St Patrick's Day Walkabout

OHSU has a tram that travels from the main hospital campus to their waterfront campus about a mile or so down the hill. For the fun of it Ron and I decided (well I decided, he just went along with it!) to try to walk from the hospital down the hill to the tram station below.

Tram View

I knew a trail from Terwilliger Blvd. that cuts down the hill to Barbur Blvd. The path looks like someone's driveway and literally the trail passes between their house and garage. I only knew it was the official trail because of the signage. It was like walking into someones yard. I should have gotten a pic of the house and trail, but a path/drive way one will have to do.

SW1 Trail
SW1 Trail
Sorry, blurry.
SW1 Trail

The trail continues down along some fence lines to a small road just above Barbur Blvd. A short stairway drops us onto the blvd.
SW1 Trail
SW1 Trail

There are three major roadways between us and our destination. Two are busy 5 lane roads and one is a freeway. The first road, Barbur blvd., has a crosswalk with a pedestrian island in the middle to aid crossing. The second road, Naito Parkway, has pedestrian tunnel that crosses underneath, and the freeway has a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the top.
Ron on the pedestrian bridge over I-5


South waterfront

South waterfront

From the bridge you can take the elevator or the stairs down the last bit of hillside to the South Tram station. The elevator is that tall, narrow structure in the background.

OHSU St Patrick day walk
The tram doesn't usually run on Sundays, but it was running on St. Patricks Day, and as an added bonus it was free! There was some talk of walking back to the hospital, but we came to our senses and took the tram back up the hill.

Tram
Just a couple more pics from the day:
OHSU St Patrick day walk


Caught this fellow red handed...
Untitled
Daughter's update: Day 6 and doing well.


Comments

  1. RichardM3/26/13, 10:20 PM

    Thank you for the update, I was wondering how your daughter was doing.

    A year and a half ago, we had a reunion in Portland and one of the activities was a 4T walk. We started in downtown and took the Train to the Zoo, we then walked on a Trail from there to the OHSU, then the Tram to the bottom and finally a Trolley back downtown. It was a great way to spend the morning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bluekat3/27/13, 12:10 AM

    Hi Richard,
    I've seen a reference to that walk on one of my maps. It sounds like a fun one to do. There are so many trails heading off into the forest that look so inviting. It's a lovely area, seems so remote, yet it's practically right in down town.

    ReplyDelete
  3. redlegsrides3/27/13, 6:05 AM

    Kari, good news about your daughter, may she continue to do well and grow stronger.

    Ron looks "thrilled" in the picture! :)

    Good call, taking the tram on the way back up....Mr Gravity is not your friend when going uphill.....unless your carving a canyon road on a motorcycle.....

    cheers

    dom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bluekat3/28/13, 8:02 AM

      Hi Dom
      Thanks. Agreed. A motor comes in handy for beating back Mr. Gravity.

      Delete
  4. Trobairitz3/27/13, 8:56 AM

    I to have been wondering how your daughter was doing. Our thoughts are with you all.

    Great pictures. I've always seem the tram when driving I-5 but have never seen it up close.

    Nice catch of the squirrel and the Rhodie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bluekat3/28/13, 8:06 AM

      Hi Trobairitz
      When we spot the tram we always knew we were close to Portland. It's usually our signal to figure out which lane to be in for wherever we're going.

      Delete
  5. BeemerGirl3/27/13, 10:59 AM

    Thanks for the update on your daughter. Here's to positive thoughts helping from afar.

    Love the path down the hill. Seems overgrown at times and feels like you are being subversive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bluekat3/28/13, 8:08 AM

      Hi Lori
      I loved finding the path. You describe exactly how it felt the first time I walked it.

      Delete
  6. SonjaM3/27/13, 7:57 PM

    Glad to hear your daughter is doing well. What a nice city to walk in. We took a similar path downhill when we were visiting. It was a lovely walk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bluekat3/28/13, 8:11 AM

      Hi Sonja,

      Portland appears to have a bunch of nice trails tucked away here and there. I think walking is the best way to explore the city.

      Delete
  7. Jack Riepe3/28/13, 2:31 PM

    Dear BlueKat:

    I'm delighted to hear your daughter is doing better. And these were fantastic pictures detailing some very unusual pedestrian options.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack/Reep

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bluekat3/29/13, 9:44 AM

      Thank you Jack,
      I love finding those unusual pedestrian options :)

      Delete
  8. GF3/28/13, 7:03 PM

    Glad you daughter is doing good, all the best from us.
    I took that Tram in 2010, brings back such good memories :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bluekat3/29/13, 9:46 AM

      Thanks George,
      We can see the tram from here room. And we have a free pass whenever we want to ride. :)

      Delete
  9. Keith - Circle Blue3/28/13, 7:51 PM

    Nice. I'm jealous of the squirrel photo. I have trouble catching the little buggers. I had a friend visit from Australia and she was quite taken with our squirrels. Here is a woman who has had a kangaroo hit her car, and she is mesmerized by our squirrels. Go figure.
    ~Keith

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bluekat3/29/13, 9:50 AM

      Hi Keith
      I know, right? If I had tried to cature the squirrel I wouldn't have had a chance! I think I'd rather have a squirrel hit my car than a kangaroo!!

      Delete
  10. Unknown4/8/13, 8:18 PM

    Kari:

    we did drive down to Oregon last September and we went through Portland and saw the tram. Maybe one day we'll stop and ride it to the top. Most times we just exit at Longview and head over to Astoria

    I hope that your daughter is getting better

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

    ReplyDelete

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