Independence Day

July 4, 2023

For Independence Day we decide to flip the script: Rachael goes off by herself to Oregon City on her bike, while I take a hike for the first time in awhile - since returning to Portland, really.

We didn’t exactly reverse the usual script though, which is that I take a modest bike ride while Rocky tackles a ridiculously long hike at nights speed. Today, she kept a fast pace while somehow stretching a 32 mile ride into 45; while I took my sweet time walking eight miles in somewhere between three and four hours.

Whatever. It’s the beginning of a hopefully brief heat wave and the day is supposed to top out at 100, so we both get an early start. Rachael’s out the door by eight, and I leave about 20 minutes later. My walk plan is a nine mile loop up into the west hills: through the Alphabet Blocks to Lower Macleay Park and the entrance to the Balch Creek Trail; up Balch Creek to its junction with the Wildwood Trail; follow the Wildwood past Pittock Mansion and the new Barbara Walker footbridge across Burnside, and then down through Washington Park past the Rose Garden.

My main goal of course is to keep an eye out for the birds, but besides that I especially want to see the colorful bridge across Burnside again and take a few photos, since Rachael for some reason didn’t post any from her walk up there last week.

I take my time walking through the neighborhoods, stopping for a shot of flowers here and there as well as for a good look at a huge oak ahead at the corner of 23rd and Overton. It should be a heritage tree I think, and I’m right: there’s a plaque on it describing it as an Oregon white oak. It’s heritage tree number 10, one of the first registered in the program. I’ve probably seen it before, and could confirm it if I took the time to wade through the posts from my Heritage Tree Quest from a few years back.

Older than Oregon! I wonder what it was called before Oregon was a thing.

None of the other shots along Overton made today’s final cut except for this one, because it tickled me to realize I’m looking at an Overton Window. I took it because of the flowers, but then spent the rest of the walk wondering if I was right in remembering the name for the term.

When I come to Lower Macleay Park I take a few minutes to admire the Balch Gulch Bridge that spans Balch Creek here. Built during the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition and World’s Trade Fair as a gateway to Portland’s developing Willamette Heights neighborhood, it’s the oldest intact bridge in the region. The bridge was badly deteriorating when it was rehabilitated nine years ago, but I miss the character of the way it was before then with its slimy wooden plank sidewalk and rotting, moss encrusted concrete posts.

The bridge uses a rare pin-connected deck truss design. I don’t remember seeing another bridge quite like it.

The shady, damp Balch Creek trail is always a delightful place for a walk and it’s the perfect place to be on a too hot full sun day. I’m not the only one with the brainstorm to think of this though, and the trail doesn’t have its usual secluded feel as trail runners regularly trot past, making a racket and scaring off any birds that might be around. Still, a great place to walk.

Oregon grape, morning glory and cottonwood fluff: a fitting alter piece for the Church of the Great Outdoors.

Another heritage tree, a soaring Douglas Fir. It’s so wonderful to have a haven like this just a few blocks from town. Thanks for the legacy, Olmsted Brothers!

The Stone House gets more colorful every time I pass by.

I haven’t seen any birds up close enough to get a real look at, though I hear some interesting sounds high up in the canopy. Then a walker headed downstream alerts me that there’s an owl across the creek just ahead. Excited but anxious I’ll miss it, I walk quickly but keep a constant eye across the creek hoping to see it before it flies off.

I know I’ve found it though when I come to a clutch of walkers staring across the creek with their cameras and binoculars out. It’s like seeing a moose in Yellowstone - you can find them by looking for the assembled crowds they’ve attracted.

It’s magnificent, and easily the highlight of the day. It’s a barred owl perched atop a snag, looking like he’s a part of it. He’s trying to sleep, but he keeps being buzzed by a pair of robins that would like him to take his nap elsewhere. Wonderful - I’ve never seen a barred owl in the wild, and didn’t really expect ever to.

He’d stay asleep I think if those pesky robins didn’t buzz right past his face.

A short distance later the trail intersects the Wildwood Trail, and soon it crosses Cornell and continues climbing but more steeply now up the opposite side of the gulch.

On a day like this, it’s no surprise that there’s a crowd assembled at Pittock Mansion, where the walk reaches its apex. They’re lined up taking in the expansive views to the east or admiring the mansion itself or taking their time walking along the manicured gardens. It really is a special spot and even on a quiet weekday there’s someone up here, so it’s to be expected.

What does surprise me though is the sky to the east, with the valleys blanketed in what looks like smoke. I hadn’t heard that there was a fire around, but there’s a significant one east of the gorge across the river from Hood River that just broke out two days ago. My first thought on seeing this is for the Branhams, who I know are biking this way down the gorge. Later I’ll read today’s post and see they’ve got a ringside seat for the firefighting activities just across the river from them. Hopefully their last stage of the tour isn’t too smoky tomorrow.

There’s an east wind blowing smoke in from the fire to the east today.

I take my time staring at the views before moving on. When I do, I’m transfixed by one spectacular exotic flower after another along the walkway.

Scarlet bee balm, a species of Bergamot.

Eringiym alpinum, aka Alpine sea holly and Queen of the Alps. What an astonishing color!

Leaving the mansion’s grounds I forget the plan for the day and just start walking down the hill toward town, weaving through the complicated maze of streets nd checking the map regularly to make sure I’m not losing my way and steering myself into a dead end. As I walk, a few bikers pass me climbing to the top, reminding me of the times I’ve done this climb myself and leaving me hoping it’s one I’ll be able to do gain someday.

What I’ve forgotten though is that I was supposed to bike further along the Wildwood Trail and have a look at the bridge across Burnside. I remember this about three blocks to the summit, but by then I feel committed. The day’s warming up, and even with the shelter of my red hat it’s starting to feel warm enough that it seems smarter to just keep dropping and get back to the apartment.

Hazy to the north too. Not so hazy that we can’t see Rainier over it’s shoulder though, which I hadn’t noticed until captioning this.

Just a song sparrow, I think. This one’s a little different though, with a deformed beak that’s a little crossed-over. We saw a grackle like this in Boulder City a few years back too. Is this a common bird deformity?

Minnie Opal heads an “eco-conscious clothing and accessory company”. I’ve got my red hat, so I feel pretty well accessorized already and just walk on.

A third heritage tree! This one’s a Dutch elm, on Johnson Street.

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2023 Bird List

162. Glaucous-winged gull

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2023 Bird List

163. Barred owl

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Bill ShaneyfeltGreat nature photos today! Especially, of course the owl!!
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1 year ago

Kelly IniguezI'd say nine miles is a pretty ambitious walk for the first time in how long? Good for you!
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltI was so thrilled by the owl. Good thing I had the right camera along!
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1 year ago