Mill City Rails-to-Trails Bridge Revisited

I had recently went up to Mill City to get a picture of the Rails-to-Trails bridge, and while I did get a good picture, I had taken what would have been a great picture were it not for the fact that it was out of focus. So this morning, I went back up the Santiam Canyon, found a parking spot on the side of the road, and walked down to roughly the same spot I was at last time. Unlike last time, I made sure the shot was perfect before I went back to my car and headed home...

The reason I take pictures of aging structures

Back in December of 2012, I came across a dilapidated barn in rural Marion County. Other than its condition, I absolutely loved the barn and its location. About a month ago, I took a small trip to get a new picture of the barn. Unfortunately, I could not locate it even though I knew I was on the right road and on the right section. After using the "street view" on Google Maps, I have come to realize that it was torn down prior to June 2013. This let down has led me to realize that the aging structures of last century will not be around much longer even if they are well maintained, and therefore piqued my interest to get pictures of these structures before they are gone forever. Aside from old barns, dated bridges are also an interest for me.

Below is the picture I took back in 2012, while the second one down was what Google Street View shows--notice the cluster of four trees on the left side. All that is left of the barn by June 2013 was a pile of wood and rubble. I find it a little sad to see a barn disappear in less than a year when it might have been in the same family for several generations.

 

The view from Bonesteele

I went over to Bonesteel County Park this morning to get some shadow pictures, but wound up getting a picture of the Turner countryside that was blanketed in fog. The golden sunrise made for a golden-colored landscape...

Golden Hour

McKay Falls and the Scotts Mills Fireman Statue

I have been wanting to revisit McKay Falls ever since I discovered it last year when I went to explore the Scotts Mills County Park that it is located at. As the Autumn colors have yet to burst onto the scene, I will be coming back in the morning later in the month for a better picture, but for now, I had to deal with a bad lighting angle which led be to wade into the cold water to get a better picture...

After that little photoshoot, I stopped at the Fire Station in town on my way out because I noticed a fireman statue. I photographed it from two angles and have yet to decide which one is my favorite--in one, you can see the flag pole behind the statue but the axe isn't shown that well; in the other, you can see the axe, but it looks like the statue has only three fingers on his left hand...

Santiam Canyon Bridges

I decided to visit two bridges along the lower Santiam Canyon--one in Mill City and one in Stayton. Once up in Mill City, I hiked around to find the best site to photograph the Mill City Rail Bridge (now used as a pedestrian bridge that makes one end of a rails-to trails system that only goes about a mile or two since the Mill City Log Mill is still in opperation) Unfortunately, what would have been my best shot composition-wise, turned out to be slightly out of focus, which means I will return to the bridge later in October when the trees are more colorful...

The other bridge, known as the Stayton-Jordan Covered Bridge, resides in a complex of four parks in south Stayton. to get the picture below, I waded out in cold water and discovered the stream was much deeper when my foot sank through 15 inches of mud and leaves. As with the bridge above, I will also be returning to this bridge later in the month for another shot...

October 5th Barn Drive

I have decided to try to get one good picture of an old barn each week so I can, in essence, document the ones that remain here in Oregon. As I live in Marion County, I have decided to start within the borders of the county and then expand into the rest of the Willamette Valley once I have gotten every barn within this county that has good character and isn't blocked by other buildings. After the Willamette Valley, then I will expand my search into other parts of Oregon. Here is today's barn picture, and so far one of my favorites due to its unique character...

Marion County Barn Drive

Earlier, I went out in search of a barn I saw about a year ago, only to settle on taking a picture of another barn I could not locate the one I was searching for. The only thing I don't like about the image is the road in the bottom left corner...