7 mile walk with Forest Park as a beautiful backdrop. The highlight of this tour is walking across the bridge, a. This was one of my favorite parts of the tour, walking up the famous “wedding stairs” and admiring the symmetry of the arches underneath the bridge. Johns, I had to go back the next day to complete the tour. I was so blown away by the sunset on the shore of St. The light posts that line the edge of the bridge in succession lit up as well. The sky opened up to a bright pink, purple, and deep blue. As soon as I began to wonder if I’d have the chance to witness one of Portland’s rare, yet spectacular, winter sunsets, it happened. But suddenly the cold didn’t seem to matter anymore, as I stood on the shore of the river, I watched as the mute, greyness that surrounded me dissipated, and a soft, warm light began to slowly wash over the bridges concrete anchorages.

Initially the sky was grey and cloudy overhead, “Ok, this isn’t too bad,” I thought, “If only it wasn’t so damn cold.” I started to walk back to the shore, wondering how I’d finish the walk under these conditions.

I stood on the floating dock beneath the bridge, as instructed by Foster, and wondered to myself why I hadn’t made my way out here before, it was a serene moment, realizing that I was the only one standing out there so close to river’s small waves. I was not prepared, only a light sweater to protect myself from Portland’s unusually cold March weather. It was freezing cold when I walked down to the boat ramp at Cathedral Park, located right along the water of the Willamette river, under St. I decided to try this stair walk tour after a long, stressful day, and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable, calming days I’ve had all winter. John’s, one of Portland’s most famous and photographed bridges, and for good reason, it’s one of the most scenic places in all of Portland. Foster’s “Portland Stair Walks” begins with a trip to St.

Walking with Ramona by Laura O. Foster