Walk 34: South Portland (6 miles)

This walk started at the YMCA at Duniway Park. I’ve always wondered why people prefer to walk inside a building instead of outside it. Well, it was freezing (right around 32 degrees), but the air was fresh and the sun was out.




From there I headed up a little path to Terwilliger, walking uphill for a ways, where I caught my first glimpse of the OHSU tram.




From Terwilliger I headed down a little path toward Barbur. At first I thought I had made a wrong turn, until I came to a sign informing me that I was not on a dead end, and inviting me to rest on a "cob bench" made of earth, sand, straw and sand. Charming!




Down the hill, I passed through the first of two tunnels; this one under Barbur Boulevard. I dubbed this one "Graffiti Row." At least it was well lit:



I soon passed under the tram lines for a second time, further freezing my fingers in the icy wind as I held the iPhone upwards. Any price for photojournalism, eh?



Then a long walk down Corbett Avenue toward Boundary, passing this "view property" for sale. Imagine having an office with this view toward Mt. Hood! A guy can dream...



Arriving at John’s Landing, I stepped inside to warm up my numb fingers. I hadn’t been in that complex for quite a few years, and was disappointed to find that instead of cool retail shops (really could’ve used a warm cup of coffee), it’s now filled mostly with office suites, and an air of formality. There was this nifty sculpture on the wall though, made of big, heavy nails. Must weigh a ton...



Sufficiently warmed, I crossed Macadam toward the Willamette River and a path which led to Cottonwood Bay, so named for a collection of protected trees. A surprising find: A little "beach." Quite scenic, and well hidden from the city traffic.



I then headed up to Moody Avenue, where I passed the longest parking meter I've ever seen.



Continuing on Moody, I again spotted a tram, now heading toward "home."





Turning up Sheridan toward Naito, there was one more tunnel to pass through, this one much more imposing due to the dark shadows. I braced myself and marched in.



A bit anticlimactically, I popped quickly out the other side into the light, unscathed.

Finally, one last crossing of Barbur, this time over a pedestrian bridge heading uphill, with a view of OHSU off in the distance.



This walk was long and very hilly - a good workout with great scenery, in spite of the temperature. In a word: Tramtastic!