So many places to ride
Cottage Grove
The Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway with six covered bridges and a path along the Row River needed to be explored. We had considered staying in this small town before settling 20 miles north in Eugene for our home base. Next time we pass this way, we will be sure to make a longer stop here.
The Row River Trail comes complete with a dam, a lake, a river and two covered bridges to investigate for 16 miles that runs from Cottage Grove, Oregon, up the Row River, climbs to Dorena Dam, and runs along the shores of Dorena Lake. The mornings start with cloudy skies that usually clear in the afternoons. We like to get going in the mornings, which are chilly, but left very few people on the trails.
The rails to trail follows the route of the former Oregon Pacific & Eastern Railroad line which made for nice easy riding with the 3-4% grade. This was good for my tired legs after riding the steep rolling hills of the vineyards a few days earlier.
Mike had some trailer repair work to do on our "rest" day. A small leak under the hot water heater was getting worse. Things are pretty compact in there and he was having trouble getting to the source of the leak. I got out my flashlight and suggested he knock out the lower section of wall under the sink. I soon heard pounding and crashing noises. He walked out with the culprit and was able to replace it. Now he is working on fixing the wall.
It is good to have my own personal bike mechanic and leak fixer along.
Dogwoods, one of the many trees in bloom.
Howard Buford Recreation Area
The recreation area next to Mt Pisgah Arboretum has 17 miles of hiking trails. We took the shortest (meaning steepest) to the top of Mt Pisgah with a 1100 foot climb in 1.5 miles but chose trails that were less steep on the way back down for a nice 4 miles. Steep down hills can be hard on the toes.
Fortunately, it was cloudy, once again, as we headed out.
Turtles along our walk along the river.
The spring flowers were out for the wildflower festival this weekend at the Mt Pisgah Arboretum.
I am not sure I know why he was pointing but went with it.
A metal map on a pedestal at the summit that each hiker or runner touches when they reach the top.
I was wondering if two weeks in Eugene might be a bit long but found that this not so large city had plenty to keep us interested without driving too far. It was a lot of bike riding miles.
A giant salad bar down there.
Willamette River Trail
We left the campground on our bikes and headed towards downtown to find the river trail. A wide paved path runs along both sides of the river with several bridges for bikes and pedestrians to cross the river through several lovely parks.
We came across this electric derby race going on outside of the high school. The engineering students make their derby cars and race them. They had transponders that count their laps. The winner is the person with the most laps in one hour.
I took us 13 miles, a few u-turns and a couple of helpful people to find the Saturday Farmer's Market. We were getting hungry and found some excellent empanadas and a cookie before heading back home. Well, after Mike went back and got two cookies for the road.
The people of Eugene have been quite welcoming and helpful when we were lost. It was a pleasure to visit.
One last picture from the rose garden in the park where we were supposed to make a left at to get to downtown according to a very nice person on the trail.
On to Silver Falls.
