Cottage Grove...

It's becoming more and more evident to me just how picturesque the Pacific Northwest can be. Having driven the west coast from the Mexican border to Portland, and from Seattle to Vancouver, BC, I have to say that it's simply one of the most amazing areas along the west coast. And, come to think of it, I should probably just make the drive from Portland to Seattle, just so I can say I've knocked out the entire west coast.

I guess that's a separate issue, though.

 

I'd heard of a small town, just south of Eugene (which is about two hours south of Portland), called Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove is one of those small Americana-ish towns that make take a while to be found on a map, having a population which hovers right around 10,000. But Cottage Grove has a history. It was first settled in 1855, and went through not only a couple of name changes, but also a couple of location changes, until 1899.
 

It's also found its way into the hearts of Hollywood through the years. Scenes from the movie "Stand By Me" were filmed here in 1986, on the railroad tracks along what is now known as the Row River Trail:
 

DVD cover from "Stand By Me"...

 

Buster Keaton's "The General" was filled here in 1926. In 1997, the movie "Ricochet River" (yeah, me neither), starring Kate Hudson, was filmed here. And, perhaps far more famously, who can forget the final, climactic scene from that 1978 cinematic juggernaut of all things right and good with American youth, "Animal House":

 

 

What I came for, though, had nothing to do with the movies. I came here for covered bridges. Let's face it, covered bridges are damn near a photographer's wet dre... um, we really like them. They're a tangible link to the past and, let's be honest, they photograph really well. I've shot covered bridges from New Brunswick, Canada to Littleton, New Hampshire, to right here in Oregon, and I've always been happy with the results.

Before getting to any of the bridges, though, I drove along what's known as the Row River Trail. The Row River Trail is biking & hiking trail that runs around Dorena Lake. After I parked the truck, it was just a few steps to the shore of the lake, and some pretty fabulous photo ops:

Lake Dorena in Cottage Grove, Oregon...

Dorena Lake...

Everything's peaceful at 7:00am...

Dorena Lake...

One of the countless trees that's washed up on the shores of Dorena Lake...

 

After hiking around the lake for a little while (and giving the new Vasque's a mild workout), it was time to head back to the truck and go seek out the covered bridges. Cottage Grove has seven covered bridges in all, and I managed to track down four of them. In hindsight, I should've done a little more research, as I later learned that the remaining three were in pretty close proximity. Not all of the bridges are open to vehicular traffic, but you're still able to walk across them.


The first bridge I came up was the Dorena Covered Bridge, which was built in 1949. It's one of the ones opened to vehicular traffic, so I took advantage:
 

The Explorer on the Dorena Covered Bridge, which was built in 1949...
 

Dorena Covered Bridge...

The Dorena Covered Bridge...



 Aside from being the longest of the bridges I would see, the Dorena Covered Bridge was also the widest, and by a fair margin. Being that it was built relatively late (1949), I can imagine that it was to accommodate increased logging traffic, at least until such time as the nearby concrete bridge was constructed.

  

As I drove in search of the next bridge, I was reminded of just how amazing this part of the country is, scenically speaking. It's truly an amazing thing:

  

The view along a portion of Row River Road...

 

The next bridge I found was the Stewart Bridge, which was constructed in 1930. The ol' gal just ain't what she used to be, apparently, so it's permanently closed to vehicular traffic. It's also really, really short:

 

Stewart Bridge, built in 1930...

 

Next up was the Mosby Creek Bridge. This bridge, like Dorena, is open to vehicular traffic. Unlike Dorena, though, it's very narrow, accommodating only one lane of traffic:

 

The Mosby Creek Bridge...

The single-lane Mosby Creek Bridge dates to 1920...

 

One thing that the Pacific Northwest is somewhat known for is its wildlife. Whether it's a bear or an eagle or a deer, there's no telling what you might see next.

 

Seriously, there's just no telling:

 

Wild turkeys near the Row River...

 

After driving to the point where I thought I might actually be a little lost, I saw another bridge off to my left. This was the Currin Bridge, which was originally built in 1883, but required reconstruction by the county in 1925:

 

The Currin Bridge. It's no longer open to vehicular traffic...

In retrospect, I think it would be possible to spend, easily, an entire day meandering around this part of Oregon. Much of what you see are things you didn't even know you were looking for. But it's all here and, if you've got a sunny day and a full tank of gas, there are worse ways to spend a Sunday...