Okay, so I have this "thing" that I do when the opportunity presents itself. It's kinda' weird, I suppose. But it's cool, I think, in its own little way.
I'm a big fan of the television show "Ghost Adventures" on Travel Channel. So, whenever I get the chance, I like to visit sites that they've investigated on their show. I know, I told you. It's weird.
In the past, I've visited Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. I've walked the terrepleins of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida. I've also visited the Hotel Cosmopolitan in Old Town, San Diego many times.
So, I decided that, before I left Portland, I would visit yet another of what I refer to as a "GAS", or "Ghost Adventures Site".
Yeah, I know. It doesn't get any less weird.
I decided to grab the 5D and, after work, head down to what's known as the "Shanghai Tunnels", also known as the Portland Underground.
The term "to Shanghai" refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques. This often included simply grabbing drunk men and taking them into the tunnels below the city. The tunnels were originally used to move goods from one place to another, within the city, in such a way as to avoid streetcars and trains.
In the underground, these kidnapped, or "Shanghaied", men would sober up and be held until a ship in need of more crew was ready to get underway. They would then be transferred to the ships, again while underground, to those ships, and forced to go to sea. This practice was actually quite common on US merchant ships until as late as 1915.
So, why call it "Shanghai"? Well, the most commonly accepted theory is that China, particularly the port of Shanghai, was the destination for many of the ships manned with, let's say, "less than willing" crew members.
So, on Friday night, a small group of us met with a member of the Cascade Geographic Society, who would be conducting the tour. The Cascade Geographic Society is the only group permitted to give regular tours of the Portland Underground. We met at Hobo's Restaurant on NW 3rd Avenue and, after a brief, yet informative talk about what to expect, we were on our way.
Nita, who was our tour guide, gave a brief, yet informative, presentation about the tunnels before the tour got underway...
The tunnels weren't quite what I expected but, to be fair, this is an active excavation, and it's not like there are armies of people lining up to do the work. The tour area covers a relatively small area. It's no bigger than the block of building above, and is bordered by NW 3rd and NW 2nd Avenues, and NW Davis and NW Couch Streets to the north and south.
We walked from the courtyard, through a small breezeway, and out onto NW Davis Street. We made a left onto NW 3rd Avenue and stopped in front of Hobo's. A very non-descript set of doors, set into the concrete, led us into the tunnels:
The breezeway leading from the courtyard...
The stairway leading into the Shanghai Tunnels...
The group makes its way underground...
Once we got into the tunnels, the flashlights came on. While there was some dim overhead lighting, it was all very ow wattage. Thankfully, flash photography was permissible. Otherwise, I may not have come away with anything.
Looking back towards the entrance to the tunnels...
Our first stop was at what used to be a holding cell. Right next to it was an honest to goodness opium den:
What used to be a holding cell. Much of the four walled structure is gone now...
The opium den...
We then passed through a crude opening in a brick wall, which led us into the main portion of the Shanghai Tunnels:
The locked door leading to the main part of the tunnels...
One of several crudely formed portals throughout the tunnels...
Those who would snatch unwitting would-be sailors, known as "crimps", had a bit of a problem with some of their captives escaping. The doors which held them were simple wood and tin and, once a man was sobered up, he could easily kick his was out of this holding cell. The crimps then began not only taking boots and shoes, but they would also strew broken glass around the floor:
Boots and shoes found during the excavation...
As we made our way deeper into the tunnels, we were told stories of visitors who'd had their camera batteries die, their hair pulled or their clothes tugged on while passing through the tunnels. Hey, I'm always down for a good ghost story. But I had no such luck on this visit. My clothes remained unaccosted, and my camera batteries didn't inexplicably drain.
It's a little hard to imagine what it must have been like to be out drinking and having a good time with your buddies one minute, and then be locked up in a holding cell, beneath the bar you were just in, the next.
One of the holding cells in the tunnels...
This cigar store Indian statue was once wrapped up in blankets and sold by Joseph "Bunko" Kelly to a ship's captain as an able-bodied crewman...
A stuffed dummy lies on a mattress, below a trap door from the bar above. This is how men were taken...
Joseph "Bunko" Kelly. By his own estimation, he Shanghaied some 2,000 men between 1879 and 1894...
For me, one of the most astonishing things was to learn that no one, no even ol' "Bunko" Kelly, ever went to prison, or was even arrested, for "crimping". The practice was actually legal at the time. "Bunko" got himself charged with murder, though, and ended up a guest of the State at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.
As I mentioned, the Shanghai Tunnels in Portland's Old North End is an ongoing excavation, with work continuing on an ongoing basis. As they continue to dig, they continue to find artifacts, and they're all too willing to put these on display:
Artifacts found during the excavation of the Shanghai Tunnels...
If you go to Shanghai Tunnels with the expectation of encountering a ghost, well, you're probably going to be disappointed. There may be some there, and there may not. But what you will get is a glimpse into a past that Portland, once known as the "Shanghai Capital of The World", is not at all proud of.
It's a part of Portland's history, though, and that's reason enough to check it out...
Since I announced that I was leaving on what can only be described as an epic trip, a lot of folks have been e-mailing me and sending me private messages on Facebook asking me where I'll be going.
In all honesty, I know where I'm going to end up, and I know a few places between here and there that I want to stop and shoot. But most of my shooting tends to be off-the-cuff-knee-jerk stuff; I rarely have a plan. Now, that's not to say that I'm just gonna' fly by the seat of my pants for 4,000 miles. I do have my "must see" sights, but I'm also open to suggestion.
As it stands right now, my trip from Portland, Oregon to Poyntelle, Pennsylvania is going to take 25 days, and cover some 4,000 miles. Frankly, I think it would border on gross irresponsibility for a photographer to make such a trip and not have, at least, some things in mind to photograph.
I've been fortunate to have traveled in my life. I've been on five of the seven continents. I've been to dozens of countries. Hell, I've seen more of Canada than most Canadians. But there's an awful lot right here at home that's worth the effort. This trip is going to take me from the Pacific Northwest, to the Northeast and then ultimately, to northern Florida once the summer is over. When all is said and done, I'll have visited the following:
Oregon
Washington
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
South Dakota
Nebraska
Missouri
Tennessee
Kentucky
West Virginia
Pennsylvania
New York
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Florida
Needless to say, that's a whole buncha' road time. And, with a lot of road time comes the opportunity to pull over and shoot. That's what I'm excited to be able to do on this trip. Yeah, I'll be cruising a lot of freeways. But I'm also going to try to hit the small state routes that go through little towns with names you'll never find on any map.
I envision finding some old gas station somewhere, with the old analog numbers on the pumps, just waiting to be committed to megapixels. My mind reels at the number of old, broken down barns I'm going to see (Has anyone actually seen a new one?). And I can imagine sitting at the counter in a roadside diner, eating the greasiest breakfast within 250 miles, and falling for the imagery of a decor that hasn't been in style since the Johnson administration.
But, yeah, I've got some "definites", too. One of the first places I thought of when I started planning this trip was Mt. Rushmore. I plan on spending two nights in Rapid City, South Dakota because I really want to be able to shoot it at night. Someone mentioned something about the Crazy Horse Memorial, and asked if I was going to go. I had no idea where it was, but a little research reveals that it's not all too far from Mt. Rushmore, so both can be fit into a single day trip.
A friend asked me if I was going to visit Devil's Tower. You might be saying "Hmmm, sounds familiar", and you would be right. Devil's Tower is the site of the final climactic scene from "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind". Richard Dreyfuss went nuts for the place. Well, for whatever reason, I always thought it was somewhere in southwestern Wyoming. Well, come to find out it lies about 30 miles to the north of the main route between Sheridan, Wyoming (where I'm going to spend a night) and Rapid City. Round trip off the freeway, it's only about an hour out of the way.
Had my buddy never mentioned it, though, I wouldn't have even thought about looking for it. A potentially amazing photo opportunity would've skirted by to the north, and I never would've seen it.
The first leg of my trip, at least from Missoula to Sioux Falls, is going to be spend, primarily, on I-90. I'll be passing through some amazing scenery, and I suspect I'll be rolling through some historic small towns when I venture off the Interstate. After that, it'll be a hodgepodge of freeways, State and County roads to get me to where I need to be.
So, with that in mind, if you know of any "must see" things between Portland, Oregon and Poyntelle, Pennsylvania, don't be shy; lemme' hear 'em! I've got 45 gigs of memory just itchin' for a good time!
You know, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the one thing in our lives which remains constant and unwavering is change.
In November, I left San Diego for Portland, Oregon. It was a move which, at the time, I was pretty convinced made a lot of sense. Whether that's the case or not will, I suppose, be borne out by the success or failure of my upcoming move, which will take me about as far out of Portland as one can get: St. Augustine, Florida.
Don't get me wrong; Portland certainly has a number of good points.
First, from a photographer's perspective, it's going to be hard to beat the Pacific Northwest for natural beauty. From Mount Hood to Mount St. Helens, from Cannon Beach to Grant's Pass and Hellgate Canyon, it's a five star feast for the eyes. Some of my favorite photos I've ever taken have been shot since I crossed the California/Oregon border in November.
But it's time to go.
I started working in the music industry (in a very broad sense) back in 1997, when I started working at Moze Guitars in San Diego. I went from working for that small shop on College Avenue to working for one of the largest acoustic guitar companies on the planet. I left that job, though, in February of 2012.
After taking much of 2012 off, I was offered the position I have at the moment, at a very well respected retailer in Portland. I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity they gave me, especially as I was hired based solely on my reputation; nary a resume' or employment application as far as the eye could see.
Initially, I'd planned on being here for at least a year. I figured that would give me a solid basis of time and experience on which to decide to stay or not. Well, a near-death experience on Christmas Day convinced me, for a number of reasons, that I would probably roll through the summer and, in the Fall, pack my bags and head out. A phone call I received from an old friend, however, accelerated what otherwise would've likely been simply a protracted departure.
I was offered a position as a photographer in Pennsylvania. It's a temporary gig; seven weeks, but the pay is very good, and my expenses (primarily room and board) are paid for. They're also off-setting some of my travel expenses. It's slowly but surely dawning on me that my camera will, finally, become the breadwinner.
What this means in the immediate, though, is that I've got another move in front of me, and it's a big one. In about a month, I'm going to be making the drive from Portland, Oregon to St. Augustine Florida, by way of Pennsylvania. I keep seeing the word "epic" flashing in my mind's eye.
I've driven cross country twice, both times from Charleston, South Carolina to San Diego, California. Each time, the emphasis was on the amount of time spent traveling, and not on what we might've actually been able to see had we taken the time to get off the beaten path (also known as US Interstate 10) for a little while.
I don't want to make that same mistake again.
As it sits right now, I'm going to try to shove off from Portland at zero-dark-thirty on Monday, May 27th. It's Memorial Day, so traffic should be minimal if I leave early enough.
When I drove from San Diego to Portland, I didn't have to put a lot of planning into the actual driving aspect of the trip. I drove from San Diego to my buddy Chris' house in the Bay Area, then on to Grant's Pass, Oregon and then to Portland. It was a distance, but the stops were pretty much known, as it was only a four day trip. This go-round, though, is a bit more protracted. I don't need to be in Pennsylvania until Thursday, June 20th. I'm going to have better than three weeks with which to make this drive, and I intend to exploit the Hell out of that timetable.
The trip will include stops at places I never thought I would see (Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore, for example), as well as stops along to the way to visit some old friends and family in places like Chattanooga, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky and Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. It's going to include stops in places for which the decision to stop there was no more involved than seeing that it was along the way. My itinerary has places like Florence, Montana and Sheridan, Wyoming on it. While it has a stop in Kansas City after leaving Sioux Falls, South Dakota, I may just "To Hell with it" and muscle on through to St. Louis before calling it a day.
What I'm most excited about, though, is that my Canon 5D is going to be riding shotgun. I'm not going to make the mistake of not stopping. I'm not going to make the mistake of not turning back to get a particular shot. I'm looking at this trip, in some respects, as a "bucket list" level endeavor, and I intend to get the most out of it.
I'm hoping to have some wi-fi along the way, and I'm guessing that any lodging will have, at least, that.. I don't plan on staying at the Marriott or the Hyatt. Places like "Uncle Cephus' Wagon Wheel Inn" will appease me nicely. If they've got wi-fi, all the better. If nothing else, I'll take the opportunity to get photos posted to Facebook and Flickr.
I'm also considering doing some sort of publication documenting the trip. I'll probably end up doing either a calendar or a book. Hell, I may just decide to do both. If I do them, they'll be made available for purchase and, seeing as my camera is now my meal ticket, I sure would appreciate some support there! It's going to be just me and Boo, my Inukshuk, finding our way across the country to the east coast, to a new life with new challenges.
So, in short, Portland has been good, but it's time to go. I'm fortunate to know some amazing people here, and I'll never forget them, their friendship or everything they did for the new guy in town who knew no one, and could find nothing.
But, as I look at the calendar, it's quite apparent to me.
It's becoming more and more evident to me just how picturesque the Pacific Northwest can be. Having driven the west coast from the Mexican border to Portland, and from Seattle to Vancouver, BC, I have to say that it's simply one of the most amazing areas along the west coast. And, come to think of it, I should probably just make the drive from Portland to Seattle, just so I can say I've knocked out the entire west coast.
I guess that's a separate issue, though.
I'd heard of a small town, just south of Eugene (which is about two hours south of Portland), called Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove is one of those small Americana-ish towns that make take a while to be found on a map, having a population which hovers right around 10,000. But Cottage Grove has a history. It was first settled in 1855, and went through not only a couple of name changes, but also a couple of location changes, until 1899.
It's also found its way into the hearts of Hollywood through the years. Scenes from the movie "Stand By Me" were filmed here in 1986, on the railroad tracks along what is now known as the Row River Trail:
DVD cover from "Stand By Me"...
Buster Keaton's "The General" was filled here in 1926. In 1997, the movie "Ricochet River" (yeah, me neither), starring Kate Hudson, was filmed here. And, perhaps far more famously, who can forget the final, climactic scene from that 1978 cinematic juggernaut of all things right and good with American youth, "Animal House":
What I came for, though, had nothing to do with the movies. I came here for covered bridges. Let's face it, covered bridges are damn near a photographer's wet dre... um, we really like them. They're a tangible link to the past and, let's be honest, they photograph really well. I've shot covered bridges from New Brunswick, Canada to Littleton, New Hampshire, to right here in Oregon, and I've always been happy with the results.
Before getting to any of the bridges, though, I drove along what's known as the Row River Trail. The Row River Trail is biking & hiking trail that runs around Dorena Lake. After I parked the truck, it was just a few steps to the shore of the lake, and some pretty fabulous photo ops:
Lake Dorena in Cottage Grove, Oregon...
Dorena Lake...
Everything's peaceful at 7:00am...
Dorena Lake...
One of the countless trees that's washed up on the shores of Dorena Lake...
After hiking around the lake for a little while (and giving the new Vasque's a mild workout), it was time to head back to the truck and go seek out the covered bridges. Cottage Grove has seven covered bridges in all, and I managed to track down four of them. In hindsight, I should've done a little more research, as I later learned that the remaining three were in pretty close proximity. Not all of the bridges are open to vehicular traffic, but you're still able to walk across them.
The first bridge I came up was the Dorena Covered Bridge, which was built in 1949. It's one of the ones opened to vehicular traffic, so I took advantage:
The Explorer on the Dorena Covered Bridge, which was built in 1949...
Dorena Covered Bridge...
The Dorena Covered Bridge...
Aside from being the longest of the bridges I would see, the Dorena Covered Bridge was also the widest, and by a fair margin. Being that it was built relatively late (1949), I can imagine that it was to accommodate increased logging traffic, at least until such time as the nearby concrete bridge was constructed.
As I drove in search of the next bridge, I was reminded of just how amazing this part of the country is, scenically speaking. It's truly an amazing thing:
The view along a portion of Row River Road...
The next bridge I found was the Stewart Bridge, which was constructed in 1930. The ol' gal just ain't what she used to be, apparently, so it's permanently closed to vehicular traffic. It's also really, really short:
Stewart Bridge, built in 1930...
Next up was the Mosby Creek Bridge. This bridge, like Dorena, is open to vehicular traffic. Unlike Dorena, though, it's very narrow, accommodating only one lane of traffic:
The Mosby Creek Bridge...
The single-lane Mosby Creek Bridge dates to 1920...
One thing that the Pacific Northwest is somewhat known for is its wildlife. Whether it's a bear or an eagle or a deer, there's no telling what you might see next.
Seriously, there's just no telling:
Wild turkeys near the Row River...
After driving to the point where I thought I might actually be a little lost, I saw another bridge off to my left. This was the Currin Bridge, which was originally built in 1883, but required reconstruction by the county in 1925:
The Currin Bridge. It's no longer open to vehicular traffic...
In retrospect, I think it would be possible to spend, easily, an entire day meandering around this part of Oregon. Much of what you see are things you didn't even know you were looking for. But it's all here and, if you've got a sunny day and a full tank of gas, there are worse ways to spend a Sunday...
Everyone's telling me that summer is the time to be in Portland but, I gotta' tell ya', the spring is proving to be pretty damn phenomenal.
This past Monday, I decided to take a drive. I knew some other local photographers had made their way east, out to Hood River, on Sunday, to shoot some fruit blooms and Mt. Hood. I was feeling a bit under the weather and opted out of that trip. Instead, I decided to head out on Monday.
In large part, this was a trip I've already made. I stopped at Multnomah Falls, and I was there in October of last year. I was going to be in the town of Hood River, and I was there just two months ago. Mount Hood? I've made that trip, too. Despite the fact that I'd already been to all of these places in the past, though, I felt drawn to visit them again, and I was going to visit them all in the same day.
My first stop actually wasn't planned at all, and I actually kind of like it that way. I've actually stopped here before to survey the view, but this is the first time I've ever actually gotten out of the truck:
A railroad bridge running along the eastbound lanes of I-84...
I walked around for about ten minutes or so, but convinced myself that there wasn't a whole lot else to see. Besides, I had other places to be. Where those other places were, though, had really yet to be determined.
My next stop was Rooster Rock State Park. I wasn't going to spend a lot of time here; I just wanted to see what kind of view I had of the mighty Columbia:
The Columbia River, as seen from Rooster Rock State Park...
I'm still trying to figure out the purpose behind these stairs...
There are always a lot of signs in an Oregon State Park...
Huh...
I decided to opt out of the nude recreation and, instead, decided to head to Multnomah Falls. Multnomah Falls is actually two waterfalls, just south of I-84. Even though I've shot these falls before, I couldn't help myself. You never know; maybe the falls would look different this time. Maybe they wouldn't. I just didn't want to chance it:
Multnomah Falls...
Multnomah Falls...
A stone bridge, with the upper falls visible in the background...
A small, crystal clear stream fed by the falls...
I actually drove right by the town of Hood River, as much of what I was intending to shoot actually laid far beyond it. My first stop was at The Gorge White House. It's the main house on a working farm. It was built in 1910, and has been on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The first floor operates as a retail establishment and wine tasting room. Seeing as I still had a whole bunch of driving in front of me, I didn't figure I should imbibe:
The Gorge White House, located just outside the Hood River town proper...
The Gorge White House...
They make wine out of whatever the Hell they're growing here...
This is true farmland out here and, to be completely honest, I was pretty surprised by the expanse of it all. It was yet another aspect of the Pacific Northwest that I was unaware of. And, hey, if there are old barns, it can't be all bad, right?
An old barn outside Hood River, Oregon...
An old red barn with a bit of an HDR treatment...
One thing I didn't do on this trip was use my GPS. As an aside, and for those of you who might be interested, I downloaded an app called GPS Drive/Motion X onto my iPhone, and it works pretty flawlessly. I could've used it on this trip, but the point of this trip wasn't to go to Point A, and then to Point B and then on to Point C. The point of this trip was to go wherever I ended up and, if I needed it, I could fire up the GPS to get home.
All I knew about being out here, based on some rudimentary maps I'd looked at, was that I had to make a right turn onto Toll Bridge Road. That's it. That's all I knew.
Not long after making that right hand turn, I passed over one of the countless rivers out here. I'm sure it has a name that I didn't notice, but I did pull over to do some shooting:
Looking upstream at 1/6 of a second...
As a photographer, I'm normally behind the camera. I would much rather be photographing someone else, or a bucolic mountain scene, than be in front of the camera. But, hey, I've got a rig that allows me to get in front of the lens, so why not take advantage of it?
My truck has turned into my constant travelling partner, complete with an Inukshuk, hanging from the rear view mirror, as a companion to help guarantee safe travels...
From this point, my intention of "going wherever I ended up" began to get real. From here, I could find my way back easily enough if I had to. But, between the on again/off again rain and the unfamiliar roads, I started thinking about that GPS. I'd decided that I was going to make the trek up to Mount Hood's Timberline Lodge. I wasn't sure at first but, after looking at the time, I decided it was a "go".
So, back to that GPS.
I swear I could hear the iPhone 4s laughing at me as it silently announced, in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, "SEARCHING".
Yes, there would be no GPS today.
As much as this is wilderness out here, the roads are pretty well marked, which was a big plus. Had they not been, I can remember at least two time when I would've made a wrong turn. Make a wrong turn out here, and it could be costly.
The last time I drove to Timberline Lodge, it was snowing pretty heavily. That was early December, though. Surely now, I surmised, in the middle of April; the dawn of a new spring, there would be no snow.
I surmised incorrectly:
Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood...
Yes, this is the middle of April...
It's a widely held misconception that Timberline Lodge was featured heavily in the movie "The Shining". In fact, there were only some aerial shots of the lodge at the beginning of the movie, and then some exterior footage for some establishing shots of the fictional Overlook Hotel throughout the movie. None of the movie was filmed inside the Timberline Lodge, which looks nothing like the fictional Overlook Hotel (which was actually inspired by the Stanley Hotel in Colorado).
All that notwithstanding, the Timberline Lodge is very, very cool. It was built between 1936 and 1938, so it's got that glitzy-glam meets rustic mountain man vibe goin' on. It can get a little spendy ($260.00 a night for a weekend night in May), but it's very cool.
So, instead of making weekend reservations, I opted to simply walk around and explore, which is definitely encouraged here. The last time I was here, I couldn't even find a parking spot. I was diggin' this.
The front entrance is pretty unimposing. In fact, the entire hotel is much smaller than I anticipated. Even still, it was a cool place to visit and shoot. The first thing you see when you walk in is a nice big fireplace, complete with a golden retriever:
I really wish I'd found out this dog's name...
I've gotten fond of Bloody Mary's over the last couple of years, and I've found that most places have their own special way of making it; a special flair particular to that bar. The Ram's Head Bar at Timberline Lodge is no different:
The Ram's Head Bloody Mary, with celery stalk, a massive green olive, a jalapeno pepper, an asparagus spear, a green bean, a lime wedge and salt around the rim. It was, in a word, ridiculous...
After "recharging", I did some more walking around. The great room which housed the bar (and a restaurant) had an enormous fireplace which went from floor to ceiling. It was massive and cool:
The massive stone fireplace in the main lounge at Timberline Lodge...
Just in case you end up wondering where you are in relation to other area landmarks. The last item says "SNOW DEPTH AVERAGE AT TIMBERLINE: 21 FEET"...
Everything about the Timberline Lodge is rustic and, well, old looking. I don't think a lot has changed in the last 75 years:
The main hallway after entering the lodge on the left...
This ping pong table dates from when the lodge first opened in 1938...
It's difficult to appreciate how much snow falls here. Looking out this window, you might be inclined to say "Well, that looks to be about three or four feet". You would be inclined to say that, though, only until you realized you were standing on the second floor:
You'd probably need a bigger shovel...
Across the parking lot from the Timberline is the Wyeast Day Lodge. This is where skiers and snowboarders, who aren't guests of the lodge, come to buy their lift tickets and relax between runs. As rustic as the Timberline is, this isn't:
The entrance to the Wyeast Day Lodge...
Inside Wyeast...
A couple watches skiers and snowboarders race past their window...
The first floor of Wyeast, where skiers and snowboarders can rent lockers, buy lift tickets, rent equipment, or get their own equipment adjusted...
I was really enjoying being able to finally explore Timberline, but the reality was that it was starting to get a bit later in the afternoon and, since I don't have tire chains or "traction tires", the last thing I wanted to do was head down the snow covered mountain while it was getting dark:
Tarry not...
The road down the mountain was, at best, only marginally safe. And, believe it or not, the Explorer even has a Dash-Cam:
As I got to the bottom of the mountain, I made a right. This would bring me full circle around the mountain. It was a long, long day, but an incredibly enjoyable one. And I just couldn't help pulling over for just a couple of more shots:
A roadside scene at the base of Mount Hood...
This has never happened before. Ever...
And, through it all, the trusty Ford Explorer. She's 14 years old now. I don't know when she's gonna' give up the ghost, but I hope it's no time soon. I still have a lot of drivin' to do...
