US-3505208 Alsea Bay Bridge near Waldport, Oregon

The Alsea Bay Bridge crosses Alsea Bay and is located near Waldport, Oregon.

This postcard from Judy (31 July 2015) Postcrossing shows the second Alsea Bay Bridge. The first bridge was opened in 1936. It was a 3,011 feet (918 m) long, reinforced-concrete combination deck and through arch bridge.

The hostile environment caused significant corrosion to the steel reinforcements. In the mid-1980s it was decided to replace the bridge rather than continuing costly rehabilitation efforts. The first bridge was demolished in 1991.

Construction of the second bridge (shown on the postcard) began in 1988 and it was opened in the fall of 1991 at a cost of $42.4 million. The bridge is 2,910 ft (890 m) in total length with a 450 ft (140 m) main span that provides 70 ft (21 m). of vertical clearance. The bridge has a latex concrete deck and the piers are significantly thicker than normal in an attempt to thwart corrosion.  The bridge now serves Oregon Coast Highway 101 traffic.

US-3411225 The Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not a specific geological, environmental, or political entity, but instead includes the entire coastline of Oregon, including the Columbia River Estuary. The Oregon Coast runs generally north–south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately 363 miles (584 km) from the Columbia River in the north to the California state border in the south.

The Oregon Beach Bill of 1967 allows free beach access to everyone. This bill allows private beach landowners to retain certain beach land rights, but it removes the property tax obligation of the beach landowner. In exchange, the beach landowner grants an easement passage to pedestrians. The Beach Bill grants a public access easement on the beach that cannot be taken away by the landowner; nor can the landowner build on the beach.

Source: Wikipedia

This postcard came from June (12 June 2015) Postcrossing.

US-3042803 Oregon State Capitol in Salem

The Oregon State Capitol in Salem, the capital of Oregon, houses the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state and treasurer of Oregon. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third to house the Oregon state government. Two former capitol buildings were destroyed by fire, one in 1855 and the other in 1935.

The design of the Oregon State Capitol was labelled a combination of Egyptian simplicity and Greek refinement. Overall it is Art Deco in style and is one of only three state capitols in the United States constructed in that architectural style.

The central portion of the building includes a dome of 166 feet (51 m). The wings, which doubled the floor space of the building to about 233,750 square feet (21,716 m2), were added later.

The grounds outside the capitol building contain artwork, fountains, and flora, including the state tree (Douglas-fir) and state flower (Oregon-grape).

This postcard came from Janis (5 Nov 2014) Postcrossing.

SW DC-249 Riverplace - a neighbourhood of Portland, OR

Riverplace is one of the neighbourhoods of Portland, Oregon.  Riverplace was developed in the 1970's. There is a little marina, several restaurants and shops as well as apartments and condos and the Riverplace Hotel.  This postcard shows the Portland downtown skyline forming a backdrop for this night scene of Riverplace.

This postcard came from goodmorningFelicity (20 August 2014) Swap-bot.

Portland - the Largest City in Oregon

Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon.  It has more than 600 thousand inhabitants in the city and more than  2.3 million people in the Portland metropolitan area.

Portland was incorporated in 1851. For more than a century, Portland has been known as the "City of Roses" with many rose gardens – most prominently the International Rose Test Garden. The city is also known for its abundant outdoor activities, liberal political values, and beer and coffee enthusiasm. Portland is home to a large number of independent microbreweries, microdistilleries and food carts that contribute to the unofficial slogan "Keep Portland Weird".

Portland is located where the Willamette River has its confluence with the Columbia River.  The Willamette River runs through the centre of the city.

 

This postcard came from LeSillyMe (10 September 2014) Swap-bot.

SW BL-097 Waterfalls of Oregon

There are at least 238 waterfalls in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Shown on this postcard are:

Multnomah Falls - the two-step falls are clearly seen in this postcard.  More details of this waterfall can be found on this page ‘Multnomah Falls, Oregon"

 

Horsetail Falls  Like so many waterfalls in the foothills of the Oregon Cascades, Horseshoe Falls plunges over an undercut basalt ledge, forming the commonly seen walk-behind recess in the back of the waterfall. Horseshoe Waterfall is by itself nothing overly special - a simple 48 foot free-fall into a small, murky pool - but the setting is quite photogenic.

Oneonta Falls  This waterfall is tucked away in Oregon's Oneonta Gorge (a slot canyon in the Columbia River Gorge).  It has been said that this waterfall is the adventurous hiker's finest reward because a hiker has to make his way through the Gorge's "slot-like chasm," wade through a knee-deep creek and climb over logjams, before he can encounter Oneonta Falls. This waterfall is 100 feet tall and is surrounded by lush green moss.

Bridal Veil Falls Bridal Veil Falls is a waterfall located on Bridal Veil Creek in the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. The Historic Columbia River Highway passes over Bridal Veil Falls on a bridge. From a parking lot on the highway, a winding footpath and another bridge lead to a vantage point to see the falls. The falls consists of two cascades in quick succession along angling rockfaces, so when there is a good amount of water the falls looks very much like a bridal veil.

Vista House on Crown Point  Vista House is an observatory at Crown Point in Multnomah County, Oregon, that also serves as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and as a comfort station for travelers on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The site, on a rocky promontory, is 733 feet (223 m) above the Columbia River on the south side of the Columbia River Gorge.

This interesting postcard came from jennifer32 (28 May 2014) Swap-bot.

Mount Hood, Oregon, USA - 2 great views!

Mount Hood is Oregon's highest mountain.  It is also one of the loftiest mountains in the USA based on its prominence.  It is 1,249 feet (3,429 m) high.

Mount Hood is actually a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon and is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland.

Mount Hood is home to 12 named glaciers and snowfields. It is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt, though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely. Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7 percent, so the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) characterizes it as "potentially active", but the mountain is informally considered dormant.

The Multnomah (a native American tribe) name for Mount Hood is Wy'east. The mountain was given its present name in 1792 after Lord Samuel Hood, a British Admiral at the Battle of the Chesapeake.

Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark located on the southern flank of Mount Hood just below Palmer Glacier, at approximately 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of elevation.  The mountain has six ski areas totalling over 4,600 acres (7.2 sq mi; 18.6 km2) of skiable terrain; Timberline (one of the 6 ski areas) offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.

Mount Hood is within the Mount Hood National Forest, which comprises 1,067,043 acres (4,318.17 km²) of land—including four designated wilderness areas that total 314,078 acres (1,271.03 km²)—and more than 1,200 miles (1,900 km) of hiking trails.

These two great views of Mount Hood were sent by Tere Belcher of Oregon (3 April 2014) who is fortunate to live with this mountain visible from her living room.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m). Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon.

From http://www.oregon.com/

“A waterfall as magnificent and memorable as any in the country is located just a 30- minute drive outside of Portland. Visiting Multnomah Falls, a 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water, lets you experience the power and beauty of nature up close and with ease.  According to Native American lore, Multnomah Falls was created to win the heart of a young princess who wanted a hidden place to bathe.  Unlike many of the West's famous falls, Multnomah Falls does not dry up in the late summer. Rainwater, an underground spring and snow melt feed the falls through all four seasons and ensure a spectacular sight any day of the year.”
This postcard came from HolgaLove (20 March 2014) Swat-bot