Homework

A fabulous image of San Francisco with the moon in the foreground.

I’ve been doing my homework in preparation for the Great Oregon Bridge Adventure.

On my first excursion to Portland, last August, i arrived virtually tabula rasa, knowing only that i’d spotted some very interesting looking bridges as i’d raced through at top speed on the Interstate on the way home from an abortive attempt to reach Vancouver a couple of years before.  Well, i’d also talked with a former Portlander who’d told me that the city was full of excellent bridges.  That was it.

In fact, my previous Portland trip followed the pattern of all my road trips.  Just get in the car and start driving.  Stop when you see something interesting or need to look for someplace to spend the night.  The advantage there being that you get to see things that are not on the usual tourist agenda.  It came clear to me after i returned from Portland and was assembling the photo essay on Portland’s Bridges that there was a downside, that if i’d only done some preparatory reading and planning, i could have accomplished a lot more and still have had just as much fun.

This time, i’ve never made so many reservations in my life: the University Place Hotel, the Seven Bridge ride in the Bridge Pedal, and a Portland Spirit river cruise focusing on the bridges.  So i’ll be photographing the bridges from land, as i ride over them, and from the water.  Next year, i’ll arrange to be dangled from a drone.

Not only that, but i’ve also done a bit of research and have found a couple places in Portland i want to see if i have extra energy, things that have nothing to do with bridges.

And of course i’ll be gorging every night at Baan Thai, the little Thai restaurant on Broadway that’s second only to Basil in San Francisco.

So far, i have only one complaint:  the least those damn Greenpeacers could have done would have been to wait until i got there for their protest so i could photograph them hanging off the St. Johns Bridge.

Meanwhile, the bluebird of happiness has alit at Market and Van Ness.  Umm, that’s “Bird Song 3” by Joshua Coffy

Stay tuned for posts about my adventures.  I start tomorrow morning.