November, 2018 | Visit Portland

November 25, 2018December 28, 2018

Mississippi Ave. Visit

We were having a rain free weekend so I got out to check out another neighborhood. This time I went back to Mississippi Ave. This was another turn around neighborhood that went from slum to trendy a decade ago. I was greeted with a massive new housing complex in the area I normally park. The blocks that were being built on were vacant before so these projects were just putting the land back to use but I was afraid of what else may have happened to Mississippi Ave.

As I walked down the street I found most of what had made this district special had not change. The popular eateries were still open. And many of the small retail shops were still surviving. A lot of the redevelopment of the Avenue had happened a number of years ago, in fact long enough ago that they now blend with the old. Even on an early Sunday morning there were folks out and the coffee shops were full. So all looked well here with plenty for a visitor to Portland to enjoy.

The long time vacant lot is now being filled with a large apartment complex.

I found four large apartment complexes were going up on open lots or abandon warehouses.

Outdoor seating is very popular in Portland. Best in the summer but place also had umbrellas for the those rainy days.

This restaurant on Mississippi Ave. will have a line out the door in another hour.

Originally the street was filled with houses and two story buildings. This was on of the small houses someone doing a remodel on.

I remember when Mississippi Pizza only had a few tables out front now they have build a nice outdoor seating area.

They have built a nice seating outdoors that could be used any time of year.

They have added a new friend to visit with while you are waiting for a table.

This was one of the early anchor businesses on Mississippi ave. Looks like it is still going strong.

This complex was one of the first new developments that went in on Mississippi Ave. It has aged and blends in with the rest of the street now.

One of the large new apartment buildings that took out several of the original shops.

Part of a larger apartment complex small shop line the street.

One of the long time businesses is the light build shop. Can’t find that special light bulb, this place will have it.

This window never changes but is still interesting with all of the different types of light bulbs.

The light bulb shop changes it store window to make it a place to check out when you are on the street.

Only new construction store front on the street.

This place has been an anchor for the area with class act live music.

The window had handbill showing the musicians who were coming.

Mississippi Studios is note for its outside patio that gets busy in the summer.

Look up the street.

All of the old neighborhoods would have their pharmacy. Here they held on to the sign but a coffee shop now occupies the building.

The store frontage allows for a number of small shops per block.

Small shops and eateries line the walks on Mississippi Ave.

It was interesting to see that a bridal shop had gone in.

The beer hall ends the business neighborhood. Form here on it is mostly residential with just a couple of places a few blocks down.

Prost! always had a few food carts out back but they have now expanded to have a full pod.

I looped back around on a side street and start back up the ave. further down. This is the only major mural in the area.

Ecliptic went into a remodeled warehouse and is now being surrounded by new high rise apartments.

Another one of the new apartments going in.

Spin Laundry did not loose their spot with the redevelopment. This place makes doing laundry fun.

November 24, 2018November 24, 2018

Alberta Street Fog

I ventured out this morning with plans of doing a longer urban walk and covering several Portland neighborhoods that I thought would be of interest to visitors. I found the fog to be so thick I could not even take a picture across the street without it being hazy. The fog cut my plan short. I did walk up and down NE Alberta Street to reacquaint myself with this neighborhood and try and get some photos. Alberta St.was the last of the larger Portland neighborhoods that became “the next NW 23^rd. I think it has been four years since I last walked the whole area. At that time it was still rapidly changing and becoming the next up and coming star. It was sad to see that it has stalled. It was in a mature market phase. Some businesses have closed and the store front are empty. Some of better restaurants were still doing well. It was more the fringe ones that looked like they were having a hard time. There was some new construction going on and that may lead to what has happened to NW 23^rd. NW 23^rd has moved from Portlandia to Portland. For now there are still many murals on buildings and some of the arts and crafts movement lives on but it look like the place is ready for a new chapter.

One of the things I want to check out was a new place for visitors to stay in tinny houses.

The old school bus at the Cheese Grill is looking faded like the neighborhood.

You can stay in a tinny house while visiting Portland.

A long time fixture on Alberta St.

I found a window broken out on a business. They had unwanted visitors the night before. Increase crime is one of the elements that can doom a neighborhood renewal.

New Construction going up.

A new establishment that all of the neighborhoods have pickup it the Pot house.

Old location take on new color and purpose.

Alberta St. has a number of the old style business building. The business would be a street level and owners would live upstairs.

One of the most highly rated places in Portland to have breakfast in Portland is the Tin Shed

The old drug store is now a coffee cafe.

As artists and crafters got priced out of other neighborhoods Alberta Street became home for a while. I found not many of them left now.

A small food pod on Alberta St.

Some of the blocks are still lined with active businesses.

In-spite of vacant spaces there were still a number of active small businesses.

Something new is this Petite Hotel that just opened. It will be interesting to see how it fairs.

The Alberta Rose and it’s live entertainment has been an anchor to bring people to Alberta St.

Overall Alberta St. had more vacant store fronts then I have seen else where in Portland.

Alberta Street is full of surprising public art.

This alley way is very colorful but I am not sure if was a mural project or street graffiti.

Mural on Alberta St.

One of the Murals you can find on Alberta St.

November 18, 2018

Vancouver Walk Route

I got out for a Sunday morning walk to work out my final route for my Fort Vancouver – Vancouver walk. I did a track on my Garmin GPS and had the route come in around 5.5 miles. There is so much to see on this route it could be a whole day event but done on the quick could be done in 3 to 4 hours. This time out I got more photos of the Ester Shore Park and made sure Firehouse Glass Studio would welcome visitors. I also found that the whole length of the new Water Front Park was open. Now I need to get the route mapped and up on the website.

The Walk begins at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center.

Looking down the path at Officer Row.

The only house open for the public to visit.

About midway down Officer Row is the Grant house. It is now used as a restaurant.

Just off of Officer Row and leading to the Barracks is the O.O. Howard House.

Former Red Cross building and the Artillery units Barracks.

The Bastion was build late in HBC Fort Vancouver’s history to protect it from the American settlers.

These two replica HBC houses show what the Village was like.

As part of the land bride are plantings of native plant use by the Indians.

The land bridge has two viewing areas with interpretive signs. This one looks to the river when the view is not blocked by a train.

The path from the land bridge heads down to the river.

Fort Vancouver was always linked the Columbia River. With this park and Land Bridge it is once again.

The early Fort Vancouver Village was a company town. When they started to form the town of Vancouver it’s layout began from a tree that stood here.

It looks like the ribs of a wreck sailing ship that has been beached but is suppose to be monument to early explorers.

The plaza is to remember the service of veterans but the murals have made it more.

A concrete retaining wall has been covered with murals in remembrance of veterans service.

Starting down the path at the new Waterfront Park.

Viewing Platform

Looks like the new viewing deck is the new place to get married.

The Columbia River remain important for river commerce.

A smaller viewing platform is at the far end of the park.

A second section of the Waterfront park has opened. There is still an interactive water plaza to come.

Firehouse Glass is a share space for glass blowers working in soft glass.

I stopped in and was invite in to watch some glass object being made. After pulling glass from the glory hole it is work and shaped into a piece of art.

Shared studio space allows for collaboration of artist.

Still in the progress of being formed. You can watch glass blowers at work through the windows.

There are windows looking from the gallery into the hot shop.

Firehouse Glass has a small gallery where some of the work is shown.

This part of downtown was once fill with card rooms and Pawn shops. There are still a few pawn shops left.

The Academy is a piece of Vancouver history.

The Freeway has split downtown Vancouver. This bridge leads back to Fort Vancouver.

This monument is in honor to the many firsts that happened at Fort Vancouver.

This replica cannon site by the main entrance to the fort.

Central to the Vancouver Barracks it the parade field.

A row of barracks by the parade field. At one time there were more.

November 3, 2018November 3, 2018

Magness Memorial Tree Farm

As a follow up to my visit to the discovery museum I went for visit to the World Forestry Center demonstration forest. Magness Memorial Tree Farm is situated south west of Portland in the Chehalam Hills. It has several miles of trails passing through second growth forest and a built up area for hosting groups. As part of my “when timber was king” tours I was curious if this place would work in as part of that and if it might replace the Hopkins Demonstration forest. I walked most of the trails in the place to be sure I covered it all. It appears at one time to have signage by the trails to explain some point about the forest in that spot. Most of the signage is gone but the sign post remain. One trail did still have signage that spoke in general terms about the nature. I found today it is used by folks near by to walk their dogs or take a run. So pretty much like Forest Park. Looks like it’s initial purpose has been abandoned.

Sign

They have a small patch of blue berries by the parking lot that was still showing Fall color.

By the parking lot as you arrive it a covered picnic table area.

Welcomes you to the private property that is open the public and spells out the rules.

Sign explain a little about the place but the place does not seem to living up to the signage.

An old tractor welcomes you to the tree farm.

At one time there were prominent educators involve in the tree farm and several are recognize for there efforts.

This building was closed up but appeared to be the class room building.

A bit visuals for education.

Map of the trail system.

Barbecue grills and picnic tables provide for an eating area.

There three log cabins around an open grass area to provide bunk houses for campers.

The third sleeping cabin.

The Woods Tour tail is dirt and has all of it’s signs removed. Hopefully they just pull them in the winter and replace them in the summer but post did not look like that.

The Nagle trail is paved and has information signs.

The Nagle Trail has a series of this information signs.

The Nagel Trail is paved and has signage about the natural forest. It does a half mile loop.

The property is cut by Coral Creek. A couple of bridges all for access to both sides of the property.

Coral Creek runs through the middle of the property.

Places like this showed that the tree farm was initially laid out for educations.

There were many large maples mixed in with the doug fir. More of what you would see in a naturally reforested area.

This trail comes off of the Nagel trail that is the main paved trail. Nice newer post for holding a sign but no sign.

The property is cut by a couple of roads so require road crossing.

Most of the trails were dirt and in good shape. I found no logs that needed to be step over.

I found many post set up to hold signage but no signs. I was left to wonder why.

This clear cut opened the view up to look down the river valley .

This property next to the demonstration tree farm shows your standard large area clear cut. Every tree is removed or put into piles to be burned.

Judging by the age of the burn pile this area was cut a least five years ago and never replanted.

They did get some help last year get some of the under story managed.

Ran into a number of folks out walking their dogs.

This section must have been cleared cut about 15 years ago and in a few more years will be ready to thin for fence post. So at least at that time the place was still being actively managed.

A section of trail. They did do a good job in building their trails. No wash outs or streaming on any of the trails.

Himalaya Black Berries are most destructive plant in the area. They will choke out all native plants and have no predictor in the region.

With no signage it is hard to know why this area was different. This was not a natural meadow as it did not have the geology for it.

This one small area was free of all of ground cover. I don’t know if this cleared or if the trees provide enough shade to keep it out but it had nice feel to the spot.

This one short section was planted with cedar and not Douglas fir.

From when the tree farm started to now the area has changed. The area is now more valuable for Winners and housing then Timber.

The trail brings you up to the neighbors property. A tall dear fence is in place to keep deer out from the grapes.

The only sign that had info about forest management was this one that side this section had been thin for possible power pole trees. The trees now stand 150 feet tall so they would make very tall power poles.

The trail that ran through adjacent property to another tree lot is now close off.

Looking up the hillside it looks pretty much like what we see everywhere with a recovering forest.

November 2, 2018November 2, 2018

Trying to stay objective

Yesterday I got over to the World Forestry Center/Discovery Museum. Overall it is a nice museum but if you have been watching the battle with the big forest industries for last 50 years you see the propaganda everywhere. Now I have a love-hate relationship with the timber industry. I have worked house construction so I love my 2x4s but I also love our large natural forested areas and sustainability. I hate when the forest industry works to “get the cut out” and make as much profit as it can and leaves hills baron eco disaster areas and never replant (this happened a lot 50 years ago). The museum portrays the timber industry as the great friends of the environment. When they harvest timber it is only done in an eco friendly way with sustainability in mind. If you have been around for more than a half century you know they only portray this role because they are force to by hard won laws that make them do it. The museum portrays a picture of forest and logging today and is better then 50 years ago. But we also know if you turn your back on the timber industry for on second and they will be back to their scorched earth policies.

So I am trying to stay objective on adding the forest museum to the website. The museum has good information that is presented in a modern, attractive way and with good interactivity of kids. For folks who haven’t been through the eco battles they may think everything they see is all facts and the only way things can be done. I hope folks visit the museum but I also hope they question what they hear and see and ask why are there almost no 350 year old trees any more and is this the only way. There are getting be other ways of doing things that are not business as usual. In my “when timber was king” tour I am trying give a complete story. This museum will be part of it but just one part.