Urban Drive

Leaving our home heading to treatment in North Portland, we first drive through gently rolling farmland for about 20 minutes.  We enter a more forested area as we wind back and forth through Forest Park on Germantown Road which takes us to the St. John's bridge. Here our rural ride turns urban.

With 40-story tall Gothic Cathedral Spires and graceful arches, the 7,360-ton steel St. Johns Bridge, which spans the Willamette River, was almost lost through neglect.  Opened in 1931, it is the largest and most significant suspension bridge in Oregon. 

Who is living in a van by the river?

Food cart pod.  I read this  pod thing is "peculiar to Portland" but starting to spread.

I like the name.

I lived in St. Johns when I first moved to Porland in the early 80's.  We bought a cute little red house for $42,000 and sold it eight years later for $38,000.  Oops! It was not a thriving area.  I worked at James John Elementary school years later when I got pregnant with Amanda.

Some history:

In 1843 James John came to Oregon and settled in Linton. Several years later he moved the site of the town that bears his name to the current location. He started a ferry in 1852.  The original plat for the town of St. Johns was filed in 1865 and the St. Johns Post Office opened in 1873.  After Johns died, it became a sleepy little town with few residents and no industry. Then in 1902 the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company extended the railway to the St. Johns area. By connecting the rail lines to the marine facilities that were already there, industry and commercial opportunities began to grow. 

Community Center

Neon looks great at night. (North Interstate Ave.)

This is a teen community center, which has a summer camp coming up soon. Although there are some beautiful parks filled with century old trees, and some attractive new areas of development, my tastes (especially in photos) lean toward the quirky.

One of Portlands famous Tiki bars. Maybe we can have a Mai Tai there someday?

So as you can see, the drive offers sights of beautiful farmland, lush forests, and stimulating urban scenes to fill and delight our visual senses along the way.