Portland...bridges and other

[pdedse]

I lived in Portland , 77,78 l absolutely loved the city. Lived off Division street not far from the river , they used to call it 5 corners . The people there appreciate the outdoor amenities available to them. I left with the idea that I would return shortly, but 42 years later haven’t made it back . Enjoy the sights.

I arrived here in '99 from Arizona, convinced that it would be for 3-5 years, and then return to AZ...what year is it? Still here.

Well...forecast called for another beautiful sunny day, but with the rains returning tomorrow, the 25th. My plan for yesterday was to cross a bunch of the Portland bridges, but after doing a few errands, got lost, the cold hands--had to cut short the trip and only crossed two bridges.

So I thought I'd "finish" the ride today, get up early, be back before anyone noticed. I live in Gresham, so even tho' I've lived here 20+ years, I don't really go into Portland much and all the names of different bridges just get jumbled in my mind. I know my way around all right, I just don't know which bridge is which...Hawthorne, Ross Island, Burnside, Broadway, Steel, Sellwood...I hear the names, but I can't really tell you which one I'm on when crossing. One of them costs me $20 a year x 6 (2 motorcycles, 3 vehicles, one boat trailer), so I pay $120 a year as part of vehicle registration fees--I think it's the Sellwood bridge...but I'm not sure I've ever actually used that bridge. Need to remedy that.

I started out by 930am with temps in the high 30s. I was actually quite warm in the sunshine, but as soon as I neared the Clackamas River, the temps dropped and soon the fog blanketed the area. Well, shoot. River fog also foggs up the face shield. Still, maybe the fog would lift. But then when I crossed the Clackamas at Carver, I came across this:



So fog and a road closure. 10 minutes prior and my hands were toasty in the sun. 5 minutes in the fog and my fingers were losing their feeling. I think it was a sign to turn around and head back to sunshine and leave the bridges for another day.

But wait...there is the Bakers Ferry Bridge, not Portland, but close enough for my Christmas Eve day ride:


View from above:


I had to settle for the Boring area...Mt. Hood always makes it nice: