Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 2

Here's an even closer view of The World, taken as I stopped for a look from the sidewalk alongside the river. That is the Morrison Bridge in the background.



Leaves no doubt as to the name of the ship.



How many feet above my head is the deck? I don't know, but it looks pretty high up to me.



That's not a bottle of booze he's holding. It's plant refurbishment time while The World docked in Portland. Busy, busy times, I imagine for lots of those 270 crew members on board, whenever the ship is in a port.



A life boat.



Looking up at the decks with their balconies.



Wonder how large those letter are?



As I walked back towards the Hawthorne Bridge so that I could make my way back to work, I turned back for one more photo, this one showing the Portland Spirit and The World, both docked at the seawall. Also, you can see people in this photo, which gives you an even better idea of the difference in size of the two ships.

Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 1

The World docked on the west side of the Willamette River. I took these photos on June 16, 2009, when I walked across the Hawthorne Bridge on my lunch hour. I had seen the TV news story about the ship and knew that I'd be a total fool to miss the chance to see it for myself. The Portland Spirit, a local river cruise boat, is docked to the left of The World. And beyond the center of The World, you can see the 30-story Big Pink--it is about a mile away, walking.

Found this quote in the June 17 Oregonian, made by an acquaintance of mine, as well as a bit of interesting info about the ship:

"It's something I have to go take my camera and get a look at," said Dan Haneckow, a ship enthusiast from North Portland. "You just don't see very many big ships below the Steel Bridge anymore."

Haneckow was talking about the 665-foot ship described as a floating luxury condominium complex, which boasts a variety of restaurants, two pools, a tennis court and a running track, among other amenities. The ship's 140 residents and crew of about 270 are touring the Portland area and seeing sights such as Multnomah Falls and Mount St. Helens.

They're also leaving behind some cash. Travel experts predict the ship's stop might inject some extra life into the local economy. While the exact economic impact of the Portland stop was unclear Wednesday, the industry standard for spending by cruise ship passengers is $125 a couple per day.

Bruce Connor, vice president of Sundial Travel & Cruise Center, which helped arrange the local itinerary, said the passengers could easily spend three times that.



Well, you can certainly tell that is is a close-up shot, can't you?



Here's another look with three of the four bridges which had to lift for The World to dock here and which will have to lift when it turns and heads down river, north to the Columbia, and then west to the Pacific. The closest bridge is the Morrison Bridge, the two bridge supports you see through the Morrison Bridge are part of the Burnside Bridge, and the black two towers in the distance are part of the Steel Bridge. The bridge not visible here is the Broadway Bridge. There is a westward bend in the river which, at this perspective, situates the Broadway Bridge to the left of the Steel Bridge. The tiny bright blue boat is a Willamette Jetboat, one that people pay to ride on, see the sights, get all wet. All that motion, turning, speed--not for me.



I took this photo from the 5th floor rooftop garden of my work building which is on the east side of the Willamette River. Remember, The World is docked on the west side of the river; my work building is five city blocks from the river--I don't know the distance in feet.



Here's that jet boat, speeding away after providing its passengers with a close up look at The World. They must've felt like flies on an elephant, size-wise.

Come back tomorrow for some photos I took as I walked alongside the sea wall, right beside The World. And the next day for photos which I got up very early to take on my way to work, well out of my way to work but on purpose. You'll understand when you see them.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 15, July 3, 2014 - blues on the river with a Delta Music Experience Blues Cruise

Not my cup of tea--yet. Maybe one of these years I'll get brave enough to go on a Blues Cruise during the blues fest. Looks like a lot of fun, but I'm not too sure about being on the water when someone I do not know personally is in charge of the vessel. I think that's the Portland Spirit heading south on the Willamette River. 713 p.m. Folks board just north of the Hawthorne Bridge, a portion of which you can see on the left of the photo. That brick building in the distance, visible above I-5, is the Multnomah Building--I work on the third floor facing the river.

Seen in conjunction with The Big Float, No. 4

All of a sudden, this Multnomah County Sheriff's Office boat took off to my left. I looked and saw a personal boat tootling along near the river wall, seemingly not paying any attention to how close it was getting to the dock for the Portland Spirit excursion boat which was approaching. I don't know if that person driving that personal boat had no peripheral vision or if his boat's motor was really loud, but he acted like he had no idea the large excursion boat was nearby and coming toward him. I also don't know if he was still able to be seen by the pilot of the Portland Spirit.
 

Here is a shot with all three boats in it. And a goose.
 

I'll bet the Portland Spirit pilot knows what's happening now.
 

Here it appears that the River Patrol deputy is talking with the people in the personal boat.
 

Sheriff's escort? Looks like it to me. I kept watching and the River Patrol boat broke off not long after I took this photo. The personal boat continued across the river and I soon looked elsewhere. Thanks to the quick action of the River Patrol boat, I didn't see a terrible wreck. And, no, I don't know if that is the same goose from that earlier photo.

Busy river last Wednesday, June 4, 2008

From the Hawthorne Bridge, left to right, the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain. Behind them you see the Portland Spirit.


The raised Hawthorne Bridge allows both tall ships to pass beneath it, going south on the Willamette River, on their way to the mock battle. You can see the Riverplace Marina to the right of the tall ships.


Before I walked past the marina, I took this photo which shows a portion of the Marquam Bridge with the Ross Island Bridge in the background.


The Portland Spirit and the dragon boat I had been watching earlier.


Beyond the Marquam Bridge, the Hawaiian Chieftain cannon fires as dragon boats practice nearby.


The Willamette got really busy. You can see the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in the background, too.




Looks like the Sternwheeler Rose got a bit too close for the Hawaiian Chieftain.






A sailor works on the cannon.




The Willamette Jetboat distracted me from the mock battle.




The ships must have turned around not too long after I took this photo of them close by the Ross Island Bridge. It doesn't open, so they would have had to do that and return to their moorings, after passing underneath the raised Hawthorne Bridge once more.

Oops! I almost forgot the Burnside Bridge!

When I said come back today for the Steel Bridge, I got ahead of myself going north. I jumped right over the Burnside Bridge. I took this photo from the west side of the Willamette River, looking south. I took these photos on Saturday, Dec. 8, while out and about.




Wikipedia: The Burnside Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The bridge opened on May 28, 1926 at a final cost of $4.5 million (including approaches). It is the only Willamette River bridge in Portland that was designed with input from an architect. This led to the Italian Renaissance towers and decorative metal railing. ... Electric streetcar tracks were removed in the 1940s. In 1995 one of the six lanes was removed to accommodate new bicycle lanes. From March until November of 2002 the bridge went through a $2.1 million seismic retrofit, making it the first bridge operated by Multnomah County to receive earthquake protection. The bridge is currently under construction in order to replace the deck. The electric streetcar tracks, removed in the 1940s, are now visible again. This project is budgeted at $9 million and scheduled to be complete in late 2007.

The Burnside Bridge renovation was the subject of my first CDPB post on Sept. 1, 2007.



While lowered this span is normally 64 ft (20 m) above the river. The deck is made of concrete, which factors in it being one of the heaviest bascule bridges in the United States. The counterweights, housed inside the two piers, weigh 1,700 tons. The lifting is normally controlled by the Hawthorne Bridge operator, but an operator mans the west tower during high river levels.


Here's another tour boat, the Portland Spirit, cruising beneath the Burnside Bridge. Read all about it here.


I've been seeing seagulls in Portland since October, 2006. Maybe it was because when we moved to the Northwest Hills, I had to cross the river twice a day to get to work.