Sunday Ride

The weather was beautiful today. The grandkids came over to play in the backyard around lunch time, and I managed to get some minor chores and repairs done around the house - you know, little things like adjusting the gate on the fence, pruning some dead limbs from the birch trees, adjust the track on the sliding screen door. When it was nap time for the grandkids though, I took advantage of the nice weather to take the MP3 500 out for a ride. This time, I took a camera with me as the main reason I bought the bike was to support my photography addiction. I also wanted to practice riding during a time when there was little traffic on the roads and on some hills and curves.

I stopped first at the former location of the Sweet Oregon Grill. I say former because the restaurant burned to the ground a few years ago and for whatever reason, the owner never rebuilt it. That's a shame because it  was a very nice little place with live music on the weekend, and cozy bar with a big fireplace, and lots of local Oregon products in their little store. The food was good and hearty fare, but the grill caught fire one night and the whole place, with the exception of a few out-buildings burnt to the ground. The fire was still burning the next morning as I passed by the site on my way to work.

The fireplace still stands and, of course, the concrete slab for the restaurant is still there, but the site is now weed infested and full of scattered trash. I've toyed with the idea using the spot as a glamour shoot location. There are a few issues associated with this:  it's located at a high traffic intersection (not conducive for glamour photography), the trash and weeds make it slightly hazardous for walking through the area in bare feet or legs, and the area is posted "No Trespassing".  Still, it would be fun to shoot a model there early one weekend morning if I can get permission from the owners.  There are lots of useful textures and structures on the site that wold make for a wonderful shoot.

After my stop there, I headed west on NW West Union Road. Traffic was fairly light, but there were lots of two-wheel riders out - both of the powered and non-powered kind. The bicyclist were definitely enjoying the warm weather and sunshine and the motorcyclist were out in droves. I didn't keep count, but there I saw scores of riders on my little one our jaunt.

From West Union, I turned north on Helvetia Road to practice on the hills and curves. Helvetia Tavern's parking lot was full of both cars and bikes and lots of people were out on the patio enjoying the tavern's enormous burgers washed down, I'm sure, with many pints of cold brews. I didn't stop, but I got a few interesting looks as I slowly cruised by the place.

I took the scenic route up to Jacobsen Road and when the road intersected with West Union Road again, I headed west again, this time to North Plains. Since the bike is still in the break-in period, I varied my speeds considerably during the ride. My intent was to practice riding the curves, braking, starting from a stop on hills (tricky when you have no clutch), and just generally working on my riding skills.

In North Plains, I stopped at the Hitching Post tavern for a Diet Coke. A group of motorcyclist standing outside the tavern looked at me with interest as I came riding up, but frankly my camera, a 5DMKII with a 24-105 f/4L lens and the 580 EXII flash got as many looks as the MP3 500 did. In fact, the first question/comment I got was about the camera rather than the scooter, though many question about the scooter did follow.

As you can see from the image to the right, there were more than a few bikes lined up in front of the tavern and lots of guys and gals in leather riding gear hanging out both inside and outside the bar. They were all having a good time and were enjoying the day. I stayed only long enough to drink my soda and grab a few photos. A couple of guys that were asking me some questions inside the bar came outside to watch me ride away. They were really interested in the hydraulic system that locks and unlocks the MP3's dual front wheels, and I overhead one guy telling another in the crowd how the bike worked in that regard. I made a semi-graceful exit from the parking lot - at least, I didn't hear any loud laughter as I rode away.

My final stop took me to an active rail trestle that I've often used as a photographic setting. The trestle spans a couple high ridges and towers above the road below. The large, rough beams make a great contrast for soft skin tones, and the road is not well traveled at all, so there is some degree of privacy available for shooting. Over the years I used the spot for glamour photography, senior photography, portfolio photography, and just as an interesting backdrop for portraits. I'm not sure how many different models I've photographed here, but it's been easily a dozen or so.

It certainly makes an interesting backdrop for portraits and the light hits the road just right a couple of hours before sunset. The lovely, young lady to the right is my daughter's friend Christine. They met in college and as Christine was an aspiring model, I help her build her portfolio over a couple of year period. She loved shooting near the trestle and we went through several outfit changes while we were shooting here.

We also shot under the trestle and in the field next to the right of way. We were totally undisturbed during the entire shoot. Christine got quite adventurous, climbing up on the fence and up into the beams of the trestle as well. I'm sure I'll continue to bring models to shoot here in the coming years, and who knows, it may be on the scooter.