Photo taken at Sellwood Park at Sunset.Sellwood Park located on a large overlook above Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, Oaks Amusment Park and Sellwood Waterfront Park.
Oaks Bottom is a sizable wilderness area that can, at times, resemble a giant bog. The great blue heron is one of the many species native to the refuge, and a pair of bald eagles frequent the area (but live on nearby Ross Island.) Rachael's middle school students have spent time volunteering here, focusing on native species restoration and invasive species removal.
Perhaps better known than the refuge is the amusement park located between the Springwater Corridor (see next post) and the river. The year-round carnival, called Oaks Park, includes a cheesy roller coaster and other staples (bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl etc.) as well as a roller skating rink. The rink features a floor that is built on floats. This is less of a novelty; the close proximity to the river has resulted in the rink's frequent flooding. There's also an enormous working organ hanging from the ceiling above the center of the rink. Thursday nights still feature live organ music. This place is all the rage for middle school dates....or at least it was when I was 13. Not that I dated then, Dad.
Sellwood Riverfront Park is a smaller park right on the Willamette river. It features live music on Mondays in the summertime. Last summer's highlight was a band called The Stolen Sweets, headed by local legend Pete Krebs.
As for Sellwood Park, it's one of the nicest in Portland. It's expansive and diverse with a public pool, grove of Douglis Fir Trees, myriad baseball diamonds, basketball and tennis courts, a playground and some great viewpoints. The Northwest edge is also a great place to sneak a view of the fireworks on the 4th of July.
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