Birth of a Bridge

I'm a civil engineer who works for the local transportation bureau.  Although my job consists of designing streets and sidewalks, I occasionally get an interesting, unique assignment.

Our transit agency has an extensive network of light rail tracks that's ever expanding.  Their current project includes building a new bridge across the Willamette River in downtown Portland.  As one of the local agency review engineers, I had a small role in the preliminary design phase of this bridge.  Now that construction is underway, I sometimes get opportunities to tour the construction site.  Is there anything cooler than watching a bridge being built? (Especially to a nerdy civil engineer!)

Towers rising out of the river

Construction started in the summer of 2011.  To build the bridge piers, giant cofferdams were placed in the river, the water pumped out, and huge shafts drilled into the river bottom.  Filled with concrete, these became the foundations.  Then, throughout the year, two towers slowly rose out of the water.

West tower

These photos are from September 2012.  The tower near the west shore was nearly 2/3 complete.

Tower close-up

A close up of the west tower.  Look at the long staircase workers must climb to reach the top!

Concrete pour from the workbridge

For access from shore, a sturdy workbridge was built.  This enables delivery of construction materials to the work area and easy access for the workers.  Concrete trucks can drive very close to the towers.  The long green arm is a pump that gets the concrete up to the work platform.  As you can imagine, it takes a lot of concrete to build a bridge of this size.

Towers on the east shore

A look at the east tower.  Not very far along at this point.  The green rectangles you see are rebar cages that form the skeleton of the towers.  Forms will be placed around the rebar and the cage will be filled with concrete.  As you can see, there's a workbridge on this side of the river too.  Cranes balanced on huge barges do the heavy lifting.

We engineers love this stuff!

Some facts:  This will be a cable-stayed suspension bridge.  When completed, the bridge will serve light rail trains, streetcar, buses, pedestrians and bicycles, but no private autos will be allowed.  It will be approximately 1,720 feet in length, and the towers will each be 180 feet high.  It's the first new bridge built across the Willamette River in nearly 40 years.

A year later.....

Fast forward to November 2013.  Not only are both towers at full height, but the concrete bridge decks, anchored by long cables, extend from both sides of each tower.  The abutments on both shores are well under construction, and the bridge decks are getting ever closer to reaching land.

Form traveler on the west end

Last week, I got another opportunity to visit the construction site.  Not only that, I was able to go up on the bridge itself!  Not many people are allowed to get so close.

This shot is two photos stitched together.  It shows the form traveler on the west end of the deck.  The deck is built outward in both directions from the towers, keeping each side in balance.  The form traveler moves with the extension of the deck.  As construction progresses, cables are cast into the deck's underside.

Underside of the west tower

I think this is an interesting view of the bridge's underside.  A lot sure has happened in a year!

The decks are getting closer...

Eventually the deck will touch the abutments on each side of the river.  And the other ends will meet in the middle of the river.  In this photo, it looks as though the decks are getting close to touching, but I'm told this closure won't happen until next May.

Soon they will meet!

Here's a view of the deck's underside, suspended over the river.  I think it's so amazing that a bunch of steel cables can hold up so much concrete!

I see the cables up close and personal

This is my view from the bridge deck.  Is this awesome or what?  Each of these white pipes house over thirty individual steel cables.  The cables run through a hole in the tower, and are cast into the bottom of the deck on both sides.

View from center span

Walking in the middle of the deck, where the future tracks will be laid, gives you an idea of the huge scale of such a structure.  Tracks will be located in the center of the bridge, and each outer side will have a wide path for bikes and pedestrians.  In the future, it will be great to walk across this bridge and take in the city and river views.  Someplace to bring my camera, that's for sure!

Cables radiating out from the tower

It's fun to see a project move from words in meetings, to lines on a plan sheet, to an actual steel and concrete structure.  Scheduled for completion in late 2014, I can't wait to tour the finished product.

For more information, check out the transit agency's website.



Sharing with:  52 Photos Project and Weekly Top Shot.

Larch Madness

It all began with a trip report I read on the Portland Hikers website.

Lovely Western Larch

During lunch breaks at work I like to read through hiking reports on this site.  You get good information on wildflower blooms, trail conditions, and most recently, where fall colors are peaking.  One day I came across a post that described an beautiful hike from Lookout Mountain to the Flag Point Lookout Tower.  It included some amazing photos of the Western larch trees in full fall color.  One photo in particular caught my attention.  It was a shot taken from the lookout's top perch, of a green forest, intermixed with golden yellow larch trees.  To top it off, Mt. Hood, white and regal, anchored the horizon.  

My trail for today

Okay, now I just had to go there!  I wanted to get that same shot for myself.  Checking the weather forecast for the upcoming weekend, I discovered our nice sunny dry month of October was due to turn cold and rainy by Friday afternoon.  That wouldn't bode well for views.  Knowing I had a couple extra vacation days yet to burn, I knew there was but one thing to do - take a weekday "mental health," work hooky, hiking day!

Mt. Hood peek-a-boo

For those that have never heard of the larch, it's the only cone-bearing conifer that loses it's leaves in the fall.  Or rather, loses its needles.  And before the needles drop, they turn a stunning yellow-gold.  Many different species of larch trees grow throughout the US, but only two are found in the Pacific Northwest.  Of the two, the Western larch is the only species native to Oregon.

Hood's grand view from Lookout Mtn

Closest to Portland, Western larches are found east of Mt. Hood, near the Badger Creek Wilderness.  This area, in the rain shadow of the Cascade range, has a drier climate, conducive to hemlock, Ponderosa Pine, and of course, the larch.

Eastern Oregon view from Lookout Mtn

So on a cold, but sunny Thursday morning, I packed my car and headed east for the long drive to the Lookout Mountain Trailhead.  It had been many years since I'd hiked this trail, so after meandering down a bumpy gravel Forest Service Road, I came to a meadow that I thought was the trailhead.  After parking my car in a nearby pullout and putting on my boots, I was ready for some larch hunting!

No flowers - just these puffy pods

But where exactly was the trail?  I thought it was somewhere close by.  I wandered through the meadow until I finally stumbled upon a path worn into the grass.  Following it up through a forest of hemlock and gnarly whitebark pines, I wasn't sure it was the right way until I spotted Mt. Hood peeping through a gap in the trees.

Trail junction

I climbed steadily up through the woods.  Although at the trailhead temps had been frosty, I was soon shedding layers.  As the forest began to thin, I was treated to some grand views of my favorite mountain.  Just over a mile later, I was trudging up the rocky slope of Lookout Mountain.

Still some fall colors on the forest floor

In the summer, Lookout Mountain's summit is overrun with a colorful riot of wildflowers.  But in the fall, it's just a bare rocky summit, the foundations of a long-ago fire lookout the only thing of interest.  But - oh - the views!  Mt. Hood is front and center, filling the western sky.  To the north, Mts Adams, Rainer, and St. Helens line the horizon.  And to the south, Mt. Jefferson juts up from the surrounding hills.  And to the east, I was pleased to see the dark green forests spotted with splashes of golden larch.

Mottled huckleberry leaves

Time to find some more larch trees!  From Lookout Mountain's summit, I followed the Divide Trail as it dove steeply downhill, through another area of dense woods.  Although there wasn't a lot of fall colors to see as I passed by, there was still some nice yellow huckleberry bushes on the forest floor.

Palisade Point

After descending quite a bit of elevation (that I realized I'd need to regain on my return) I began climbing again.  Topping out, I came upon the rocky ledges of Palisade Point. 

Flag Point lookout is barely visible

Standing on the cliff's edge, I could see for miles back towards Mt. Hood.  Looking to the south, I was pleased to see the adjacent hills had a high concentration of golden orange larch trees brightening up the green hills.  And way in the distance, barely visible on the next ridge, was the fire lookout tower at Flag Point (it's just to the left of center on the above photo).  My destination.

Larch sighting

Continuing on the Divide Trail, I began to enter larch-land.  First one, then two, and finally I spotted several trees sporting golden orange.  A lovely sight to behold! 

Extreme close-up

However, I noted that most of the trees were past their prime - at peak color the larch are more of a yellow-gold.  And the forest floor was already littered with needles that had dropped from the trees.  Good thing I didn't wait much longer, I would've missed the entire show.

Flag Point Lookout

The Divide Trail eventually intersected with an old road.  Following the road another 3/4 mile took me to my destination - Flag Point and it's fire lookout tower.

View east from the tower base

The place was deserted.  Although the tower is manned during the summer, by late October, the place gets closed up for the winter months.  The view eastward from the tower's base was pretty incredible.  I could see all the way to the brown plains of Central Oregon, and the wooded hills between.  Judging by the amount of orange interspersed with the green, those forests were definitely larch country.

Let's climb up!

But I longed to get my Mt. Hood shot.  Only one way to get it - climb up that tower!  Although the living quarters on the very top were locked tight, the ladder was still open all the way to the door.  Leaving my backpack by the tower's base, I stepped onto the first rung.

The coveted shot

Yeah, the tower was high.  And, yeah, the ladder was a tiny bit rickety.  But once I reached the highest point, all was forgotten.  I was rewarded with a magnificent view of Mt. Hood and the surrounding forest.  This was the shot I'd come to capture.

Jaw-dropping Hood view

And capture I did!  Although the larch trees were not as golden as in the photos I'd seen online, it was still a pretty darn nice scene.  And I'd picked the perfect day to come.  The weather was clear and sunny.  Mt. Hood was lit up perfectly against a brilliant blue sky.

And the bathroom was open!

After shooting a gazillion images, I finally tore myself away from the high perch and returned to earth.  After a quick lunch at the tower's base, I was getting ready to head back, when I spotted the nearby outhouse.  Although I don't mind hiding behind a tree to do my business, I'll always chose a sit-down potty first.  I was happy to find this one unlocked and - BONUS - it even had toilet paper!  The caretaker had thoughtfully protected the TP in a large ziplock bag.  I was so tickled I just had to take a photo (yes, I'm weird like that!)

Larch trees decorate the forest

Tummy full, and bladder empty, it was time to hit the trail.  I retraced my steps down the road, back to the Divide Trail.  Back through the larch forest, the afternoon light illuminated the trees a rich orange color.  And a break in the forest gave me a final parting glimpse towards the east.

Gnarled ghost trees

Back at the Palisades, some gnarled old trees caught my camera's attention.  For some reason, I missed them when I'd passed by earlier.  I took one final look towards Flag Point and the tiny lookout tower silhouetted against the sky.  It now seemed so far away - hard to believe I had just hiked there.

Golden needles

One little larch tree then caught my attention.  Unlike the others, this one lagged behind in the fall change.  It's needles were a splendid golden yellow.  A fitting end to my hunt, I happily shot a few images to memorialize the find. 

I'm glad I was able to get out on one of the last nice fall days, and see the grand larch trees before their fall color was completely gone.  This is one trip I'm putting on next year's calendar - but just a little bit earlier.

Stats for the day:  11.5 miles, 1600' elevation gain.


Sharing with:  Sweet Shot Tuesday.

'Round Coldwater Lake

There is no place more fascinating to hike than the area around Mt. St. Helens.  The 1980 eruption forever changed the adjacent landscape.  There's always something unusual to discover.

Morning on Coldwater Lake

Last fall I had a fabulous hike across the north side of nearby Coldwater Lake (read about it here).  The autumn colors were superb, the scenery incredible.  I knew I had to return.  So one Sunday in mid-October, I did just that, convincing my friends Young and John to join me.

Amazing fall color reflections

This time I wanted to traverse the entire lakeshore.  I'd studied maps, and discovered a series of trails that would get you around the whole thing. 

We began in a thick forest

My friends and I set out on a foggy autumn morning.  Climbing towards Mt. St. Helens, we broke out of the clouds into lovely bright sunshine.  Making a quick potty stop at the Coldwater Lake boat dock, Young and walked down to check out the lake.  Oh was it ever pretty!  The trees along the north shore were in full fall regalia, reflecting perfectly on the lake's calm waters.  Photo ops began early that day.

Shadows

Then we drove to the nearby South Coldwater Trailhead.  This was to be the starting point for today's journey.

The higher we climbed, the better the views

Our trail began in a thick forest.  Although many trees were bare, a few still sported bright yellow leaves.  My friends and I climbed steadily, gaining elevation fast, until we found ourselves on top of the south ridge overlooking Coldwater Lake.

One of the many amazing lake overlooks

The ridge itself was bare, scoured of trees from the 1980 eruption.  When Mt. St. Helens blew its top, hot gases and debris flew northward, obliterating everything in its path.  The summit slumped and slid into the Toutle River valley, damming Coldwater Creek, which created the beautiful lake we were hiking around today.

Logging equipment damaged by the eruption

Topping out in elevation, our trail now meandered across the south ridge above Coldwater Lake.  The lack of tall vegetation provided long-distance views of the nearby denuded mountains.

The hillsides are still littered with blown over trees

Then my buddies and I came upon a rusting hulk of machinery, half buried in the soil.  It was some type of logging equipment.  Prior to the eruption, companies had been harvesting trees in the adjacent hills, and this machine apparently got caught in the blast.  The twisted metal, and cab buried up to the steering wheel were eerie sights to behold.

Weathered tree stumps

Continuing our trek across the ridge, the lake views just kept getting better.  Young and I stopped frequently to capture some great scene that caught our eye.  Poor John.  With all our stops, he was probably thinking we'd never finish this trail!

More buried logging equipment

We passed by another piece of logging equipment, mangled and buried.  Another somber reminder of the devastation from that fateful day.

Fabulous vistas!

Heading towards the lake's east side, it was fun to stop and see how our perspectives kept changing.  Coldwater Lake is a long, skinny body of water, four miles in length.  The surrounding hills rise up steeply from its shores.  It's east end is anchored by a wall of mountains, Minnie Peak, Coldwater Peak, Mt. Margaret, and Mt. Whittier

Huckleberry bushes turn a variety of colors

Towards to the east end, we came upon some great areas of fall color.  Huckleberry bushes had established themselves nicely on the barren slopes, and were turning a variety of fall shades.  Against stark gray stumps of the fallen trees, they created a stunning scene.

Upended bulldozer at "tractor junction"

Approaching the point where three trails met, my hiking book referred to it as "tractor junction."  Passing by an upended bulldozer covered in vegetation made me realize why.

Obligatory trailsign photo

Our ridge run now finished, it was time to descend down to Coldwater Lake's eastern inlet and connect with the Lakes Trail.

Big stump photo op

But not before a group photo atop a huge old stump (see how well we color coordinated!)

The peaks at the east end of Coldwater Lake

Our path descended into dense, brushy woods.  It was a crude muddy trail, sometimes nearly disappearing in the tall vegetation (apparently this trail doesn't get much use).   Whoever was unlucky enough to be in the lead had the pleasure of walking into numerous spiderwebs strung across our path.  (Eewwwww.....especially when they hit your face!)  Young and I took turns being the "web-breaker," swinging our trekking poles in front of us, hoping to catch them all.

Hangin' out on the bridge (photo by Young)

It was steep, brushy, muddy descent for a long two miles.  Way past lunchtime, my friends and I promised each other we'd stop for a refueling break at the bottom.  There was a scenic wooden footbridge crossing the lake's inlet that made a nice stopping point.  This was my turnaround from last year's hike, when I explored the trail along the northern shore.

Toad supermodel

Finally the bridge came into view.  A most welcome sight!  Young, John and I found a nice lunch spot atop a huge rocky cliff overlooking the bridge.  When you're walking all morning, peanut butter and jelly bagels taste fabulous.

Picture-perfect reflections at the east end

Our bellies full and happy, Young and I started out along the Lakes trail, which would follow Coldwater Lake's northern shore.  The same trail I'd hiked last year, I was now on familiar ground.  We trekked by the marshy eastern end, complete with a huge beaver dam.  Then Young spied a large toad sitting smack dab in the middle of our trail.  Excited, we pulled out the cameras, and began clicking, getting closer and closer to our new amphibious friend.  The toad never flinched once, even when we were nearly on top of him.  It was like he was used to being photographed (maybe we'd found a toad supermodel!)

Return trail on the opposite shore

Our photo session finished, Young had to nudge the toad off of the trail.  We didn't want him to be stepped on by another hiker.  Our journey then continued, around the east end, until we could look back and see the adjacent mountains reflecting in the lake.  Another fine photo op!

Looking back to where we'd been

The hour was running late, and John reminded us girls he didn't want to be stuck on the trail after dark.  It was time to turn on the afterburner.  With still nearly four miles to go, our photography sessions became less frequent.  But with many trees sporting lovely colors, I still managed to find time for a couple quick stops along the way.

Golden ferns

Near the lake's western shore was a boat dock.  Although Coldwater Lake is a large body of water, only non-motorized boats are allowed.  We glimpsed a few fisherman bobbing in their float tubes in the blue water.  About a mile from the dock, Mt. St. Helens began to peep out over the southern ridge.  Who can pass up a photo op such as this?

MSH makes an appearance over the ridge

With a sigh of relief, my friends and I came upon the boat dock parking area.  Yahoo - there were bathrooms here (when you've been trekking in the woods, always a welcome sight!)  But our trip was not over yet.  We'd parked in the South Coldwater Trailhead, which was another 1.3 miles down the road.  After a quick potty break, Young, John and I shouldered our packs for the final leg of our journey.

Snow-capped Mt. St. Helens

After hiking in the woods, it's a big bummer to be walking down the side of a paved road.  But we managed to cover the distance.  John's pickup sitting in the parking lot was a welcome sight indeed.

John had a surprise for me.  In the back of his truck was a cooler containing two growlers of beer.  He also pulled out a huge bag of Kettle chips.  We sat in the parking lot, enjoying cold beer and salty potato chips.  There is nothing that tastes better after a long hike.  A perfect end to an awesome day!

Stats:  12 miles and 2000 feet elevation gain.  Coldwater Lake is a beautiful place to visit, especially in the fall.  I think this hike will become an annual tradition.


Sharing with:  Weekend Reflections and the 52 Photos Project  and Weekly Top Shot.