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.
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.
Our riverside parks: A little more water
This is a blog largely about what I happen to see around Albany, and this week it was hard to miss that a bit of flooding had returned to Bryant Park, and Bowman too.
Tags: Bowman Park, Bryant Park, Calapooia River, Willamette River