HASSO HERING

Picnic tables and flood debris cover part of the road in Bryant Park on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.

The bike took me to Albany’s Bryant Park Wednesday. The park remains closed to vehicles because of the recent flooding, but people can get around the gates on foot or on two wheels.

As usual after an episode of flooding, there’s still  standing water in the lowest sections of the park, including the playground.

Sections of road remain flooded too, so there’s good reason for the park at the confluence of the Willamette and Calapooia rivers too remain closed to vehicles.

Also as usual, the Albany parks crew faces a big cleanup job before the roads can be reopened. On Wednesday it looked like the high water of last week floated away some picnic tables until the brush along the Calapooia stopped them.

Elsewhere, mud and broken branches covered otherwise dry sections of the road. But that was no problem for dog walkers or other people strolling or jogging through the park.

It’s early in the winter, and there is plenty of time for the rivers to flood Bryant another time or two before the cleanup can be done and and the gates are reopened once again. (hh)

Water still covered sections of road. i didn’t want too get the bike wet, so I turned around.

The playground and nearby picnic shelter remain a little on the soggy side.