January 16 - Kirk’s Ferry Trading Post in Brownsville

What an awesome day of riding! Started out sunny and ended up foggy. But the poor visibility provided the perfect opportunity for me to test out my new fog lights. After posting a few weeks ago about possibly upgrading to louder pipes for safety, I ended up completely changing up my game plan and going with brighter lights and a louder horn instead. I got some Custom Dynamics LED turn signals and taillights about a week ago. Then just this last week I had some Clearwater Darla fog lights installed inside my engine guards. Talk about bright! Wow! It is totally amazing driving down the road, knowing I have one of the smallest Harley’s out there but feeling like I can light up the road like a semi! I’m also sporting a new 116 decibel horn by Wolo. It wasn’t the loudest one available, but it fit inside the compartment I already had and is significantly louder than the stock one that came with the bike.

In any case, it was great to be on the bike. Mike Webb led us south on backroads towards Kirk’s Ferry Trading Post in Brownsville. We drove through beautiful farmlands, orchards, and countryside going through both Stayton and Lebanon. One of the highlights for the trip for me was driving through two different covered brides. Shimanek Bridge, north of Lebanon, is a wonderful red and in great condition. Apparently, it was originally built in 1861 but has been replaced five times and is currently the newest bridge in Linn County. Larwood Bridge is located East of Albany, painted white, and beautifully situated over Crabtree Creek. The food at Kirk’s Ferry Trading post was great. I ordered the fish tacos and very much enjoyed the fresh pico de gallo topping as well as the two different kinds of home-grown cabbage shredded on top. Kirk’s Ferry has a great outdoor seating area inside a covered tent with a fire pit to help generate some warmth. It is a perfect riding destination from Portland. Thanks to Mike Webb and Grant Myers for making it happen.