Old Highway 30 Historic Columbia River State Trail.

night shot from the top of the stairs

    Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail in Oregon is broken into two distinct sections 5-7 miles each one way. They are separated by about 20 minutes of interstate driving. The more known section seems to be the Twin Tunnels section from Hood River to Mosier.  Cascade Locks, passing by Bonneville Dam, to Moffett Creek is the less known. Both sections are for non-motorized use only and offer a safe riding experience for families. The adventurous can add wonderful sections by continuing on Old Highway 30 with the rest of the world in their cars.

    This post is focused on the  Cascade Locks section that is the more westerly section. Cascade Locks to Moffett creek section one will find themselves in a lush wet environment.  Surrounded by fir trees, banana slugs, ferns, and if you stop too long moss will grow on you. You are never far away from the new I-84 interstate. I believe the frequent rain and the road noise may be the contributing factors that make the dry Mark O'Hatfield section to Mosier Twin Tunnels more popular. However if you have good weather this section offers some amazing biological diversity and modern engineering.
    You can access the trail at Moffett Creek (construction on this end may have improved access), Bonneville Dam (restrooms), Eagle Creek Fish Hatchery (restrooms), and Cascade Locks (ice cream at Big Winds). We started at Cascade Locks and went west to Bonneville Dam. At which point the kids stayed with mom and played while I rode back to retrieve the car.

    The climbs are moderate and the road crossings are clearly marked. Be warned the hardest part is just after Eagle Creek when you are about to go over the tunnel on I-84. I was surprised when confronted with 4-5 flights of stairs.

   Eagle Creek Fish Hatchery offers views of Fall Chinook returning to the hatchery. All you have to do is unclip and look over the bridge. If you missed the run head to the dam. Bonneville Dam is one of our favorite break the drive to Portland locations. Here at the dam you can tour the power plant, feed giant rainbow trout, get close to a 8-9 foot sturgeon, or even watch fish get stripped of roe and put on ice for the fish bank (food service). I would rather buy a fresh caught salmon from the Tribal vendors at the Cascade Locks parking area and possibly some huckle berries too.

  Time in the saddle 1-2 hours with kids exploring or 20-30 minutes if you are riding it to get the shuttle ASAP.

6/15/12 wedding at the Columbia Gorge Hotel. It finally felt like summer here in the gorge with some warm weather and no wind. However the bride and groom from Orlando Florida thought it was rather cool.

     I took this shot a few weeks ago and put it on facebook but really wanted to visit it again here on the blog. There is a lot going on in this picture but I will let the image speak for itself..

A couple of PDX Portland Engagement sessions

    I had an amazing time shooting a couple of engagement sessions today. I have some fun shots of the Portland Fire Station but have to keep them hidden from request of the fire department. I will ask to see if I can show a few because they are so cute.

   The after dark portraits are always a blast when I get to start playing with the light. Getting the white balance dialed with gels, video lights and strobes always take a minute but when done right the fill light looks natural.

Bonneville Dam Tour.

  After school field trip to the Bonneville Dam tour. I have been to the Oregon visitor center many times but never made it to the Washington visitor center. It has been a number of years since I drove the dam across from Washington to Oregon. So with the local connection it was a real treat to drive the kids over the dam today.

Nothing Like Encouraging The Kids to Play Hookie and GO to the Beach

Skipping out of town (Hood River) on Friday to beat the heat and the weekend crowds. I felt like Mr. McGee and His Dog Dee going on a camping spree. Now that we have our little dog PIP. We hitched up the TDI with kids in tow to capture some monsters at Cannon Beach. Ecola State Park surfing spot offered the best wind protected beach. Among the large drift wood trees and creek is where I found these "MONSTERS at THE BEACH".

Riding the syncline self portrait

  I took a breather on my ride today to take some shots. It is always fun to take a self portrait with minimal gear. A rock or stack of several becomes the tripod. No remote trigger makes for some creative 20 second posing counts.
  It was a great ride up the syncline on the Maui trail. I finally rode up with out dabbing. That one rock section was just dry enough to give up and allow me to climb clean. Thanks to watching "biker bar mustache Andrew" show me the line, last time I was out.

Present for the Kids.

     I finally had a moment to go through  some images for my own kids. I made them a "Little Kiss" Album. These are cute 4"x4" albums by Kiss. These albums caught my attention because of the photo quality (not a print press) and simple leather covers. Not to mention the price point is very nice as well. These are a few of my favorite moments over the past 6 years of being a Father. The albums came in the mail and the kids love each having their own book that is uniquely about them.