I spend every Sunday walking along the Willamette River between 5pm and 8pm. I don’t listen to music or look at my phone, I just walk and look around and let my thoughts flush out of my mind. I also take pictures but I don’t force myself to do it. If I see something interesting or notable I pull my camera out but other than that I try not to distract myself with anything other than what’s in front of me. I have a loop of about six miles that goes through a riverside park, up along a stretch of secluded railroad, and on to an island out in the middle of the river. Most weeks it’s pretty quiet and I get very reflective but there have been some interesting moments. One week about a year ago I talked to a young man living in a cave above the railroad tracks who told me he was on his way to trade a camping stove for some meth. That one stuck with me. Recently I observed two people having sex in the woods of the small island I end up on near the end of the trail. That was definitely the most surprising. I’ve seen nude swimmers, kids tearing down trees, and so so much trash and dog shit. Please people, pick up after your damn dogs. Anyway, here are a few pics from one of my recent excursions. Keep in mind these are all unedited straight off my camera.