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town (541-942-1687; whitehouseoregon.com). Famished? Stroll the eateries on Main Street to see what appeals. Try Stacy's Covered Bridge Restaurant (541-767-0320), Big Stuff Barbecue (541-942-3999) or opt for the great burgers, live music and beer scene at the Axe and Fiddle Pub (541-942-5942). DAY TWO: Wineries and Bridges This day's drive falls into two parts. First, more covered bridges and second, vineyards and wine-tasting. Head north on Highway 99 (parallels the I5 freeway) to Creswell and stop for breakfast at the popular Creswell Bakery (541-895-5885). Drive the I5 north for 10 km to Highway 58 and head east towards Dexter (another 17 km) where a short detour on Lost Creek and Rattlesnake roads takes you to Parvin Bridge. Rejoin the highway and continue east a short distance along the shore of Dexter Reservoir. Ahead, nicely reflected in the waters, is Lowell covered bridge. This used to cross the Willamette River but when the river was dammed, the bridge became obsolete. It now sits, its feet in the water, alongside a wide modern highway bridge. It can be reached on foot from a roadside rest area. Above the bridge, the river was dammed again, mostly for hydro power. Continue southeast on the highway which runs beside Lookout Point Reservoir, for about 35 km, heading for the town of Oakridge, in the mountain foothills. Just before town, look for a small signpost to Westfir. Once a busy community, it was built on the river's south side, across from a large sawmill. For truck access, the mill owners built a covered bridge, the longest in Oregon at 54 metres, with a separate covered walkway. The former sawmill site, still reachable across Office Bridge, is now a very pleasant park, with picnic tables by the river and a bounty of wildflowers in summer. Eat lunch at the company office, now renovated and converted into the sumptuous nineroom West Fir Lodge B&B, and sit outside on the bridge-view patio if the sun is shining (541-782-3103; westfirlodge.com). After lunch, retrace your tire tracks north on Highway 58, cross the new highway bridge to Lowell and take Jasper Road to find two more covered bridges, Unity and Pengra, before returning to the Interstate for the drive back to Creswell. From here, it's a narrow, winding road to 22 W e s t wo r l d p20-23_OregonBridges.indd 22 >> Fa l l 2 0 1 3 Oregon Covered Bridges Eugene Jasper Lowell Rd. Jasper 8 Silvan Ridge Winery Sweet Cheeks Winery 12 I-5 58 Creswell Dexter Hamm Rd. Iris Vineyards King Estate Winery Chateau Lorane Lorane 116 Territorial Rd 11 Lowell 9 10 Office Bridge at Westfir Saginaw Vineyard 1 2 Cottage Grove 3 7 4 5 DORENA LAKE 6 the wineries. Take pretty Camas Swale and Hamm roads past fields and old barns to meet Territorial Road. Built in 1851, it's one of Oregon's oldest roads and a section of the Applegate Trail that pioneers in covered wagons and later stagecoaches took to California. Paved in 1947, it is now Highway 200, but still known to all by its old name. Turn north on Territorial to Briggs Hill Road, willamette valley wine Just north of Cottage Grove, Saginaw Vineyard offers wine tastings from its century-old red barn. where two wineries provide temptation. Silvan Ridge (541-345-1945) has a wonderful Old World ambiance and lovely picnic area beside its tasting room. Try the Malbec or a fruity sparkling Muscat (drivers, of course, will simply want to sip-and-spit). Higher up the hill, Sweet Cheeks Winery (541-349-9463) has a patio view as pretty as its name. Bring your own picnic or buy small snacks in the tasting room to go with their fine Pinots, Riesling or Tempranillo. 1. Centennial 2. Swinging 3. Chambers 4. Mosby Creek 5. Stewart 6. Dorena 7. Currin 8. Coyote Creek 9. Parvin 10. Lowell 11. Unity 12. Pengra History buffs might want to go 5 km to yet another covered bridge at Coyote Creek. Otherwise, backtrack south and keep going on Territorial Road to Iris Vineyards, for a taste of their famous Pinots, Noir and Gris (541942-5993; irisvineyards.com), and then on to the organic King Estate Winery, according to one expert "the benchmark producer of Pinos Gris in the U.S." One of the largest wineries in the area, it is reminiscent of France's Loire Valley – vineyards spilling down the hill, the view fading off into forested hills. The estate also grows fruits and vegetables and makes honey and charcuterie for use in its acclaimed restaurant (541-942-9874; kingestate.com). Farther south along Territorial is Chateau Lorane winery, sought out by wine aficionados for its rare varietals such as Huxelrebe and Baco Noir (541-942-8028). Wind your way back to Cottage Grove road (there's a turn off Territorial) for a visit to Saginaw Vineyard, just north of town on Highway 99. Its shop and tasting rooms are housed in a 100-year-old red barn. Hit it on a Friday evening and take in a dinner concert (541-942-1364). Wherever you complete your tour of Oregon's covered bridges country, it's impossible not to reflect on hard-working pioneers who, without tractors or electricity, hand-built dozens of structures that match so much of today's infrastructure, both functionally and certainly aesthetically. Y Member savings and benefits for Oregon travel at bcaa.com/oregon Saginaw Vineyard 13-08-19 2:06 PM