Willamette River Cruise

One day in October while I was still kind of drugged from my endoscopy a friend called and asked if I wanted to go on a short cruise on the Willamette River in Portland with her and another friend the next week.  I might not have been quite in my right mind, but I was lucid enough to know I should definitely take her up on her offer.  The next week on a rainy windy day we drove into Portland and made our way to the riverfront. 

We started the trip up on the top open deck, but within a few minutes it became clear that the weather wasn’t going to allow us to stay up there.  We did get to see this great chart showing all of the bridges in Portland—I had no idea that there were so many, or that most of them are drawbridges. 

The lowest deck (where they were serving a lunch) was completely full, but the deck above that only had a few people on it.  We had a great time ordering appetizers and sitting and watching everything.  We saw a new bridge in progress,

we saw an incredibly beautiful house built around an historical pump station that’s never been lived in, (tragedy on the construction crew, and please excuse the raindrops in the picture)

and best of all, houseboats.  Originally living on a houseboat was a cheaper way to live in Portland because there was no property tax.  Now they’ve figured out a way to tax people who aren’t actually living on any…property…but apparently it’s still worth it to some people.  Some of the houses were old and run down, but some were fabulous looking.  I was totally wishing I’d brought the long lens for my camera.

It was totally a fun day—such a treat to get to spend it with two friends and to see so many new things too!