February 21: Backroads to Bakery and Beyond

With temperatures in the high 30’s and snow on the passes to the east and west, I made my way south along country backroads to my favorite bakery to stock up on necessities. Rolling up and down and around the foothills of the Santiam State Forest, I took in one beautiful pop of color after another.

Snaking my way west along the Willamette River into Canby, the silver blue waters reaching out into the horizon rippled in the rain, rising to meet the low-lying fog that settled along the shores and obscured the tops of the trees along the banks, creating an ethereal feel to the crisp winter morning.

Turning south on Ivy Road, I passed horses grazing in their emerald - green pastures, delightful, dilapidated red barns settling into the soft earth, and perfectly lined rows of brown and grey trees in their orchards, their bare branches covered with dewy jade-colored clumps of moss and their trunks resting on thick beds of rust-colored leaves.  

Continuing south past Marquam on 213 towards Silverton, I barreled up and over the hilly terrain, marveling at the breathtaking vistas of the rolling blue foothills to the east covered with patches of white snow and ice and framed by the large swatches of green fields in the foreground.

Making my way along the Cascade Highway through Sublimity, Stayton, Scio, and Lebanon, I chortled with glee when the sun broke through the thick grey rain clouds. It’s not always possible to outrun the rain but it’s always nice to be greeted by a bright ray of sunshine on a cold winter morning. What a great day on the bike!