Portland...bridges and other

[pdedse]

Bright and sunny today, so very inviting for a winter ride. Temps 43-45, but strong winds make it feel quite chilly.

First photo opp was from the James Gleason boat ramp near the airport. Not many private boats on the Columbia today, but dredges and tugs doing their thing with a plane landing at PDX.


You can take Marine Drive--which hugs the south side of the Columbia--right into Bridgeton Road--a neat area where there are some cool looking boats mored.


Street level view


That aerial view above corresponds to the red circle in photo below, giving you an idea of the size of the Columbia River.


Took me awhile to find the St. John's Bridge, which traverses the Williamette River, which bisects Portland and runs north into the Columbia. The red line shows me getting lost several times...


The St. John's Bridge


But the wind blowing off the water from the Columbia and Williamette Rivers makes for cold air temp, fingers were getting numb.


From the St. John's, took hiway 30 towards Portland, and then on to the 405 bridge to cross the Williamette again. Traffic slowed so it was a good time to snap a photo:




Brrr...once I get cold, can't get warmed up. Time to head home, nice 60 mile outing that was "just to buy some guitar strings, be right back".

[koehlerk_imp]

Your earlier post inspired me to get out today! Happy to see you were able again as well. =)

[Cormanus]

More great photos of Oregon!

[the Ferret]

Indeed

[GoldOxide_imp]

Nice pdedse. Good thing the strings slip into the breast pocket.

[Obleo]

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.

[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:

[Cormanus]

Lovely, pdedse. Riding in fog is the pits. One’s visor fogs but also slowly gets covered in tiny droplets of moisture. You have to ride slower than usual so the water won’t blow off. You gradually go blind which is a really fun way to ride!

Glad you had a good ride, though. Thanks for another pic of Mt Hood. It’s very striking.

[cooldrum_imp]

Pdedse, There's also the Fremont and Marquam bridges too. The Tilikum is just for light rail, bicycles and people to cross. Quite a few bridges connecting east and west. Merry Christmas!

[the Ferret]

Very cool ride pdedse. Man that's a lot of bridges in one city lol