#7, Hawthorne Bridge, focus on the circle between the eastbound & the westbound ramps and/or the intersections of the ramps with the surface streets

I look outside on November 17.


At first I didn't see anything other than lots and lots of black cylinders, tossed everywhere on the green grass in the circle.


Then I saw these three men, working at gathering what turned out to be black pots. It makes sense to plant as much as possible on a slope, in addition to the trees which had been planted days before. Hopefully the roots will soon grab hold of the freshly placed dirt and remove the chance that it will erode during Portland's wet winter. You can see the gray-colored path the men made, walking back and forth from their white trailer parked on SE MLK to the bottom of the slope. It says Valley Growers on the side of the trailer.


They or some other nurserymen returned at some other point and planted even more on the slope which goes up to the westbound bridge ramp, on the right of the photo where the dirt is bare. Notice the puddle beside the pile of rocks near the bottom edge of the fall foliage? There is a pretty-good-size pipe resting on the rocks. Your view of it is blocked by the man stacking black pots together, but you can see it in the photo above this one. I am assuming that is the drain for at least one of the several small-box-culvert-looking drain devices built at intervals into the curb--you can see one at the bottom right corner. I believe that bale of hay helps slow down the flow of water which enters through oval-shaped hole in the curb.

#1, Cyclocross at Alpenrose, Sunday, October 2, 2011

A friend of my sons' rides and carries her bicycle in cyclocross events. Lamont took me to see one on a recent cool, rainy, muddy afternoon. From the moment we turned into the paved road that led to the non-paved parking area, I knew we were at a major event. The place was packed with vehicles of all sorts. Finally we found a spot which Lamont assured me he would remember and walked to stand on a sidewalk in the middle of what must usually be a paved parking area beside the Alpenrose Velodrome. Lamont texted his friends so that we could find them so that we could watch together. I had my rain poncho on, my camera hanging around my neck beneath it. Ready. Set. Go.

We ended up waiting at an opening in the tape that delineated the race path until competitors had passed so that we could get a good view spot. I had a real good time. Here are a few favorite photos.


Here she comes, on the left riding the bike with the pink front fork.


There she goes, around a curve that quickly changes into a straight away on a steep slope.


This shot gives you a pretty good idea of the angle involved in this section of the race.


Lots of riders, men and women slid onto their left sides and then had to get up and walk their bikes on this slope. Other decided just before getting to the slope to hop off and carry their bikes.


She's up and about to walk until she can get on her bike again. I want to find out where that man in the black shirt got his copper-colored cowbell!


However, I do not want to find out where this man in black got his teensy black cowbell. The other man's reminds me of my cowbell-ringing days as an undergraduate at Mississippi State University. Love the sound of thousands of clanking, clanging cowbells on a Saturday afternoon. Love it!