Portland's Famous Christmas Ships

Photo by Mike Bitton
A fleet of boats decked out with Christmas lights makes its way up the Willamate River near Portland, Ore., during the Christmas Ships Parade Dec. 9, 2006.

Thanks to the hospitality of some adventure racing friends, this was the first year we were able to get a good look at Portland's famous Christmas Ships parade. Mary and Graham Coombes volunteer for the Wicked Adventure Racing series in Oregon, and their daughter, Melissa Coombes, is one of the top female adventure racers in the Pacific Northwest. Our family was invited to the Coombes home to share some food and drink, and to watch the ships float by.