I took the day off Friday to ski but weirdly warm weather was making conditions questionable. I opted for a bike ride instead and decided to shoot some black and white photos along the way.
Sitting about 15 miles south of Portland, Oregon City is the historic end of the Oregon Trail and site of Willamette Falls the second largest waterfall in the United States by volume.
Only Niagara Falls is larger … by volume.
For millennia this was home and a fishing center for native peoples. When white settlers arrived they spread diseases and violently harassed the native population. The tribes were ultimately driven from their land to clear the way for the capitalist dream of filling the valley with abandoned factories.
Oregon Public Broadcasting did a excellent piece last summer on the history and the future of the falls.
The town is built into the steep cliffside and is also the home of the only outdoor municipal elevator in the country.
This is technically a city street. Elevator Street.
It was a meandering ride with many wrong turns, an occasional rocky vista and frequent stops for readling plaques.
Yup its 1933’s most beautiful bridge … Class C.
I made it home about a hour before dark despite some questionable routing suggestions by google.
Is AI already trying to kill me?
I’m stoked about a day spent wandering on a bike and I’m coming to terms with the fact that I’m a person who gets excited about outdoor municipal elevators. 😎