When I ride my bicycle or walk to work, I have the pleasure walking along the lower level of the Steel Bridge in Portland. When I ride the MAX, we roll along the upper deck with the cars, and a few intrepid bicyclists and pedestrians. All of this traveling back and forth has left me very fond of the Steel Bridge, even when traffic jams start to occur on the lower level.

One of my favorite things include crossing the lower level of bridge with a train. It’s loud, no doubt, and sometimes there are horrible high pitched squealing noises, but it’s also exciting. The Amtrak trains have entertaining passengers to stare at, the freight trains have lots of interesting different cars, and the occasional steam engine makes my week! The Southern Pacific #4449 pictured here is one of the absolute delights of living in the Portland area. Sometimes I hear its whistle from our office a few blocks from the waterfront, and have to run down to see if I can spot the steamy excitement of this train!

And you can buy a 2009 calendar to support the Southern Pacific #4449.