral as possible and hope he didn’t judge me for working in the “Real Estate Investment Field”.  But his presence inpired me to consider what I was doing professionally and that it did not necessarily reconcile with who I am.  As painful as yet exciting that moment was it was helpful in fertilizing the idea that I needed to get out of that Rat Race.  The Alaska show was great, at a Brew Pub outside of town called the Bear Tooth.  He did two nights there, we saw the first.  The anticipation before that show in the crowd was amazing.  Alaska in the summer is a party time.  The weather like Portland is not great most of the year, but when summer comes it is sublime and in Alaska that means the sun basically does not set.  I got a sense that the croud might have some component of people just wanting to be entertained - good music does not come to Anchorage often.  To my surprise the crowd was full of Spearhead fans it was great milling about before the show talking about how they could not believe Spearhead was in Alaska.  The two Alaska shows became a live album for Spearhead.  The one painful downside was that we had a flight back to Portland at midnight - it is typical flying to/from Alaska that you need to take a Red Eye one way or the other.  So we had to leave the show early.  I believe we left at 11pm, it was still twilight out.  Of course when we got to the airport our flight was delayed an hour!  We could have seen the rest of the show!!  That was painful, I was having such a great time when we had to leave.  I now always check for flight status before I leave.

I do wonder now that Michael is in the top 25 - maybe he flies first class as well………..

Post your favorite Spearhead stories if you have one.  If you are going to the Portland or Boise Show I will buy you a beer before the show.  Hope your able to make it - Are you ready for Spearhead!!?

Portland Swimwear Boutique Popina Swim has been Yelped! What is Yelp Portland? Yelp Portland is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what’s great (and not so great) in your world. You already know that asking friends is the best way to find restaurants, dentists, hairstylists, and anything local. Portland Yelp makes it fast and easy by collecting and organizing your friends’ recommendations in one convenient place.

Want to talk about your great Portland Swimsuit Shopping experience at Popina Swim? Go to Yelp and let people know that Popina is the place for PDX Bathing Suit Shopping.

Thank you!

Portland Bathing Suit Store?  Yes, Popina Swimwear has you covered.  Swimwear in Oregon? Isn’t it rainy, yes, that is why we need to get out for vacations.  Mexico, Hawaii, the Caribbean, wherever you are headed, it is cruise season and nothing gets you in the mood more for your tropical destination than to transport yourself to Portland’s Bathing Suit Boutique.

Popina features PDX’s largest selection of swimwear for women.  Plus Popina has great cover-ups, hats, chemical free sun tan lotions and a great selection of sun glasses.  All of our products are offered at a range of prices for people shopping at all price ranges from high end lines like Tommy Bahama to budget (check out our famous $5 bin); we always have a selection of discounted swim suits, we currently have a large selection of bathers at 50% off in the shop.

Popina features large, comfortable, well lighted cabana style dressing rooms and staff that have a swimwear expertise.  All of our staff participates in the cutting suits for our own Popina Swimwear line.

Belknap Hot Springs, is a great weekend get away, or a place you could easily spend a week checking out what in my mind what I thought Oregon would look like before I moved to Portland.  Very lush, green, forested, simply beautiful.  Belknap, an hour east of Eugene is a developed hot springs resort that is accessible to any budget.  Belknap offers many lodging options ranging from hotel rooms in their main lodge to secluded camping spots by the McKenzie River and all points in between including RV spaces, and cabins ranging from single room to large enough to sleep 10-12.

First time I visited Belknap was in 1999, at the time I had just got engaged to my husband and we were undecided where to have our wedding, after touring the beautiful grounds of Belknap we knew this would be our spot.

Belknap features two hot pools, one is directly behind the main lodge adjacent to the McKenzie River, the other is the “upper” pool which is closer to the majority of the cabin sites and the upper gardens.  The lower pool is definitely more scenic and worth the short walk if you are not staying in main lodge.

Lower pool pictured to the left, upper to the right.

There is a bridge that takes you across the McKenzie River to extensive gardens (this is where we got married).  There is a Japanese garden, a Secret Garden with an amazing gravity fed fountain and a huge meadow area with an abundance of plantings.  The story I heard is that the owner (ex-logger) loved Butchart Gardens in Victoria and that inspiration guided the development of the grounds and wanted to emulate the Butchart Gardens feel in Oregon.  Across the clearing from the Japanese Tea House we planted a Hemlock Tree at our wedding (it should be about 10 feet tall by now).  To check it out from the Tea House follow the path into the woods that cuts through the center of the grassy area, our tree is just to the right before the path takes you into the woods.

There is lots to do at Belknap, outside of vegging out by the hot springs.  Outside of exploring the beautiful gardens, the McKenzie River Trail runs through Belknap.  This trail is absolutely amazing.  When you start on the trail you go along side road 126 for a little while, but you quickly tuck into the woods along side the amazing McKenzie.  When the sun shines on the river you see the most amazing hues of green and blue. 

Belknap is right around the corner from probably the most amazing scenic drive in America mile for mile the McKenzie Pass which starts off in the most lush of lush Oregon dominated by Douglass Fir, peaks out at the pass at a volcanic lava field where you can see 5-6 mountain peaks on a clear day and virtually no trees then slowly transitions to the drier climate of Central Oregon and Pines and drops you into Sisters a quaint Western feeling town.

Also make sure to check out Clear Lake where you can rent boats…..

And Sahalie Falls right up the road for an amazing double water fall hike.

Enjoy your trip and be sure to rub our tree for good luck!

Bagby Hot Springs is the closest outdoor, forested, hot spring to Portland, approximately an hour and a half drive from the big city. This is a bathing suit optional hot spring.

I typically consider hot springs in two general categories, primitive and developed. Both have their place and time and both styles have degrees of success in their execution. In order for a hot spring pool to be formed there is typically some human intervention involved ranging from diversion of cold stream water with hot spring water contained by rocks and sand to form a pool to digging out a swimming pool sized hole, lining that hole with concrete.

Bagby is the most developed, primitive hot spring I have visited and it is executed beautifully. It is as if the professor from Gilligan’s Island wanted to install a spa for the Howell’s this is what it might look like.

The setting is quintessential West of the Cascades Oregon, located in the Mount Hood National Forest. The hike to the hot springs is a moderate mile and half through old growth forest. The hike is mostly level, once you get close to the end of the hike there is a decent uphill grade, so you will know you are getting close once you start climbing up hill.

Friends of Bagby accepts donations from visitors at a collection box at the entrance, it is unbelievable that there is not a fee to visit Bagby, please suck it up and donate what you can afford to help support Friends of Bagby who maintain the site as volunteers.

Driving Directions: From Estacada, drive south on Highway 224 for about forty miles. Watch for a sign indicating Bagby. The sign leads to Forest Service Road 63. Then watch for Forest Service Road 70. Turn onto Road 70 and go about ten miles to the parking area and trail-head. The last three miles are the hardest as the road turns to gravel and becomes very narrow. From the parking area, signs point to the 1.5 mile trail. The trail can be slippery in the spring, so wear shoes or boots with good traction. One additional word of guidance: Near the end of the trail you will come to an unmarked split in the trail. Go left over the bridge. The hot springs is directly ahead.

Summer never really feels like it has arrived until you can jump in the pool and swim. Right down the street from Popina Swim & Sport is the ultimate community pool, Grant Pool. Grant Pool is open to the public and is adjacent to Grant High School in Northeast Portland. The City of Portland offers swim lessons for children lead by pool lifeguards, many who are Grant High School students. Be sure to check the swim schedule before you go to be sure it is an appropriate time to go for what you are looking to do. Depending on the time of day there is anywhere from 1-6 lanes of lap swimming open if you are looking for a work out. The lanes can get crowded some times and I have definitely experienced some lane range, from swimmers who are either too slow or too fast for others in a shared lane, but if you time it right (a good time to go is close to the end of a lap swimming session) the lanes are less crowded, realistically best you can ever hope for is sharing a lap swimming lane with just one person. My best recommendation is to allow time to chill out in a lounge chair with a book and wait till a lane thins out a bit. It seems like an unwritten law that everyone seems to get the idea to swim at the same time you do, so let them go first!

Every day has the fun party quality of the employee pool hour from Caddyshack where kids can bring their favorite floatation device, participate in a swim lesson, go down the slide and sometimes even jump off the lifeguard chair.

Save some room for a slushy from the concession stand. The opening day for Grant Pool is June 16!

General Admission Fees
$3.25 - age 18 & up
$2.00 - age 3-17
Free - age 2 & under (with parent)

2300 NE 33rd 97212
Telephone: 503.823.3674

The Sandy River is a great local swimming spot. Of course being Oregon the water never gets super warm but when the temperatures reach the mid to upper 80’s the Sandy River provides great relief and I have always found that after the tough initial plunge in I get used to the water quickly.

The Sandy River is about a 20 minute drive from Portland. The quickest way to get to the Sandy River is interstate 84, take Exit 18 to Lewis and Clark State Park/Historic Columbia River Highway. A great alternative to I-84 is Marine Drive which hugs the Columbia River, on a clear day you can get great views of Mount Hood on the way. The day of the week you visit and your river pleasure will give you direction on where to park.

Lewis and Clark State Park is your first opportunity to park and provides free parking as such this stretch of the river is always be the most crowded. Typically the only time I park at Lewis and Clark is when I am tubing, in that case, this is a great place to park as you need two cars to shuttle back and forth from your put in. More on Tubing later…

Your first right headed east you can go over a narrow bridge to Depot Park. This park is a City of Troutdale Community park with a nice beach, however this area tends to get very crowded very quickly and has limited parking. The best time to visit this park would be during the week - I would not recommend this park on weekends.

Proceeding east on the Historic Columbia River Highway (past the narrow bridge) there are many turnouts where you can have a little piece of the Sandy (more) to yourself. Be careful of where you park, last summer I noticed new “No Parking” signs. Once you find a suitable place to park, be sure that you have a decent pair of shoes to hike down to the river. Most of the access is higher on the bank and can be slippery.

For tubing, I recommend going with two cars, parking one at Lewis and Clark State Park and putting in at Dabney State Park . If you want to make a day of it, Dabney has a Frisbee golf course that I have not tried yet, but looks really fun. There is a $3 day use fee. In the past I have found it a bit of a bummer to have to pay to enter a state park that you would think our taxes would pay for. In the end I suppose it is a use tax, but at least this park is very nice. There are lots of amenities, a nice beach, trails, the Frisbee golf, and lots of great picnic areas. The other advantage of the day fee and limited parking is that the park is never too crowded, particularly when you consider a healthy number of cars in the lot are parking just to shuttle for tubing. The tube ride is approximately two hours you go over a few minor rapids but it is mostly a nice relaxing float.  When you float by keep your eyes out for places you might want to come back to swim if your just looking for a place to take a dip.

Much further up the Sandy is Dodge Park. I have not tubed this stretch of the Sandy yet, but it is my personal goal to do so this summer! Hard to believe but this 14 acre park is actually owned by the City of Portland Water Bureau! Decades ago an old trolley line took hundreds of visitors from Portland to the park for quick get-aways from the city.

The major downsides to the Sandy can be littering, it is really nice to bring a trash bag along to collect a little. It can be very crowded at times, and often there can be unleashed dogs that have inconsiderate owners who don’t control their dogs properly.

The upsides are that it is a great opportunity to connect with the river and cool off, plus there is always great people watching and a fun opportunity to have some random interations with people either floating by if you are on the beach or being a floater.

On the way home I would recommend stopping by McMenamins Edgefield a great place to stop for a handmade brew you can drink outside at the Loading Dock Grill. Be sure to check out the new Ruby’s Spa where the geniuses at McMenamin’s have built a new outdoor heated soaking pool that is very nice. I would not necessarily recommend this in the summer, but maybe a fun preview of an activity for the fall or winter. While there be sure to tell them that your friends at Popina sent you. We sell some of our our one piece bathing suits at Ruby’s Spa.

This just the tip of the iceberg for recreational opportunities on the Sandy River. Go out and explore and create your own favorite place! But this will definitely get you going off on the right foot.

If you would like any personal tips on swimming at the Sandy please do not hesitate to ask me when you visit my Portland Swimwear Shop.