Sometimes life throws you little opportunities to totally nerd out. I happened to be in Oregon to inspect a vessel destined for the plant and booked a hotel in the town of Oregon City because it was halfway to my next shop visit. I was clueless but the evening walk to find sustenance turned into an exploratory hike (a minor miracle for me to delay calories). It was dark so I am stealing others pictures:
First, the Willamette Falls are the second largest by volume in the United States which feels like something I should have known. Then there are the locks, power plants from the 1880s, a salmon ladder, the defunct Blue Heron paper mill, a few other mills on their last legs, and even another elevator operated by a professional (this guy was not very interested in hearing about my office building). Finally, Oregon City was founded in 1829 and was the last stop on the Oregon Trail... it was almost too much for my poor heart.
I was too big of a chicken to hop the fence and take the self guided tour of the industrial ruins but developers now own the Blue Heron site and eventually the public will have access to the falls again. I am super curious to see if they can incorporate any of the existing buildings into the inevitable condos. If they get it right, it will easily rival Seattle's Gas Works Park for awesomeness.
Scouting for pictures brought me across Atlas Obscura's entry for the elevator. You can read more here but I also recommend checking the Atlas for random awesomeness in your own backyard.
First, the Willamette Falls are the second largest by volume in the United States which feels like something I should have known. Then there are the locks, power plants from the 1880s, a salmon ladder, the defunct Blue Heron paper mill, a few other mills on their last legs, and even another elevator operated by a professional (this guy was not very interested in hearing about my office building). Finally, Oregon City was founded in 1829 and was the last stop on the Oregon Trail... it was almost too much for my poor heart.
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| Sure, the newer one looks funny but at least you survive the ride. The original was water powered and took 3 minutes |
Scouting for pictures brought me across Atlas Obscura's entry for the elevator. You can read more here but I also recommend checking the Atlas for random awesomeness in your own backyard.