December 21: Backyard Beauties
Although I often prefer to ride longer distances, sometimes it’s fun to take the time to appreciate the natural beauty right in my own backyard. I can’t decide what was more captivating on today’s adventure – the roaring waters of Willamette Falls just a few miles from home, the friendly horse I stopped to pet in the countryside further south, or the dilapidated yellow, brown, and red barns dotting the fields and farmlands I rode past on my way to Stayton.
Leaving West Linn in the cold and rain early this afternoon, I headed over the Oregon City Arch Bridge and turned west on highway 99E, pulling over to take in the magnificent view of the frothy sheets of white water cascading off the Sentinel Bluffs and bouncing off the jagged rocks in the Willamette River below. At 30,000 cubic feet per second, Willamette Falls is second only to Niagara in the US in water volume and is the 17th widest waterfall in the world – what a breath -taking sight!
Feeling inspired and invigorated, I followed the river west and then turned south on South Ivy Street in Canby. With all the fall foliage completely gone, the landscape had a decidedly stark hue to it, with vineyards and orchards sporting naked branches in of variety of different shades of brown – orange-brown, purple-brown, grey-brown, and dark brown. Reaching high into the air, ancient tree limbs created beautiful mosaic patterns against the blue and grey sky.
While on the Canby-Marquam Highway, I stopped the bike next to a pasture to admire two horses grazing in their field, the red moss-covered barn behind them settling into the ground. One of the horses ambled over to say hello, and I enjoyed scratching behind his ears, on his forehead, and under his chin. With almost no traffic behind me and no one in sight, I breathed in the crisp winter air, enjoying the feel of the honey-colored steed’s coarse hair and soft nose and appreciating the moment of solitude.
Getting back on the bike, I continued south on 213 to Silverton and then along Cascade Highway NE to Sublimity and Stayton, enjoying every bit of the winding hilly road. As I swooped up and down hills and around corners, I gazed out at the bucolic fields and farmlands beyond and noted the wide variety of colorful barns dotting the countryside. Cattle grazed on both sides of the road, rusted-out trucks perched in front yards, and trees stood out like sentinels in the muddy ground around me. What a great day on the bike!
