Oregon's Covered Bridges

Something else I learned is that there are a lot of wineries and covered bridges in Oregon. A LOT OF WINERIES. We did not take the wine tour, but we did manage to take one bridge tour near Cottage Grove. Some of the bridges are still in use, but most are not. The maps are funny, sometimes you have to be looking right in the right direction to see the bridge. One good example of this is the railroad brown bridge. It is over a creek, blocked off, falling apart, and is currently in a residential area where you would not expect a bridge to be. But, it was something we do not have here and I was not aware of.

Yeah for Yurts

We stayed in a Yurt in Ft. Stevens State Park in Oregon. It is their version of cabins. They are spacious and very comfortable. Included is a skylight, heater, desk, electricity, all that you need in a tent! If you ever get a chance, stay in one. You might even see local "wildlife" in the form of a 3 1/2 inch slug making its way down the side of the yurt!

They aren't kidding!

I could not stand it any longer, you drive down Hwy 101 in Oregon and California and you see these signs along the way. I finally stopped in a place where I could take a photo of the sign. When the alarm goes off ( and they also use the alarm to signal city council meetings in one town) you need to follow the evacuation route signs . I would also suggest when you hear the siren that you take a machete with you, you will need it to break through the vegetation to climb the hills and see where you are going!

Umqua River Lighthouse

When we arrived at this lighthouse/Coast Guard station, a tour was just beginning and the guide let me join in. Our group climbed the 65 steps to the top, and were each allowed to climb up into the prisms to take a look. It is the one lighthouse on the Oregon coast that has red lights, very beautiful. The guide described it as the Jewel of the Coast. I have to say that I am not that scared of heights but inside I was screaming at the last top leg of the climb. The steps are attached to the side of the cone and you can see three floors below. So, I took photos from the top and from the bottom of the lighthouse as well as inside the prism view.

Oregon Lighthouses

Here are most of the lighthouses we visited. Because of the rocky nature of the Oregon coastline, these are important. Most are still lit today, but you cannot go inside them. On the visits to these I learned that our coastline had been attacked near Ft. Stevens during WWII, the Japanese shot several shells into the coast but we did not return fire (a controversial decision), but they did not invade the coastline.

A Cranberry Bog

Before this trip I thought cranberries were grown in lakes, mostly because of the ads for Ocean Spray. Well, it is grown in a bog, as a flowering vine. When harvest comes, they flood the fields with about 2 feet of water and the cranberries float. The place I visited had a museum and a gift shop, both of which were interesting. Trust me, they can make anything smell like or taste like cranberries! The boots are a tool from past cranberry days to walk over the vines.

Lewiston, ID to The Dalles, OR

Day 4
Lewiston, ID to The Dalles, OR
Lots and lots and lots of wineries in the valleys in the Columbia River basin. No, we did not stop for samples, how would you choose? In the photo above I was trying to show how much of the land they use for crops. The machinery is much different, mostly so that they won’t fall off the hillsides while harvesting.
Into the Columbia River scenic areas on I-84, stopping at the Marysville Museum. On top of the hill on the Washington side of the river was originally built to be a home, but before its completion was turned into an art gallery. The owner/builder Sam Hill was the one who decided there should be roads through the Columbia Gorge. He had a lot of famous friends, including Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Queen Marie of Romania who donated furniture, gowns, wedding presents and a crown that appear in his collection.
There is also a replica of Stonehenge that serves as a Veteran’s Memorial just down the road.

And yes, it was a clear day and you could actually SEE Mt. Hood in the distance at the front of the museum, although it was very hot and humid so it is hard to see from this photo.