Christmas time!

The stag's nose was lit on the controversial "Made in Oregon" sign the week before Thanksgiving. I think that is a sign it is officially Christmas time...and to think the U of O was wanting to change this sign.

...to Sunset

Not only do I ride in the dark usually, but rarely do I get to see a sunset on my ride. This was taken near the church building that I have yet to go into.

From sunrise...

Usually my ride into work is either dark or after sunrise. Last Friday, I just happened to be riding in at sunrise and there was a little break in the clouds which gave downtown a nice glow.

No fog

Unfortunately there was no fog this morning, yes unfortunately - it makes for an interesting ride. The weather is changing so I will get the shot sometime. On the other hand if you didn't know, Portlanders really love bicycling! So much so that they have bicycle lawn art - as seen in the photo to your left. This was taken at dusk so the lighting is not good. I believe this is the first piece of lawn art that I have seen attributed to the bike.

So much for the commuting...

It has been a while since I've taken a shot on the commute, but this morning I really wish I would have had my camera for a nice foggy shot down Broadway. I'll try tomorrow. For now though this will have to do. This was my favorite section of my Grand Canyon excursion. It has nothing to do with the northwest or commuting really, but it is the last set of pictures I've taken recently. This was on the north side of the rim on the way out and would be amazing right after a rain. It is probably at least a thousand feet to the top and a couple thousand below me to the bottom. Tomorrow I will have a nice foggy northwest shot...

Fire Hydrant

This was really random. Someone placed this flower on top of the fire hydrant at the corner of Tillamook and MLK. I had to look twice to see if it was real or not.

Since I can't comment on this stupid thing...Yes, it was real.

Bike Signals

Portland's bike scene is huge. Similar to ped scrambles (where peds can cross through the middle of the intersection while all vehicles wait) Portland has bike scrambles and little bike traffic lights.

This is right off of the Steel Bridge, south of the Rose Quarter.

Bike Boxes

The new fad for the city of Portland are these handy green bike boxes. They are supposed to make it safer for bikes going left. This is going through the Rose Quarter Transit Center, where I haven't been able to determine why they have them. Everyone goes straight. Either way, it looks like a little bicycle highway through here (I guess it does delineate the bike route from the buses). And, just in case you forget you are in the US they put directional arrows.

Bike Room Wall

The bike room at work is turning into a regular bike shop. We have a repair stand and all the necessary tools for repairs and this wall which is nicely decorated with all sorts of bike art, humor, and facts-plus, a whiteboard on which someone draws on regularly. I have yet to figure out who it is, but it is usually quite creative (more than the current picture).

For those in need of the NW...

This is an old one that I took of the Westminster church next door. This church building is really amazing! I keep telling myself that I am going to go in it and I never do. Maybe after the fam leaves. Yes, that is my engagement.

Peace Sign Update

I posted a picture of a couple of hippies working on the peace sign a couple of weeks ago. This is what it looks like now...purple, yellow, and orange. The view overlooking downtown from here is quite nice.

A Touch of Gray

Last week was fleet week, part of the Rose Festival. Navy ships dock next to Waterfront Park for the shock and awe of everyone. This picture is incredibly gray...water, skies, boats, some of the buildings. I also almost got nailed by three sheets of flying plywood this day.

Fremont

These pictures are about a month old, but reminded me of why I am an engineer today. I was on my way to Forest Park one day and rode under the Fremont Interchange in the northwest. Strangely I have never noticed this until then. I always said I wanted to live in the middle of a big interchange (above, not below) and I think this one would work nicely (soundproofed very well).

Alone

Interesting. A truck, alone on the roof of a revamped building. I feel like it reminds me of something.

New vs. Old

The new max line starts running in a couple of months. They've had the new trains running test runs for about a month. The new trains are very sleek and shiny compared to the old square clunkers from the 80's and 90's.

Under the Bridge

If you think you have it rough try sleeping where this person is...on the rocks under the Steel Bridge right next to a major train track. This is one of many areas I ride through where I have to ride around people sleeping. Some choose this, others don't. Not sure about this person. I did feel a little insensitive taking the picture.

For the Naysayers...

For those who say it can't be done on a steel monster. This was on the flats (of Broadway) and is the usual morning speed.

A little jam?

I had quite a few good shots today, but decided on this one. I will post the others later. This is just north of the Rose Quarter (where the Blazers play). At this time of day the intersection gets very interesting with traffic waiting to get on I-5 and numerous cyclists and bus drivers with attitudes. There are a few more cyclists behind me. Kind of like being in a peloton, but not really.

A New Fascination

I have a new fascination with these VW vans. I see them everywhere. Just walking around my neighborhood I will see five or six a day. This one sits on the other side of the church building and is in spectacular shape. Note the brickwork on the building behind it (early 1900's).

I guess I like the water...

So, this one is from last week 'cause I didn't get one today. I had to take a detour due to maintenance on the Steel Bridge (it breaks down alot, yet carries freight and passenger trains, light rail, buses, cars, bikes, and peds) and passed by these interesting boats. Every summer they have dragon boat races on the Willamette and these guys were out taking a couple of runs. You can see three other boats next to the big boats in the back.

Classic Northwest

The peace sign was planted this weekend. Friday, after my 3 hour work day, I rode by a couple of veterans for peace guys getting the sign ready for planting. This was their vehicle. Classic Northwesterners - an old subaru with two ski racks and bumper stickers everywhere.

There's a Rainbow...

Yesterday I missed a great opportunity to get a shot of a commuter on a unicycle cruising down Broadway. I passed him going about 20mph, so he had to of been going 15mph. It was definitely a first for me to see a unicycle commuter. Anyways, I didn't have my camera with me, so I'm going to try and catch him another morning. This rainbow will have to do for today.

Peace

It was really hard to get a shot of this. This is a landscaped peace sign on my route near the Rose Quarter transit station. During the summer it is filled with flowers. Not too many cities, if any, have landscaped peace signs.
Here is the link (copy and paste) to the google maps aerial...http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=45.528358,-122.665894&spn=0.001845,0.004828&t=h&z=18

What a Morning!

So I know I have posted a rowing picture before, but this one was too good to pass up with the clouds, sun, rainbow, still water, convention center towers, and on and on. I needn't say anything else. Oh, the guy who was fishing on the river with his bike was on the bank just below the left convention center tower/spire.

Fishin'

You would think this guy was out in the boondocks somewhere with his fishin' pole and the briars. Nope, he's smack downtown almost sitting under the Steel Bridge. His view was quite spectacular this sunny, warm morning. I've got some shots of the view, but I will have to post them later. I really like his pole stand - quite creative! I'm not sure I would eat any of the fish from where he's fishing. I'll try and get a shot of why in the future.

Bike Room

Someone requested to see where I store my bike. This is the bike room at work. In the summer you have to get to work early or else you won't get a spot. The room is secure so more people are encouraged to ride. I wouldn't ride if I didn't have a secure place for storage.

In Bloom

Everything is in bloom! This was taken at the Westminster Presbyterian assembly a block from my place. There's a tree with white flowers right next to this one and another red one next to the white one. I can't tell you what they are, but it makes a pretty good picture. The petals have fallen off and cover the ground. You can kinda see it here. The building is also pretty amazing. I'll get to it eventually.

Rowing

Every morning on my way to work as I cross the Steel Bridge people are rowing. I just happened to catch this group this afternoon. It seems like it would be a very enjoyable thing to do. Notice the Cherry Blossoms. They fall onto and cover the sidewalk and it appears to be pink (you can't see it in this picture).

Japan

Every couple of weeks a rather large ship will pull up to the silos next to the Steel Bridge and load up with grain. Trains bring the grain from the east and download it here. This ship is from Japan and every other ship that I have seen here has been from Asia. It's amazing to see how much the ship lowers into the water as it fills up.

The red bridge in the background is the Broadway Bridge. Farther in the background is the Fremont (I-405) Bridge (arch bridge in between the ship and silos).

The Best Commuting View in Town

This is the view from the ped/bike bridge crossing the railroad tracks on the eastside. The big black double decker bridge is the Steel Bridge (built in 1912). Bikes/Peds/Cargo & Passenger trains use the lower deck, while cars/buses/& light rail use the upper deck. The lower deck raises multiple times daily to let ships through and occasionally the upper deck raises if it's a super big ship. It's pretty interesting to watch. Hopefully I'll be able to get a video of the bridge operation.

The next bridge down is the Burnside Bridge, which also allows ships to go through, although not quite as interesting as the Steel Bridge.

The pink trees are cherry trees I believe and they run pretty much the entire length of Waterfront Park. The smell through the area is incredible (good, that is!).

To the far left is the I-5/I-84 interchange mess. My place of work is right at the end of the Steel Bridge and you can look out the window and this interchange looks like a parking lot pretty much all day. One more reason not to drive to work!

Forgive the panorama quality. I did not have a tripod nor did I take the time to "fix it up" in photoshop.

The Trusty Steed

Well, here she is! This is the new steed, and this one is truly a steed. Steel all over (as opposed to carbon fiber on the old one). A bit heavier, but that just means it coasts farther and faster, plus the ride is as smooth as butter. She's a 50cm Surly Cross-Check, Mist Grey. Enjoy!

Why

So, I have been inspired by Mandi, who has a picture a day blog (http://thephotogoo.blogspot.com/) and I thought I would do something similar only gear mine toward my daily commute. I usually bike to work, although occasionally I will hop on the bus if it's pouring down rain, and I often see some pretty interesting things. This, of course, means that I will have to start carrying a camera with me as my camera on my phone is blurry at best. Stay tuned and hopefully i'll be able to create something interesting here!