August 22-Creswell: Closer to Home

As I chewed into my bacon ciabatta breakfast sandwich at the Creswell Bakery and the egg yolk ran past the savory house cured bacon, gooey Tillamook cheese, and freshly baked bread down my chin, I couldn’t help grinning thinking about how today’s drive got me closer to the comforts of home.

Leaving Bend this morning and heading south on 97 and then west on highway 58, I left the ponderosa pines and western junipers of the Deschutes National Forest and crossed over the Cascade Range into the Willamette National Forest with the dense clusters of Douglas firs that look and smell like home to me with their familiar thick reddish-brown bark, deep green foliage and crisp citrusy scent.

Continuing west past Oakridge, I followed the contours of the Middle Fork Willamette River, smiling at I peered through the clean, moist Oregon air at the rippling, silvery blue water peeking out between the twisted moss-covered branches of the beautiful big leaf maples on the riverbank.

Beyond the town of Dexter, I entered the southern tip of the Willamette Valley floor and the landscape opened into wide plains with sprawling brown and green pastures, grazing livestock, and neatly bundled squares of golden hay dotting the sundrenched fields.

Turning on Cloverdale Road and continuing to Creswell I reflected on how fortunate I am to live in a region with such fresh air, colorful vistas, and varied scenery.

After devouring my lunch at the bakery, I packed up my six fresh loaves of multigrain sourdough bread and a fruit tart to go and continued west towards Florence for the night, giving myself an opportunity to enjoy the Pacific Ocean before returning to West Linn and starting work for this school year. After all, it’s always a good idea to take the long way home. What a great day on the road.