GRAVE CREEK

Located just over 15 miles north of Grants Pass, Oregon, the bridge can be seen by passerby's on Interstate 5 a quarter mile away. Built in 1920. The Grave Creek bridge is a single lane bridge featuring six gothic style window openings on each side. The bridge is easy to get to from I-5 and equally easy to return to the interstate using Sunny Valley Loop Road.

GPS coordinates:
42.08533, -123.22390

GOODPASTURE COVERED BRIDGE

Built in 1938 over the McKenzie River, at 165 feet long it is the longest covered bridge in the state of Oregon still in daily use. The bridge is located on Goodpasture County Road at Hwy 126, just east of the town of Vida. Although there is no turnoff to pull off the road at the bridge, there's enough area on the side of the road to stop safely and take pictures. Highway 126 is a must for a trip on motorcycles. The scenery is beyond superb!

High quality prints of this bridge are available at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/scenicroads
Just search by the bridge name.

GPS Coordinates:

44.08533, -122.35159

CHAMBERS RR COVERED BRIDGE

Built in 1925, this was the last covered railroad bridge in the state of Oregon. The bridge was built to serve a sawmill that burned down in 1943 so the bridge was abandoned. Originally 76 feet long, it was built to accommodate steam engines pulling logging trains. The siding once completely covered the trusses of the bridge, protecting the huge hand hewn structure. If it appears the house part of the bridge is leaning, that's because it is. Years of neglect and vandalism has taken a toll on this old bridge located off Old River Road in Cottage Grove, Oregon.

GPS Coordinates:
43.47222, -123.04115

CEDAR CROSSING

Just when you think covered bridges are only from the distant past, we found one that was more recently constructed. The Cedar Crossing bridge was built to replace an older, deteriorating wood truss bridge in 1981. The interior is finished with knotty pine. The bridge features a narrow walkway for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as two lane vehicular traffic.

The Cedar Creek bridge is located in Portland, Oregon on Deardorf Rd over Johnson Creek. The road to it is paved and in good condition. There is a graveled area to pull off and park on the east side. The only challenge to accessing the pull off area is a cement curb although there is a driveway built in to it on the far side. The graveled surface was well packed and smooth. Word of caution though - the traffic scoots along at a pretty good pace there so if you are going to stop to look, you'll want to get off the pavement without delay.

High quality prints of this bridge are available at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/scenicroads
Just search by the bridge name.

GPS coordinates:
45.28193, -122.31254

COVERED BRIDGES: Portals in Time

My grandmother lived a simple, yet remarkable life complete with great joys and tremendous sorrows. She never complained about the hand she was dealt. She almost lived to be 100. She felt every day she was given on earth was a gift. I was so very lucky to have the opportunity to listen to her recount what it was like growing up in the early 1900's - before electricity, before phones, before television, before radios, before cars... before so many things we now take for granted in our every day life. I recorded many of our conversations to share with my own grandchildren when they are old enough.

One of of my grandmother's recollections was about the retired racehorse her father bought to be the family's transportation to and from town when she was small. The horse, like many others, didn't care for bridges. Communities built covers for their bridges, protecting them from the elements which almost always included sides so the horses wouldn't be spooked going over them. For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by covered bridges... partially because of her stories or maybe a past life memory or some such.

Wood is abundant in the northwest so it was the primary building material in the area. The typical life cycle of a bridge could be extended at least three times longer than an uncovered bridge so at one time Oregon had over 400 covered bridges. Each one had their own personality representing the community that built it. As the years marched by time has taken its toll on these fascinating portals in time. Many fell prey to rising maintenance costs, new and improved highways and byways and the worst villain of all, human vandals. But there are many left to enjoy right here in our own backyard!