There’s no bad day to visit Thompson’s Mills, the state park east of Shedd. And if you’re new to the mid-valley, you owe yourself a trip there. As the only remaining water-powered mill in the state, the place shows off the ingenuity of the Oregon pioneers of 160 years ago.
There are practical reasons why a footbridge across the Calapooia River between Monteith and Bryant parks has not been rebuilt, but the idea of summertime link between these popular parks is still a good idea.
It’s not exactly Zuma Beach, let alone the French Riviera, but as an occasional swimming hole this spot on the Calapooia River upstream of the Queen Avenue bridge has its uses during the mid-valley summer. At least for a few people, as in this shot from June 30.
Trying to make money from its small hydropower generator, the city of Albany can’t seem to catch a break. Much of last year there was too little water to run the turbine, and now there is too much.
The sign on Bryant Way was right on Christmas Eve, but just barely.
No, that’s not a new road down to the Calapooia River that the Linn County Road Department is building here. It’s a project to build up a well-compacted area where Pacific Power can set new poles.
While the world goes to hell — in Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq, Nigeria and who knows where else — let us busy ourselves with something quite local, mundane and above all peaceful: What’s the meaning of all that logging and earth-moving on the banks of the Calapooia at Queen Avenue?
(Please find the update below). This is getting a little old. I keep thinking that the “Road Closed” signs on both ends of Bryant Drive and Bryant Way outside of Albany may be outdated. But no, they’re not.
As you can see, Bryant Way outside of Albany was still closed on Wednesday afternoon. But the flooding covered only one section of the road instead of two on Monday.
Just crossing a bridge leads to questions
Crossing the Calapooia River on that Albany bridge above takes a couple of seconds and is nothing remarkable. But if you’re on a bike, you may notice something new.
Tags: bridge railings, Calapooia River, height regulations, Linn County bridges, OSHA, worker safety