Kayaking at the Willamette River was a wonderful experience. When people heard I was going kayaking at the Willamette River they were in shock because they assume its dirty. Well I wasn't going to swim or fish or drink from it. For those who has yet to visit the river wither its a walk or bike, sail or kayaking in the river, they are truly missing out. The view of the city is breathtaking and its always fun to see the city in a different point of view from the water vs in the car. It gave me time to really appreciate the beauty that's within the city and it made me appreciate Portland so much more.
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River stretching 187 miles long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon. It was the destination of many 19th-century immigrants along the Oregon Trail. The river was an important transportation route during the early history of the state.
There are 50 or so bridges of the Willamette River include many historic structures such as Oregon's oldest swing bridge, the Van Buren Street Bridge. One of the bridges we were near was the Ross Island Bridge that carries U.S. Route 26 across the river between southwest and southeast Portland. Although it looks like a deck arch bridge, it is the only cantilever deck truss bridge in Oregon. The bridge is named for its location close to Ross Island, an island in the Willamette River which measures about one-and-a-half by one miles. The bridge is about 800 feet north of the island and does not connect with, nor does it provide access to Ross Island. It was opened on December 21, 1926 at a cost of $1.9 million, designed by famed engineer Gustav Lindenthal.
Happiness is a gift from friends ;-D
No comments:
Post a Comment