This tour has its genesis in a discussion on the Cycleblaze forum about 2022 plans. In it, Wayne Estes mentioned a loop tour that he was planning of Willamette Valley covered bridges. We had been casting about for a ride of about this length and this sounded like an interesting tour, so Jim converted Wayne’s loop into a point-to-point route that still visited most of the bridges his loop did. At some point Jim consulted with Wayne and when he understood our route, he christened it “an impressively meandering route,” which it certainly is. We will take Amtrak to Portland, where we will visit our old friend Bob Hillhouse, and then ride about 400 miles to get to Eugene, about 100 miles to the south. In Eugene, we’ll catch Amtrak home.
Wayne EstesI'm pleased to see you found the Amazon Creek bike trail in Eugene, which goes right by Bike Friday and Euphoria Chocolates. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
We had hoped to make use of Amtrak’s relatively new baggage car hand-off system for bicycles. Not to have to box a bike would be an amazing advance in Amtrak service. Alas, even though we made reservations four months ahead, the limited baggage car bike spots were already largely gone. Three of the four bikes going north will have to be boxed and two of the four bikes going south on our return will have to be boxed.
It gets worse - Jim drove to Martinez a week early to pick up the 3 boxes we need for the Portland train. The station attendant told him that he was happy to sell him the boxes but there is no guarantee that our bikes will make it on the same train as us. Apparently Amtrak is using a smaller baggage car than it used to so the bikes may not fit. Jim explained that we will be on a bike trip and a timetable but apparently the boxed bikes are now low priority. So the plan now is to drop off the boxed bikes 3 days early in the hopes that they will go to Portland on either the Thursday train or the Friday train or the Saturday (with us) train. The rub is that the Portland station will charge us $10 per night per bike if they arrive before us. However, the Martinez attendant said that if we keep our receipts, he will go the bat for us with Amtrak to get a refund. On the return trip we may get stranded without bikes in Martinez if the two boxed bikes don't make the same train, but we'll deal with that if it happens (i.e. Uber back to Napa.) The sad thing is that Amtrak appears to be getting less bike-friendly with this policy and with the very limited availability of the bike hand-off system.
Oregon Covered Bridges
The Goodpasture Bridge, on the McKenzie Highway, is allegedly Oregon’s most frequently photographed covered bridge.
We took this photo in 2010 on our Glacier to Grapes tour, but we won’t be going by it on this trip. Early settlers began building covered bridges in the early 1850’s, using only hand tools, sweat, and determination. Bridges were covered because a covered bridge would last eighty years or more whereas an uncovered span would deteriorate in a few short years. Construction of these covered spans continued into the 1950’s when heavier loads and increased traffic necessitated their replacement with concrete and steel.
Oregon at one time had more than 400 covered bridges. Today only 50 or so remain. Oregon has more covered bridges than any other state west of the Mississippi. We will see about 25 of them. Most, if not all, of the currently existing covered bridges were built using the Howe Truss system, which was prized for its flexibility and ease of construction. For more on Howe Trusses, go here and scroll down.
The Cast
Jim and I will be joined by three cycling friends. All of us are members of the Eagle Cycling Club of Napa Valley. They are Amber and Rich, who are both experienced bike tourists and Cheryl, who was with us in New Mexico in 2011. We’re currently all in our 60s and 70s. Amber and Rich are taking the train with us. Cheryl is joining us in Albany, about 3 days in.
Jim and I will be riding our titanium Habaneros. Amber and Rich have carbon fiber Salsa Warbirds. Cheryl will be on her trusty custom steel Inglis. Everyone but Jim is making a concerted effort to pack light. Jim takes what he thinks he needs to be comfortable, refusing to compromise like the rest of us.
Amber and Rich during their Katy Trail tour last year.
Kelly IniguezDid Jim mention that you are most loyal Amtrak users and should get priority service? Not that it would help, but it's true!
I look forward to reading your journal.
How are the carbon fiber folks going to carry their gear? Do carbon bikes have eyelets for racks? Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Scott AndersonLooking forward to see someone else’s take on our homeland. I’m sorry we won’t be a home to meet up. And that’s really disgusting about Amtrak and the bikes. Even on the busy west coast corridor they can’t really be relied upon as a bike option. Good luck on making it to Portland on schedule! The last time we rode this line north we had an unplanned two or three hour layover in K Falls. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Genny FoxAmtrak has always guaranteed that they will get you to your destination but not when. On our very first trip with them, something went wrong with the engine and we were about 3 hours late for a connection. But they held the connecting train so we wouldn't miss the connection, and made up the time in the wee hours of the morning when everyone is supposedly asleep. I have heard that they sometimes use bus bridges to get people around as well if necessary. We have learned that once you board, you are on "Amtrak time" and it works best to simply relax and enjoy the ride and not worry about the time. The bike box issue is new so I guess we'll see what happens. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Genny FoxTo Kelly IniguezTheir Salsa bikes are designed for gravel so they are more ruggedly built than carbon racing bikes and came with fender and rear rack mounts. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
2 years ago